Exports rose 11.6 percent last month from last year to US$12.56 billion on increased demand from Europe, Southeast Asia, China and South Korea, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.
The volume was also up marginally compared with US$12.3 billion in August.
But year-on-year export growth last month was slightly weaker than the 13 percent rise posted in August, the ministry said.
"The improving US economy has fueled strong demand for Taiwanese exporters," said Vickie Hsieh, a Taipei-based economist at President Securities Corp.
"The strong export demand will continue throughout this quarter," she said.
Rising exports are helping to spur the economy, which unexpectedly shrank in the second quarter as SARS outbreak curbed consumer spending and investment in the region. Overseas sales account for about half of the nation's GDP.
Exports to China rose to US$2.2 billion last month, while shipments to Hong Kong fell 13 percent to US$2.3 billion.
Exports to the US fell 0.8 percent to US$2.3 billion. Shipments to Japan rose 5 percent to US$969 million and those to Europe increased 13 percent to US$1.7 billion.
Exports of computer chips and other electronics items, which make up the biggest share of the nation's overseas sales, rose 22 percent to US$2.9 billion. Sales of mobile phones and other telecommunications goods fell 11 percent to US$1.2 billion, the ministry said.
The ministry said exports in the fourth quarter to December are expected to rise over 8 percent year-on-year.
Imports rose 4.1 percent year-on-year to US$10.98 billion last month and were up from the US$10.4 billion registered in August, the ministry said.
August imports were up 14.30 percent year-on-year.
The trade surplus for last month rose 125 percent year-on-year to US$1.58 billion, compared with a 6.50 percent rise in August, the ministry said.
Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) is expected to meet with Taiwanese suppliers next month in conjunction with the opening of the Computex Taipei trade show, supply chain sources said on Monday. The visit, the first for Tan to Taiwan since assuming his new post last month, would be aimed at enhancing Intel’s ties with suppliers in Taiwan as he attempts to help turn around the struggling US chipmaker, the sources said. Tan is to hold a banquet to celebrate Intel’s 40-year presence in Taiwan before Computex opens on May 20 and invite dozens of Taiwanese suppliers to exchange views
Application-specific integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原) yesterday said that although revenue this quarter would decline 30 percent from last quarter, it retained its full-year forecast of revenue growth of 100 percent. The company attributed the quarterly drop to a slowdown in customers’ production of chips using Faraday’s advanced packaging technology. The company is still confident about its revenue growth this year, given its strong “design-win” — or the projects it won to help customers design their chips, Faraday president Steve Wang (王國雍) told an online earnings conference. “The design-win this year is better than we expected. We believe we will win
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) is expected to share his views about the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s prospects during his speech at the company’s 37th anniversary ceremony, as AI servers have become a new growth engine for the equipment manufacturing service provider. Lam’s speech is much anticipated, as Quanta has risen as one of the world’s major AI server suppliers. The company reported a 30 percent year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue to NT$1.41 trillion (US$43.35 billion) last year, thanks to fast-growing demand for servers, especially those with AI capabilities. The company told investors in November last year that
Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) yesterday said it plans to ship its new 1 megawatt charging systems for electric trucks and buses in the first half of next year at the earliest. The new charging piles, which deliver up to 1 megawatt of charging power, are designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles, and support a maximum current of 1,500 amperes and output of 1,250 volts, Delta said in a news release. “If everything goes smoothly, we could begin shipping those new charging systems as early as in the first half of next year,” a company official said. The new
RSS