Taiwan investment in mainland reached $46 bln over 20 years

An economic study group has found that in the 20 years since cross-strait investment formally opened, Taiwan investors have put 46.1 billion U.S. dollars into the mainland.

The figure, for the period through the end of February, accounted for about 6 percent of the overseas capital that flowed into the mainland during that period, said Li Shuilin, head of the Association of Economy and Trade Across the Taiwan Strait, a non-governmental mainland institution.

China has approved more than 75,000 Taiwan-funded enterprises over the past 20 years, Li told an ongoing Taiwan-oriented trade fair held here.

However, Li Fei, a professor at the Taiwan research center of Xiamen University, told the audience that investment from Taiwan may have exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars if indirect capital movements are included.

In 2007, the mainland approved 3,299 projects with Taiwan investment and actual investment reached 1.77 billion U.S. dollars, down 12.1 percent and 20.4 percent, respectively, year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

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

Source: Xinhua