TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Exports grew for the seventh consecutive month in September, marking the third-highest figure for the month on record, according to Ministry of Economic Affairs figures released Monday (Oct. 21).
Export orders amounted to NT$1.719 trillion (US$53.79 billion) in September, bringing the total value from January to September to NT$13.7 trillion, the data showed.
Orders for ICT and electronics products rose by 7% and 10.5%, respectively, compared to September 2023. The ministry attributed this growth to robust demand for emerging technologies and high-performance computing hardware.
The ministry pointed out that increased demand for servers used in cloud computing and AI applications drove the growth in ICT products. It also noted that semiconductor orders from the US rose by more than NT$48.59 billion in September compared to the same period last year.
However, orders for rubber and chemical products fell by 1.1% and 8.5%, respectively, year-on-year. Chemical product orders were also down 12% in September compared to August.
The ministry attributed this decline to lower international oil prices and "the continued impact of capacity expansion by overseas competitors." It added that orders for chemical products from China and Hong Kong dropped by more than NT$3.51 billion compared to September 2023.
