The first forum of elites from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, which opened in Shanghai Thursday, provided a new platform for nongovernmental exchanges between the two sides, said a senior Chinese mainland official.

"As a mechanism for dialogue between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the People First Party (PFP) in Taiwan, the forum also created a new platform for nongovernmental exchanges across the Taiwan Straits," said Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee.

Chen called the forum as a major step to the implement the communique issued after the meeting between General Secretary Hu Jintao of the CPC Central Committee and PFP Chairman James Soong in May.

Soong made his historic visit to the mainland in May and reached a consensus with Hu on such issues as fighting "Taiwan independence," maintaining cross-Straits peace and stability, promoting personnel exchanges and trade and economic cooperation, and realizing the "three direct links" across the Straits.

"This is of far-reaching significance to push cross-Straits relations toward peaceful and stable development," said Chen at the opening ceremony.

"We hope we could collect the ideas and suggestions of people from all walks of life on both sides of the Straits on major issues concerning cross-Straits relations through the forum," said Chen.

The theme of the first forum of elites is to promote cross-Straits economic exchanges and cooperation, the most robust part of cross-Straits relations, said Chen.

To strengthen economic exchanges and cooperation and to take the interests of the compatriots on both sides of the Straits into consideration is the common goal of the two parties, Chen added.

The two-day forum attracted more than 120 scholars and business celebrities from both sides of the Straits.