Central News Agency (CNA) Shanghai, July 2 -- The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) recently stated, on the 16th anniversary of the signing of the ECFA, that Taiwan's economic dependence on mainland China is currently at its lowest point in history, and the economic and trade structure across the strait has changed. China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) today insisted that bilateral trade will exceed US$300 billion in 2025, an annual increase of 7.3%, and that economic and trade exchanges across the strait are "continuously brisk." The MAC's latest assessment report indicated that Taiwan's economic dependence on mainland China is at its lowest point in history. In response, TAO spokesperson Zhu Fenglian stated at a regular press conference today that bilateral trade from January to May this year was US$150.837 billion, a year-on-year increase of 22%. Of this, mainland China's exports to Taiwan were US$41.874 billion, up 30.6% year-on-year; and imports from Taiwan were US$108.963 billion, up 19.1% year-on-year. "These figures show that the economic ties across the strait have not weakened, but strengthened." Furthermore, the MAC pointed out that Taiwan's export proportion to mainland China has decreased, while its GDP growth rate has exceeded 8%. When asked by reporters for a response, Zhu Fenglian stated: Zhu Fenglian insisted that "Taiwan's economy cannot de-sinicize" and pointed out that bilateral trade will reach US$314.33 billion in 2025, maintaining "high growth of 7.3%" amidst a global trade slowdown. Additionally, in the same year, mainland China established 8,132 new Taiwan-funded enterprises, "indicating that cross-strait industrial cooperation is increasingly close and economic and trade exchanges remain brisk." June 29th marked the 16th anniversary of the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). The MAC issued a press release that day stating that Taiwan's export proportion to mainland China (including Hong Kong) has gradually decreased