BEIJING - The Chinese mainland approved 2,081 projects with investment from Taiwan from January to September, a year-on-year increase of 21.3 percent, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The mainland recorded $1.21 billion of actually utilized investments from Taiwan during the same period, down 27.8 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.

Trade between the mainland and Taiwan reached $137.7 billion in the first nine months of this year, down 5.5 percent year-on-year, and accounting for 4.7 percent of the mainland's total trade volume with other countries and regions.

The figure included $33.6 billion in mainland exports to Taiwan, down 2.8 percent year-on-year, and $104.2 billion in mainland imports from the island, a decrease of 6.3 percent, according to the ministry.

Taiwan is the mainland's seventh largest trade partner and the sixth largest source of imports.