TAIPEI, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's export orders from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong hit an all-time high in the first quarter, according to the island's economic authority Friday.

The cross-strait export orders placed during the period stood at 31.5 billion U.S. dollars, up 11.6 percent year on year, outpacing growth in orders from the island's other major trade partners.

Cross-strait export orders accounted about 26.7 percent of the total, slightly lower than those from the United States.

In March alone, orders from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong stood at 11.5 billion U.S. dollars.

In a regular survey, about 22.3 percent of companies said that they expected export orders to grow in April.