The figure accounted for 20 percent of Taiwan's total trade, representing a 0.8 percentage point rise from a year ago, the ministry said.

Taiwan's exports to China in the first three months of this year rose 13.8 percent year-on-year to 14.01 billion dollars, while the island's imports from the mainland grew 17.9 percent to 5.32 billion dollars, it said.

During the same period, Taiwan's trade surplus with China rose 11.3 percent from a year earlier to 8.69 billion dollars, the ministry said.

In March alone, Taiwan's imports hit a monthly record high at 1.96 billion dollars on an increase in purchases of semi-finished electronic products, electronic components and raw materials from China, it added.

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