Beijing - President Hu Jintao encouraged young people from both sides of the Taiwan Straits to take part in more exchanges and to cooperate with one another while he attended an event on Tuesday aimed at cross-Straits youth.

The gathering that attracted 10,000 young people from both sides of the Straits was jointly held by 17 governmental institutions, including the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the All China Taiwanese Association and the Ministry of Education.

Hu and the young people experienced traditional Chinese handcrafts, including woodblock printing, chime playing and saw a puppet show in the afternoon at the event at the Great Hall of the People.

Hu also applauded young Taiwan entertainers after they performed a dance with electronic instruments.

Hu and the Taiwan youngsters also visited an exhibition featuring works of traditional Chinese art, including calligraphy, Tibetan Thangka paintings and cloisonne.

He then shook hands and posed for photos with representatives of the young people before delivering an impromptu speech.

"Good afternoon, my young friends," he began. "I am delighted to meet here with you all. Inspired by your young spirit, I feel much more energetic."

He said he hopes young people from Taiwan will benefit from traveling on the mainland and appreciate the bond between people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, saying that people from both Taiwan and the mainland share one family and are blood-bound brothers and sisters.

Hu pointed out that people on both sides are cherishing links and pushing forward the hard-earned momentum of peaceful development, which provides the opportunity for young people from Taiwan and the mainland to exchange freely.

The responsibility of promoting the development of cross-Straits ties lies with the young, Hu stressed.

At the end of his speech, Hu wished the youths from Taiwan a pleasant stay on the mainland and asked them to convey to their friends back in Taiwan his warm welcome.

The event was part of a larger mainland-Taiwan exchange program aimed at engaging more than 10,000 young people from across the Taiwan Straits. The program kicked off in early July.

China Daily - Xinhua