A cross-Straits forum involving 200 people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan opened in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Wednesday to discuss ways to intensify all-round cooperation between counties and small cities across the Taiwan Straits.

Present at the "200 forum" are 100 representatives from 18 counties and cities in Taiwan and 100 lawmakers, or deputies to the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) from 28 counties, cities and districts from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and Shanghai municipality.

They are expected to discuss ways to promote cooperation and exchanges in economic, cultural and urban development sectors at the forum, which carries the theme of "cross-Straits cooperation, common development".

Cheng Siwei, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and local officials from Jiangsu Prvoince were present at the opening ceremony Wednesday morning.

Source: Xinhua