By Bill Gertz
Taiwanese magazines on sale on the mainland. Photo: AFP
TAIPEI, (AFP) - Trade between Taiwan and China in the four months to April rose 33.5 percent from a year earlier to 18.35 billion dollars on the back of growing cross-strait investment.
Exports to the mainland during the period rose 29 percent to 13.64 billion dollars, which accounted for 25.3 percent of the island's total exports as compared with 24 percent a year ago, Taiwan's Board of Foreign Trade (BOFT) said.
Imports jumped 48.4 percent to 4.71 billion dollars, or 9.2 percent of the island's total imports in the period as compared with 8.1 percent a year earlier, it said.
The January-April bilateral trade accounted for 17.5 percent of Taiwan's total external trade during the period, compared with 16.5 percent a year earlier, it said.
For the four-month period, Taiwan registered a trade surplus with China of 8.93 billion dollars, up 20.7 percent from a year earlier, it said.
The BOFT attributed the growth to increased higher demand for electronic components, machinery and plastic products on the mainland.
Since the end of April, Beijing has imposed a series of measures to cool the economy, particularly in the iron, steel and real estate industries.
It recently expanded the list of sectors to the petrochemical, textile, pharmaceutical and light industries.
China has been Taiwan's largest market since late 2002 while the island is a leading investor on the mainland with total investment estimated at 70 billion US dollars.
