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

 

Trade volume between the mainland and Taiwan reached 124.48 billion US dollars, up 15.4 percent year on year, MOC statistics show.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Trade volume between the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) reached 197.25 billion US dollars in 2007, up 18.7 percent year-on-year. The mainland's exports to the HKSAR reached 184.43 billion US dollars, and imports from the HKSAR reached 12.82 billion US dollars, up 18.7 percent and 18.8 percent respectively, according to the MOC statistics.

 

The mainland attracted direct investment from the HKSAR in 16,208 projects last year, up 4.6 percent and the actual use of Hong Kong direct investment reached 27.7 billion US dollars, up 30 percent.

 

By the end of December 2007, direct investment of the HKSAR in the mainland totalled 284.7 billion US dollars in 285,763 projects since figures first began in 1978 with the opening up of trade between the mainland and Hong Kong.

 

The HKSAR's direct investment in the mainland ranked first among all direct investment not from the Chinese mainland, accounting for 40.4 percent of the total.

 

Trade between China's mainland and the Macao Special Administrative Regionreached 2.92 billion US dollars in 2007, a 19.8-percent rise year-on-year.

 

The mainland's exports to Macao totaled 2.64 billion US dollars, up 21 percent, while its imports from Macao rose 9.7 percent to reach 280 million US dollars, the ministry said.

 

The mainland has attracted direct investment from the special administrative region in 856 projects last year, down 1.4 percent, and the actual use of Macao direct investment reached 640 million US dollars, down 6 percent.

 

By the end of December 2007, direct investment of Macao in the mainland totaled 7.65 billion US dollars in 11,553 projects since figures first began in 1978 with the opening up of trade between the mainland and Macao.

 

The actual use of Macao’s direct investment in the mainland accounted for 1 percent of all actually used direct investment from outside the Chinese mainland.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2008)