The Chinese mainland will send its second purchasing delegation to Taiwan next month after notching up deals worth billions of U.S. dollars in early June, a mainland official said Monday.

The planned trip had already drawn more than 60 mainland companies interested in Taiwan food, drinks, garments and daily necessities, Yao Jian, a spokesman with the Commerce Ministry, told a press conference.

After announcing in mid-May it would encourage companies to buy more Taiwan products, the mainland organized at month-end its first business delegation to the island. The group signed deals worth more than 2.2 billion U.S. dollars.

The group, organized by the Mainland Association for Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Exchanges, included about 80 representatives of 35 companies, including IT and home appliance giants Lenovo, Haier, Changhong and ZTE.

They bought computer and mobile phone equipment, plastic and chemical products, textiles and handcrafts.

Yao said 827 million U.S. dollars of the deals had been carried out and the remaining orders would be implemented within this year.

The mainland is Taiwan's largest trade partner, export market, investment destination and trade surplus source, he said, promising his ministry's support for more cross-Straits trade and economic exchanges.

Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said earlier that mainland business delegations played a positive role in offsetting the effects of the global downturn on Taiwan.

Sending business groups to Taiwan and encouraging the purchase of Taiwan products showed sincerity and goodwill on the mainland's part, she said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2009)