WUHAN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Scholars from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan have been asked to do more to promote national reunification.

The call was made by Dai Bingguo, president of the National Society of Taiwan Studies, at a cross-Strait seminar that opened Saturday in Wuhan, central Hubei Province.

Dai described national reunification as a "great but very arduous historic project" that requires not just patience and perseverance but also active planning and practice.

He spoke of the need to oppose separatism, embrace peace and development, keep a close eye on external forces attempting to harm Chinese interests, and prepare a stable environment for reunification.

The hundred scholars have come from universities and research institutes in the mainland and Taiwan. The talks centered around topics including the framework design regarding development of cross-Strait relations and national reunification, risks and countermeasures, and international factors concerning national reunification.