BEIJING, July 5 -- The seventh cross-Strait youth development forum will be held from July 6 to 12 in east China's Zhejiang Province, a mainland spokesperson said Friday.

The event's opening ceremony and main forum are scheduled for July 8 in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office. He added that the forum will also take place in Ningbo, Jinhua, Lishui, and other parts of the province.

According to the spokesperson, Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party Hung Hsiu-chu are invited to attend the forum.

Approximately 800 guests and youth representatives from various sectors across the Taiwan Strait will participate in relevant activities, Chen said.

Initiated in 2018, the cross-Strait youth development forum serves as an important platform for youth from both sides of the Strait to exchange ideas, foster mutual understanding, and learn from each other.