EXPERTS have called for improved logistics services to handle growing trade between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan during a two-day forum on cross-Strait logistics that concluded yesterday.

"Increased trade and strong policy support on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have provided fresh opportunities for logistic services to grow," Eric Chiang, secretary-general of Kaohsiung Commerce and Trade Development Association, said at the forum held in Xiamen in Fujian Province.

Logistics have become a major challenge in expanding trade, experts attending the forum said.

The coordinated development of logistic services on both sides of the strait will facilitate the flow of goods and further stimulate cross-strait trade, they said.

Trade between the mainland and Taiwan surged 46.5 percent in the first quarter to US$51.44 billion, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Fujian Province, which is located across the strait from Taiwan, has been a major destination for goods imported from the island for further distribution across the mainland.

Business exchanges between Fujian and Taiwan have boomed thanks to a string of trade-related pacts, including the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed in 2010.

Experts called for improvements in the channels that are used to move goods between Fujian and Taiwan.

"There are a lot of areas for cooperation in logistics," said Guo Zhenjia, deputy head of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"Whereas logistics in Fujian is lagging behind that in Taiwan, the mainland market has been very attractive for the island and promises a large and sustainable demand," Guo said.

Experts said cooperation will benefit mainland service providers as well their peers from Taiwan.