BEIJING - A Chinese mainland official said Wednesday that the mainland and Taiwan will hold a forum on economy, trade and culture, the seventh of its kind, on May 6-8 in the southwest city of Chengdu.

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Wu Poh-hsiung, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), will lead the delegation from Taiwan to attend the forum, said Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference.

Fan said relevant departments of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and KMT decided to hold the forum after consultations.

Topics including the mainland's development blueprint for the 12th Five-Year plan period (2011-2015) and Taiwan's plan to embrace a "Golden Decade" of development will be high on the forum's agenda, Fan said.

Also, discussions will be held on the implementation of the cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, cross-Strait educational and cultural cooperation as well as youth exchanges, she said.

Representatives and experts from both sides in industrial and commercial circles, and in areas of industry planning and research, agricultural products trade, culture and education will be present at the forum, according to the spokeswoman.

Fan said Chinese and foreign journalists are welcome to cover the forum, adding that registration runs from March 30 to April 20 online at www.chinataiwan.org.