Export orders grew 4.5 percent annually to US$44.23 billion last month, mainly driven by strong demand for handheld devices, such as iPhones and low-cost notebook computers, from Europe and the US, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
On a monthly basis, orders rose 1.6 percent from US$43.51 billion in November.
That brought full-year export orders to a record US$472.81 billion, up 6.7 percent from the previous year, ministry data showed.
“The launch of Apple Inc’s new iPhone 6 models and growing demand for notebooks in the second half of last year boosted export orders for Taiwanese manufacturers,” Department of Statistics Director-General Lin Lee-jen (林麗貞) told a press conference.
Orders for the final quarter of last year reached a record US$132.65 billion, up 10.8 percent year-on-year and 7.9 percent quarter-on-quarter.
However, they are expected to decline sequentially this month due to a seasonal slowdown, Lin said.
For the full year, the ministry still expects export orders to outpace last year’s, thanks to continued launches of handheld devices and robust demand for low and mid-priced smartphones in emerging markets.
Steady global economic growth would further lend support to Taiwanese exports, Lin said, but warned of potential headwinds.
“Rising international competition and sluggish Chinese economic growth might affect Taiwan’s export orders this year,” Lin said.
Besides, China is developing its own flat-panel industry to reduce its reliance on imports, which could negatively impact Taiwan’s LCD industry, she said.
Plummeting crude oil prices might also adversely affect Taiwan’s petrochemical industry, she added.
By sector, export orders for precision instruments declined 8.9 percent annually and 2.6 percent monthly to US$2.66 billion last month due to rising capacity from China, weak demand for touchpanels and price competition for small and medium-sized panels, Lin said.
Orders for Taiwanese metallic products also dropped 3.8 percent annually due to the EU’s anti-dumping investigation, she said.
Lin said export orders for machine products rose for the 11th consecutive month last month at US$2.13 billion, thanks to steady economic growth in the US and robust machine tool demand from Taiwanese manufacturers for their overseas plants.
Petrochemicals, plastics and rubber were affected by the plunge in crude oil prices, Lin said, with orders dropping 15 percent annually to US$1.87 billion.
The US remained Taiwan’s largest export destination last month, with orders reaching US$11.9 billion, up 12.8 percent year-on-year and 1.9 percent month-on-month, thanks to demand for information technology products, Lin said.
Export orders from China, including Hong Kong, reached US$10.01 billion for last month, down 1.1 percent annually, but up 4.2 percent from a month earlier, Lin said, adding that Chinese orders for petrochemicals and precision instruments plummeted 32.7 percent and 8.4 percent respectively on an annual basis.
Lin said it seems that Europe’s sluggish economy last year did not affect its demand for information technology products, with orders hitting a record US$10.44 billion last month, up 9.7 percent from a year earlier and 2.4 percent from the previous month.
For the full year, the US replaced China as Taiwan’s largest export destination — the first time since 2007 — with export orders reaching a record US$118.53 billion last year, the data showed.
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