Taiwan’s export orders expanded 17.6 percent year-on-year to US$53.5 billion last month, the best August performance ever, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
On a monthly basis, export orders dropped 3.2 percent from US$55.3 billion.
The ministry expects export orders to rise again this month, with growth coming from information and communications technology (ICT) and electronic products.
Photo: Huang Pei-chun, Taipei Times
Taiwanese companies have received US$418.7 billion of export orders so far this year, up 30 percent year-on-year, Department of Statistics Director Huang Yu-ling (黃于玲) said, adding that the nation is on track to post a record high for the third quarter.
“We predict demand driven by the global recovery and strong commodity prices will keep supporting strong export orders,” Huang said. “If demand reaches our expectations, Taiwan will have a record third quarter this year.”
Strong demand for large monitors led to year-on-year growth of 23 percent for optical products.
Export orders for ICT products were up 4.6 percent year-on-year, with weaker demand for handset assembly offsetting strong demand for laptops, display cards and storage devices.
“There is usually a lull in handset sales ahead of the annual release of a new model by a certain company,” Huang said, most likely alluding to Apple Inc.
The continued strength of traditional industries, which bounced back from an anemic performance last year on the back of the global economic recovery and strong commodity prices, also contributed to the record performance.
Export orders for base metals were up 47.9 percent year-on-year, mechanical products were up 28.9 percent, plastic products were up 45.3 percent and chemical products were up 56.1 percent.
The proportion of export orders for products made in overseas factories versus those made in Taiwan decreased by 4.4 percent year-on-year to 49.3 percent, Huang said.
“The strength of the rebound in the traditional sector accounts for the increase in the percentage of products made in Taiwan,” she said.
While the 18-month winning streak for Taiwanese export orders might seem impressive, it is far from record breaking, she added.
The record for month-on-month export order growth was a 79-month streak between March 2002 and September 2008.
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