BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The 7th Cross-Strait Legal Forum for Peaceful Development and a seminar on the 30th anniversary of cross-Strait legal exchange and cooperation were held Thursday in Beijing.

Jointly hosted by the China Law Society and Taipei-based Soochow University, the forum attracted over 240 legal experts.

At the forum, Wang Lequan, director of China Law Society, said that cross-Strait legal exchange and cooperation over the last 30 years had contributed considerably to law enforcement and judicial cooperation across the Strait, and peaceful cross-Strait ties.

He encouraged legal experts from both sides to study legal issues in cross-Strait relations to give better suggestions and legal services.

Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, encouraged them to "uphold the fine Chinese culture of the rule of law, push forward the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and contribute to peaceful reunification."

Pan Wei-ta, president of Taipei-based Soochow University, acknowledged the need for innovation in legal education across the Strait and enhanced research on legal issues in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.

The forum was first held in 2012 and has become an important platform for cross-Strait legal exchange and cooperation.