News Room - Business/Economics

Posted on 09 Mar 2010

Taiwan's exports up 32.6% in February

Taiwan's exports slowed from January but remained robust for a fourth-straight month, helped by strong demand for electronics products from China, the finance ministry said Monday.

 

February exports rose 32.6 per cent from a year earlier to US$16.69 billion, a slower rate of growth than the nearly 34-year high of 75.8 per cent posted in January, mainly due to the Lunar New Year break, the ministry said.

 

February imports rose 45.8 per cent from a year earlier to US$15.80 billion, while the island recorded a trade surplus of US$899.7 million, down 48.6 per cent year-on-year, it said.

 

Sales of electronic products such as microchips and components accounted for 29.1 per cent of the total exports in February and rose 57.2 per cent from a year earlier to US$4.86 billion.

 

Shipments of optical goods such as liquid crystal displays soared 135.8 per cent to US$1.54 billion.

 

Exports to China and Hong Kong, which combined is the island's leading export market, grew 31.8 per cent last month from a year earlier to US$6.62 billion.

 

Sales to the US rose 23.3 per cent to US$1.89 billion and shipments to Japan rose 13.5 per cent to US$1.20 billion.