Eric Chu, chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party in Taiwan, attends a press conference in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, May 1, 2015, the eve of his visit to the Chinese mainland. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Eric Chu, chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party in Taiwan, on Friday called for efforts to develop relations across the Taiwan Strait to benefit the next generation on the eve of his visit to the Chinese mainland.

Chu called on people to view the development of cross-Strait ties positively at a press conference, saying "We are all hoping for peace and creating a win-win situation in the future."

Chu will depart for a mainland visit on Saturday. He will lead a delegation to attend the 10th Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum, which is scheduled to be held on May 3 in Shanghai, and then visit Beijing and meet with leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"We have adopted a practical attitude toward the upcoming forum in terms of composition of participants, issues for discussion, and forms of communication," Chu said.

The forum will be aimed at small and medium-sized companies, and young and grassroots people, according to Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Officials from the CPC, KMT, other political parties from the island, and relevant government agencies will attend the forum. Delegates from small and medium-sized businesses, young and grassroots people, and financial, sci-tech, cultural and educational fields will also take part in the event, Ma said last month.

The forum, initiated in 2006, is sponsored by the KMT and CPC.