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When 80 business representatives from the Chinese mainland visited Taiwan last month, they had bulging wallets and a shopping list filled with appliances, machinery and foodstuffs manufactured on the island.
But the significance of their four-day visit went far beyond the whopping $2.2 billion worth of orders they placed for liquid crystal display monitors and spare parts for mobile phones and computers.
To observers, the group, organized by the Mainland Association for Cross-Straits Economic and Trade Exchanges, and representing 35 companies, including IT and home appliance giants Lenovo, Haier, Changhong and ZTE, had taken a symbolic step toward expanding trade ties between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Li Shuilin, the head of the delegation, said $827 million worth of product orders from that trip would be filled by July, and goods worth of $1.4 billion would be delivered by the end of this year.
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"We see a lot of opportunities for cooperation as the mainland is fast developing its 3G market," said Liu Liqing, chairman of the China Association of Communications Enterprises.
The Taiwan visit followed the Chinese mainland's approval of a plan in early May that supported the development of an economic zone on the western side of the Taiwan Straits.
On May 20, Ministry of Commerce (MOC) spokesman Yao Jian said three economic and trade facilitation teams would visit Taiwan in May, in mid-June and early July to deepen the mainland-Taiwan economic and trade ties.
Later that month, a Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's trade and culture delegation also went on a buying spree in Taiwan. It signed $281 million worth of contracts with the island, including Guangxi's purchase of $200 million worth of Taiwan products.
The deal covered electronic items, leather goods and agricultural produce, including 166 tons of fruit and 300 tons of tea.
The Guangxi delegation, consisting of more than 1,500 officials and business representatives and headed by Ma Biao, chairman of the regional government, traveled to Taipei on May 21.