BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland would like to deepen the peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait and advance cooperation in all fields, a senior mainland official said Tuesday.

Over the past year, cross-Strait relations have moved forward steadily, coping with tough challenges and welcoming a new period of opportunities for further development, said Wang Yi, director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.

The current favorable situation across the Strait has been earned through hard efforts by people from both sides including lots of insightful people from all walks of Taiwan society, he said at a meeting of Taiwan delegation attending the annual session of the National People's Congress.

The two sides should work together to build political understanding, deepen mutual trust, consolidate the fruits of exchanges and promote mutually beneficial cooperation, Wang said.