(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-25 17:24

The Chinese mainland registered a trade deficit of $77.56 billion with Taiwan Province last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Friday.

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Trade volume between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan reached $124.48 billion, up 15.4 percent year on year, MOFCOM statistics show.

In 2007, the Chinese mainland's exports to Taiwan reached $23.46 billion and imports from the island reached $101.02 billion, up 13.1 percent and 16 percent respectively.

During the same period, the Chinese mainland approved 3,299 projects with Taiwan investment and the actual use of Taiwan investment reached $1.77 billion, down 12.1 percent and 20.4 percent respectively year on year.

By the end of 2007, direct investment from Taiwan in the Chinese mainland, totalled $45.76 billion since figures first began in 1988 with the opening up of trade between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. The actual use of Taiwan's direct investment in the Chinese mainland accounted for six percent of all actually used direct investment from outside the Chinese mainland.

Taiwan is the Chinese mainland's seventh largest trade partner, ninth largest export market and fifth largest import market.