HONG KONG, Aug. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- More than 200 scholars and celebrities from the Chinese mainland and overseas attended the China Peaceful Reunification Forum held here on Friday.

    Zhang Kehui, president of China Peaceful Reunification Association, said at the forum that the association was founded by 23 democratic parties and people's organization of the Chinese mainland 16 years ago. Now it has developed all over the world with more than 130 similar organizations setting up in over 80 countries and regions.

    Chinese people both at home and abroad are making concerted efforts to push forward the peaceful reunification of China, said Zhang, also vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

    "We firmly adhere to the basic principle of 'peaceful reunification of the motherland and one country, two systems' and the eight-point proposal for developing the relations across the Taiwan Straits," said Zhang.

    With the efforts of people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits,the exchange and cooperation between the two sides of Straits havebeen further deepened. This is the trend of developing relations across the Taiwan Straits, and it is favorable to the peaceful reunification of China and to the peace, prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world, said Zhang.

    He said that the separatists on Taiwan Island are unwilling to see the development of normal relations across the Taiwan Straits,and rack their brains to destroy the relations across the Straits.Therefore, activities against the separatists are the common responsibilities of all Chinese in the mainland and overseas.

    Wang Zaixi, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that Hong Kong is the first place to realize the great thought of "one country, two systems". The forum, held in Hong Kong, is of special significance.

    Noting that the current cross-Straits situation is severe, Wang said that the Office for Taiwan Affairs under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council issued a statement on the cross-Straits relations on May 17.

    The statement shows that the Chinese government and people have the sincerity to develop cross-Straits relations under the principle of "one China", and the firm confidence to protect national sovereignty and territory integrity, said Wang.

    He emphasized that the Chinese government adheres to the basic principle of "peaceful reunification of the motherland and one country, two systems", and will never tolerate the separatist activities and Taiwan independence.

    The two day forum was sponsored by the Hong Kong Region China Peaceful Reunification Association with a theme of "cross-Straits relations and safety of the Asia-Pacific region." Enditem