Taipei, Jan. 10 (CNA) Taiwan posted a record US$30.39 billion trade surplus in 2012, despite declines in both exports and imports, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said Thursday.

This is the first time the country's trade surplus has exceeded US$30 billion, TAITRA President Chao Yuen-chuan said in a news conference.

Exports and imports totaled US$301.11 billion and US$270.73 billion, respectively, Chao said.

Although Taiwan's exports to China, the United States, India and South Korea experienced decreases of between 0.1 and 0.8 percent last year, exports to Southeast Asia and Japan rose 2 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

In 2012, TAITRA helped Taiwanese companies win business opportunities worth US$57.22 billion through various trade promotion efforts, which includes US$23.31 in emerging markets, US$15.39 billion in the Chinese market and US$18.52 billion in developed markets, according to council statistics.

(By Lin Meng-ju and Y.F. Low)
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