XIAMEN -- The mainland and Taiwan should strengthen cooperation in five aspects of ocean-related issues, a top Chinese oceanic official said Monday.

Oceanic experts and scientists from both sides of the Taiwan Strait should join hands in the fields of disaster monitoring and forecast, ocean ecological conservation and rehabilitation, and monitoring of the oceanic environment, Liu Cigui, director of the State Oceanic Administration, said at the 2nd Cross-Strait Ocean Forum held in Xiamen, a coastal city in east China's Fujian Province facing Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait.

The two sides should also jointly promote substantial cooperation in oceanic scientific survey and research, Liu told the forum that opened Monday as part of the ongoing third cross-Strait forum.

The Straits Forum, which began Saturday, is the largest-ever grassroots exchange event between the mainland and Taiwan.

More than 200 oceanic experts, scientists and researchers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait attended Monday's forum.

Tseng Yung-chuan, vice chairman of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, said at the opening ceremony of the oceanic forum that the two sides should seize the commercial opportunities and map out a new era of "blue ocean."

The "blue ocean" strategy, Tseng said, should be focused on creating new market demand through innovation and offering differentiated oceanic products.

The first Cross-Strait Ocean Forum was held in Taipei in March last year.