Export orders grew 25.7 percent to a record US$62.9 billion last month from US$50.03 billion a year earlier, the 19th consecutive month of expansion as new smartphones launches and emerging technologies drove demand, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed yesterday.
Export orders rose 4.5 percent from US$53.5 billion in August, the data showed.
In the third quarter of this year, orders jumped 21.7 percent annually to US$171.7 billion, the best quarter since the October-to-December period last year.
Photo: CNA
In the first nine months of this year, export orders totaled US$481.63 billion, also a record, up 32.4 percent from the same period last year.
The growth last month was led by information communications technology (ICT) products, which soared 40.1 percent year-on-year and 39.1 percent month-on-month, the ministry data showed.
Last year’s iPhone 12 was delayed from the usual September release amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the ministry did not name Apple Inc’s iPhone 13 by name, Department of Statistics Director Huang Yu-ling (黃于玲) said that the “delayed release of last year’s model of a popular international handset” compared with this year accounted for the unusually large year-on-year growth.
Demand for laptops and display cards remains strong, the ministry said.
“In addition to the continued strong demand for high-tech products, relatively high international commodities prices and orders for traditional industries mean that most categories experienced double-digit percentage growth,” Huang said.
The optical products industry continued to benefit from demand for larger laptop monitors, as well as for automotive and commercial use, growing 19.5 percent year-on-year, the 16th month of such growth.
Traditional sectors were not left out of the global rally, with metals, machines, petroplastics and chemicals all rising by double digit percentages.
There was an unusual amount of growth from Europe, totaling US$13.5 billion, up 53.1 percent year-on-year, the data showed.
Demand for ICT products in Europe last month grew by 69.5 percent year-on-year to US$2.87 billion, followed by electronics, which increased 50.6 percent to US$940 million, the data showed.
Export orders this month would be US$63 billion to US$64.5 billion, or year-on-year growth of 22.1 to 25 percent, Huang said, adding that such figures would extend Taiwan’s winning streak to 20 months.
“Looking forward, we still have to watch out for the COVID-19 pandemic and the electricity shortage in China, but with vaccination rates in the world’s main economic bodies rising and their infrastructure programs continuing, there should be continued growth in October for Tawianese exports,” Huang said.
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