TRADE between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan in the first quarter of this year totaled US$51.44 billion, up 46.5 percent from the same period of last year, a mainland spokesman said yesterday.

Citing official figures, the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Yang Yi said at a press conference that significant progress in mainland-Taiwan economic cooperation and personnel exchanges was made in the first three months.

The value of mainland exports to Taiwan from January to March totaled US$9.73 billion, up 32 percent year on year, Yang said. During the same period, mainland imports from the island stood at US$41.71 billion, up 50.3 percent year on year.

Yang said the mainland approved 442 investment projects with financing from Taiwan businessmen and reported actual use of US$760 million in Taiwan investment.

Eight mainland companies were given permission by mainland authorities to invest a total of US$2.94 million in Taiwan.

Yang said people from both sides made nearly 1.92 million cross-Strait trips in the first quarter, an increase of 5.07 percent from a year earlier.

Mainlanders made 531,000 visits to Taiwan, up 23.25 percent from a year ago. Of the trips, most were made as part of group tours while the remaining 91,500 were made by individual tourists, up more than 227 percent year on year.

He said common understanding was reached at an April 25 meeting held in Beijing between the mainland-based Association for Shipping Exchanges across the Taiwan Strait and its Taiwan counterpart.