April exports soar almost 30%, marking 18th straight month of growth

Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan's exports soared nearly 30 percent year-on-year in April, extending their growth streak to 18 consecutive months, as buyers rushed to build up inventories during a 90-day tariff pause offered by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Thursday.

The strong performance in April also reflected solid global demand for artificial intelligence applications and other emerging technologies, the MOF added.

Data compiled by the ministry showed Taiwan's exports rose 29.90 percent from a year earlier to US$48.66 billion, the second highest this year after US$49.57 billion in March. The April figure beat the MOF's previous forecast pointing to a range of US$37.4 billion to US$39.3 billion.

The country's imports rose 33.0 percent from a year earlier to US$41.46 billion in April with a trade surplus of US$7.21 billion, up 15.0 percent year-on-year.

In the first four months of this year, Taiwan's exports rose 20.6 percent from a year earlier to US$178.23 billion and imports also grew 20.4 percent to US$147.38 billion, while the trade surplus rose 21.6 percent to US$30.85 billion.

Speaking to reporters, Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜), head of the MOF's Department of Statistics, said Taiwan benefited from Trump's 90-day suspension of the proposed 32 percent "reciprocal" tariff on Taiwanese products. The move prompted buyers to place orders in advance, offsetting slow season effects in the month, Tsai said.

Taiwan's exports continued to grow, driven by sustained strong demand for AI-related devices and the launch of new tech products, Tsai said.

The MOF said the local information/communications and video/audio industry posted a new high of US$18.83 billion in outbound sales in April, up 60.5 percent from a year earlier, while the electronic components industry also recorded a strong 26.8 percent year-on-year increase in exports valued at US$16.41 billion.

The two industries accounted for 72.4 percent of Taiwan's total exports in April, according to the MOF.

Tsai said trade tensions between the United States and China have also prompted many Taiwanese investors, in particular in the electronics sector, to return to Taiwan, which helped boost shipments in tech devices.

Old economy industries largely enjoyed a year-on-year increase in exports in April with the base metal, machinery, and chemical industries generating US$2.42 billion, US$1.98 billion and US$1.69 billion, respectively, in exports, up 7.6 percent, 7.1 percent and 15.2 percent from a year earlier, the MOF said.

Bucking the uptrend, the plastics and rubber industry posted about US$1.50 billion in exports in April, down 3.4 percent from a year earlier, the MOF added.

Taiwan's exports to its major buyers except Europe grew at double-digit pace in April with sales to China/Hong Kong and the United States up 22.3 percent and 29.5 percent, respectively, from a year earlier to US$13.82 billion and US$13.15 billion in April, the ministry said.

Exports to ASEAN countries soared 60.2 percent from a year earlier to US$US$10.46 billion on higher demand for tech items, while outbound sales to Europe fell 17.4 percent to US$2.70 billion due to a decline in shipments of electronic products and base metal items, the ministry added.

The boom in cloud services is expected to continue to drive up AI application sales and lend support to Taiwan's exports, the MOF said.

However, the MOF warned uncertainties created by Trump's tariff policies and geopolitical unease could affect international trade.