BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, sent a congratulatory letter to the 15th Straits Forum on Saturday.

Calling the Straits Forum an important platform for people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to broadly engage in exchanges and promote cooperation, Xi expressed his hope in the letter that the forum will constantly inject vitality into people-to-people exchanges and the integrated development across the Strait.

We will continue to respect, care for and deliver benefits to the Taiwan compatriots, promote cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, and advance integrated development in various fields, he said.

Xi called for joint efforts to promote the Chinese culture and forge closer bonds.

He called on people from both sides of the Strait to work together to keep pace with the trends of history, safeguard the overall interests of the Chinese nation and contribute to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the cause of national reunification.

The 15th Straits Forum was jointly held by the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, Fujian provincial government and 82 institutions and organizations from across the Strait. The forum's main conference commenced on Saturday in the coastal city of Xiamen.