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Export orders rise for 10th straight month in December

01/21/2025 06:56 PM
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CNA file photo
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Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) Taiwan's export orders rose more than 20 percent from a year earlier in December, marking the 10th consecutive month of year-on-year growth, on the back of global strong demand for emerging technologies, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Tuesday.

With the rising popularity of artificial intelligence applications, high performance computing devices and cloud services, Taiwan's export orders rose 20.8 percent from a year earlier to US$52.92 billion in December, after a 3.3 percent year-on-year increase in November, data compiled by the MOEA showed.

In addition to receiving a boost from emerging technologies, the MOEA said the strong growth in December reflected the keenness of the global semiconductor industry to expand production capacity and place orders with Taiwanese suppliers, while buyers have tended to build up inventories ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The data indicated export orders for 2024 as a whole rose 5.1 percent from a year earlier to hit the third highest ever level of US$589.54 billion, trailing only US$674.1 billion in 2021 and US$666.8 billion in 2022.

The 2024 figure also reversed a 15.9 percent decline in 2023, the MOEA said.

In December, AI and cloud applications pushed up demand for servers and web communications devices with export orders received by the information and communications industry rising 24.3 percent from a year earlier to US$15.25 billion, the MOEA said.

The electronics industry saw export orders grow 33.5 percent from a year earlier to US$19.92 billion in December, also on the back of solid demand for AI and HPC devices which led foreign buyers to place large orders with electronic component suppliers such as IC manufacturers, IC designers and printed circuit board makers, the ministry added.

The optical equipment industry received US$1.89 billion in export orders in December, up 17.7 percent from a year earlier on the back of growing demand for flat panels and optical testing equipment, the MOEA said

The machinery industry benefited from orders placed by semiconductor suppliers seeking to boost production capacity and meet strong global demand in the AI era, with export orders up 6.0 percent from a year earlier to US$1.74 billion in December, the MOEA said.

Bucking the upturn, the base metal industry suffered a 4.5 percent year-on-year decline in export orders which stood at NT$2.05 billion in the wake of a weak steel market as well as price competition, the MOEA added.

The chemical industry also saw export orders fall 0.6 percent from a year earlier to US$1.46 billion in December, with the global petrochemical industry impacted by a global supply glut.

Export orders in the plastics and rubber industry rose 5.5 percent to US$1.59 billion ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, according to the MOEA.

The United States ranked as the largest foreign buyer by placing US$18.29 billion in export orders in December, up 31.0 percent, ahead of China and Hong Kong, which placed US$11.45 billion in orders, up 13.6 percent, the MOEA said.

The MOEA forecast export orders in January will hit US$44.5 billion-US$46.5 billion, down 4.0-8.1 percent from a year earlier as the number of working days in the month will be cut by the Lunar New Year holiday, which will falls on Jan. 25 to Feb. 2.

(By Tseng Jen-kai and Frances Huang)

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