Taiwan's exports rise for 23rd straight month in September

Taipei, Oct. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's exports in September surged nearly 34 percent from a year earlier on the back of strong global demand for emerging technologies, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Thursday.

Data compiled by the MOF showed that exports totaled US$54.25 billion in September, up 33.8 percent year-on-year, marking the 23rd consecutive month of growth and the third-highest monthly level on record.

Cumulative exports for the first nine months of 2025 reached US$452.68 billion, an increase of 29.7 percent from a year earlier.

Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜), director-general of the MOF's Department of Statistics, attributed the strong performance to four main factors: resilient global demand despite U.S. tariff measures, robust demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing applications, restocking for new consumer electronics by international brands, and the onset of the seasonal peak for technology product exports.

However, Tsai cautioned that some industries still face overcapacity pressures, resulting in a polarized export pattern -- with electronics and information and communication technology (ICT) products performing strongly, while traditional industrial goods lag behind.

Among major export items, electronic components led the way with US$21.43 billion in shipments, up 25.6 percent year-on-year and reaching a new monthly record, reclaiming the top spot among all export categories. Growth was driven by strong demand for advanced chips used in AI applications, booming cloud computing and storage needs, and capacity relocations by international manufacturers.

Sales of ICT and audiovisual products, which topped exports for the previous five months, came in second with US$19.27 billion in September, up 86.9 percent from a year earlier, reflecting continued brisk shipments of graphics cards and servers.

On the import side, Taiwan recorded US$41.86 billion in September, the third-highest monthly level on record and up 25.1 percent from a year earlier. The increase mainly reflected robust global AI supply chain activity, domestic restocking for export demand and persistently strong purchases of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, Tsai said.

In the first nine months of 2025, imports of electronic components reached US$105 billion, up 41.1 percent, while capital equipment imports totaled US$76.9 billion, rising 55.5 percent. Imports from South Korea rose 55.1 percent to US$46.3 billion, with all three categories hitting record highs for the period, according to MOF data.