BEIJING, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland witnessed a fast development in trade with Taiwan province in the first two months of this year, as a string of policies benefiting Taiwan businesses were carried out.

    Sources with the General Administration of Customs said on Friday that the January-February trade volume between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits amounted to 20.5 billion U.S. dollars, a growth of 23.8 percent on the same period of last year. The growth rate was 8.4 percentage points higher than the year-earlier level.

    The total included 3.6 billion U.S. dollars in export value by the mainland, up 12 percent, and 16.93 billion dollars in import value, up 26.6 percent. The mainland's trade deficit went up 31.2 percent to 13.33 billion U.S. dollars.

    Companies with investment from outside the Chinese mainland, particularly those with investment from Taiwan, accounted for 75.9percent, or 15.59 billion U.S. dollars, of the mainland's total trade volume with Taiwan, up 20.2 percent.

    Machinery and electronics made up 66.2 percent, or 13.58 billion U.S. dollars, of the total bilateral trade, up 20.9 percent. The growth rate was 11.8 percentage points higher.

    Besides the traditional trade participants -- the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta, central and western regions of the mainland recorded 380 million U.S. dollars and 280 million dollars, respectively, in trade with Taiwan, up 51.9 percent and 45.4 percent.