Exports Hit a Record US$87.22 Billion in September, Up 60.9%, as Shipments to the US More Than Double
Taipei — Taiwan's exports surged to a record US$87.22 billion in September, up 60.9 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Finance announced on October 8, Reuters and the Central News Agency reported. It was the second straight monthly record, after August's US$82.4 billion, and the gain easily beat the 45.65 percent increase analysts had forecast. September also marked the 35th consecutive month of year-on-year export growth, breaking the previous record run of 34 months set from November 1985 to August 1988. The ministry's monthly customs release is a closely watched gauge of trade conditions heading into the fourth quarter.
Imports also hit a record, rising 51.7 percent to US$63.59 billion, and the trade surplus reached a record US$23.63 billion. By market, exports to the United States more than doubled, jumping 106.2 percent to US$27.461 billion and accounting for 31.5 percent of the total, while shipments to China rose 30.2 percent. By product, electronic components brought in US$31.131 billion, up 45.3 percent, and information, communications and audio-video products soared 103 percent to about US$39.13 billion, the single biggest engine of the month's growth. Together, the two categories made up roughly 80 percent of all exports, underlining how heavily this boom rests on the electronics and ICT supply chains.
The ministry attributed the strength to demand for super intelligence applications, high-performance computing and cloud services, together with the consumer-electronics peak season and price effects. Exports for the first nine months of the year totaled US$661.55 billion, up 46.2 percent, with a cumulative surplus of US$160.55 billion. Exports have now grown year on year every month since November 2023, an expansion of nearly three years that closely tracks the worldwide spread of SI investment. With SI demand and seasonal effects continuing, the ministry expects October exports to grow another 40 to 44 percent year on year.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 高雄港货柜码头与港区货柜船，作者不详，公有领域（Wikimedia Commons）
