Exports of electronics components and products rose more than 27 percent in the first two months year-on-year due to strong overseas demand, an official at the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (TEEMA, 電電公會) said yesterday.
But post-election political turmoil seemed to deter foreign buyers from visiting the Spring Taitronics and TaipeiOpto shows, which began yesterday in Taipei, said an official surnamed Wang at the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).
"Two of our nanotechnology seminars scheduled for the show were called off after the speakers cancelled their trips to Taiwan," Wang said.
The joint exhibitions attracted 400 domestic and foreign companies, occupying 900 booths at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall. The exhibitions featured five pavilions and featured technologies such as wireless LAN and digital television under the theme of building a mobile e-Taiwan.
TAITRA, one of the organizers, expected the number of foreign buyers would grow only slightly over last year's event due to the country's political disputes.
Hit by SARS, the show drew over 20,000 buyers last year.
TEEMA chairman Rock Hsu (
"Taiwan's electrical and electronics exports in the first two months of this year amounted to US$9.2 billion, a leap of 27.4 percent year-on-year," he said.
But liquid crystal display (LCD) related products remain a key feature of the show, with Sampo Corp (聲寶), Kolin Co (歌林), Teco Electric and Machinery Co (東元) and Proton Communications Technology Inc (普騰) displaying their latest goods.
"We saw a 20 percent increase in sales of LCD-TVs in Taiwan last year," said Kimi Tai (
Prices for 30-inch LCD-TVs, which became mainstream products last year, will fall to about NT$59,000 per unit, while 32-inch LCD-TVs should be priced as high as NT$100,000 per unit, Tai said.
The LCD-TV sector may see similar growth this year due to stagnant progress with technical specifications as well as price cuts. Sales of digital TVs, however, fuelled by an increase in digital content and digital broadcasts of the Athens Olympics, may triple to 300,000 units this year, he said.
The optoelectronics sector is expect to report a production value of NT$958.6 billion this year, compared with NT$752.2 billion last year, driven by sales of large thin-film-transistor LCD panels, Hsu said.
The exhibition also features technologies enabling mobile-phone users to access the Internet via the GPRS system as well as via wireless LAN (WLAN). WLAN provides faster transmission and lower cost.
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