BEIJING -- Wang Gang, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), has called on legal experts from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan to enhance cross-Strait exchanges in their field.

Wang made the remarks on Thursday when meeting with Taiwan legal professionals who are in Beijing to attend the first legal forum on cross-Strait peaceful development.

Wang urged legal professionals from both sides to join hands in promoting exchanges, communication and cooperation in order to fortify and deepen the legal basis for cross-Strait peaceful development and to contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Legal experts at the forum called for efforts to coordinate private law systems among different jurisdictions in the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.

The two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, but since there are different jurisdictions, both sides should respect and understand the differences caused by this fact, said Zhou Yezhong, a law professor at Wuhan University.

He suggested greater efforts to streamline exchanges among both the public and authorities on both sides, as well as exchanges between both sides of the Strait and the international community.

Professor Liu Jingwei from the China University of Political Science and Law urged more cooperation among the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao in private law research.

The two-day forum ended on Thursday and was attended by 180 legal professionals from both sides.