BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Trade values between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan reached 198.31 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 0.6 percent year on year, a mainland spokesman said in Beijing on Wednesday.

The mainland ran a trade deficit of 105.77 billion U.S. dollars with Taiwan last year, said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman with the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

Ma said exports from the mainland to Taiwan reached 46.28 billion U.S. dollars, while imports from Taiwan were worth more than 152 billion U.S. dollars.

Last year, 9.41 million trips were made across the Taiwan Strait, hitting a record high, with more than 5.36 million trips made from Taiwan to the mainland and 4 million heading for the island, Ma said.

The number of regular cross-Strait passenger flights last year increased to 840 per week, he said, adding cargo flights increased to 84 per week.