Mainland investment in Taiwan drops slightly in 2014

A total of 136 investment projects from mainland businesses were given the green light in Taiwan in 2014, a decrease of 1.45 percent year on year, the island's economic authority said Tuesday.

Statistics show that investment in Taiwan from the mainland reached 334.63 million U.S. dollars last year, down 4.25 percent from 2013.

Among the major mainland investment projects, Bank of China increased an investment of 59.93 million U.S. dollars for its Taipei Branch in 2014.

The total amount of mainland investment in Taiwan reached nearly 1.2 billion U.S. dollars with 619 projects approved by the economic authority since the island opened its door to mainland investors in 2009.

In the meantime, 388 Taiwan investment projects on the mainland were approved by the island in 2014, down 11.82 percent year on year. The investment totaled 9.83 billion U.S. dollars, a 13.18 percent increase from 2013.

A total of 493 Taiwan investment projects in the world were approved by the economic authority in 2014, up 32.17 percent year on year. The investment totaled 7.29 billion U.S. dollars, a 39.4 percent increase from 2013.

The mainland is a major investment destination for Taiwan businesses.