TAIPEI -- Taiwan's exports to the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong reached $12.52 billion in June, a new high for the same month, the island's finance department said on Tuesday.

The figure was 13.8 percent higher than that of June last year, the department said in a press release.

Taiwan's exports to the mainland and Hong Kong accounted for about 46.15 percent of its total exports in June, and remained the biggest among the island's major export markets, the statement said.

However, the island's total exports dropped by 3.8 percent year on year to $27.13 billion in June, marking a decline for four months in a row.

Exports to Europe and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations declined by 18.2 percent and 12.1 percent year on year in June, representing third consecutive month of decline, the statement said.

The department attributed the continuous reduction of exports to the COVID-19 pandemic, which heavily affected traditional export industries, despite a stable performance of IT products.

Taiwan's total exports in the first half of this year reached $158.02 billion, slightly up by 0.5 percent year on year.

The island's total imports in June fell by 8.6 percent year on year to $22.29 billion.