Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) Taiwan enjoyed a trade surplus with mainland China in 2011, while Taiwanese investment on the opposite side of the Taiwan Strait saw a year-on-year decline, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

The data released by the ministry Feb. 3 shows that trade between the two sides reached US$160.03 billion in 2011, a 10.1 percent increase from 2010. The amount accounted for 4.4 percent of China's overall foreign trade that year.

China's exports to Taiwan grew 18.3 percent to US$35.11 billion in 2011, while Taiwan's exports to the mainland rose 7.9 percent to US$124.92 billion, according to the data. This led to Taiwan's US$89.81 billion trade surplus.

Meanwhile, Beijing approved 2,639 investment projects set up by Taiwanese businesses in China in 2011, 14.1 percent down from the previous year. Actual use of Taiwanese capital during the same period also declined 11.81 percent to US$2.18 billion, according to the ministry.

Taiwan's overall realized investments of US$54.2 billion in China accounted for 4.6 percent of the total foreign investment there, the ministry release said.

Data released Jan. 9 by Taiwan's Ministry of Finance showed the country saw exports of US$124.05 billion to and imports of US$45.28 billion from China (including Hong Kong), both were record highs. (By Huang Chi-kuan and Kay Liu)