TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Economic Affairs said Thursday that Taiwan's export orders reached NT$1.48 trillion (US$49.45 billion) in February.
The figure increased 31.1% compared with the same period last year. Export orders for the first two months totaled NT$2.89 trillion, up 11.9% from 2024 and the second-highest total for that period, per CNA.
Huang Yu-ling (黃于玲), an official with the ministry's statistics department, attributed the strong February export order performance to the information and communication technology and electronics sectors. She said increased demand in AI and cloud computing industries drove orders for servers, IC design and manufacturing, and networking products.
Orders for electronic products reached NT$588.9 billion, up 48.6% from 2024. Orders for information and communication products totaled NT$413.1 billion, a 31.8% increase from the previous year.
Orders for optical equipment totaled NT$49.2 billion, a 16.6% increase from a year earlier. The rise was attributed to rebounding prices for large-sized panels and increased orders for optical inspection and measurement equipment. The US saw the largest increase, with orders up NT$3.3 billion.
Machinery sector orders totaled NT$45 billion, a 13.4% increase from 2024. The growth was primarily driven by increased demand for semiconductor equipment, although a decrease in automation equipment orders partially offset the gains.
The metals manufacturing sector received orders totaling NT$3.64 billion in the first two months of the year, down 10.7% from the same period in 2024. The decline was attributed to reduced global demand for steel and low-price competition from overseas manufacturers. The US saw the most significant drop in orders, decreasing by NT$5.4 billion.
Orders for plastic and rubber products totaled NT$82.2 billion in the first two months of the year, down 8.3% from 2024. Chemical orders were NT$79.5 billion, a 6.9% decrease.
Huang said the declines were primarily attributed to low-price competition from overseas manufacturers of plastic raw materials and petrochemical products and a drop in international oil prices.
Huang estimates March export orders will reach NT$1.62 trillion, a 14.5% increase from 2024. She added that total orders for the first quarter could exceed NT$4.5 trillion, representing around 12.8% year-over-year growth, second to the same period of 2022.
