Export orders in 2006 total nearly USD 300 billion

February 1, 2007

Riding on the stable expansion of the global economy and growing demand in Asia, Taiwan foreign export orders -- indicators of pending shipments -- posted record numbers in 2006, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

Export orders for 2006 totaled USD 299.31 billion -- representing growth of 16.74%.

One of the most notable increases for Taiwan trade in 2006 was in Asia, which saw orders rise by USD 20.51 billion, or 15.79%, according to the MOEA.

The US was Taiwan's most valuable export destination with orders totaling USD 79.33 billion, an increase of 15.1%. Hong Kong and China came in a close second, with orders totaling USD 75.46 billion, but showed the highest growth at 24.66%. Export orders to Europe totaled USD 51.21 billion, growing 22.28% -- its third year in a row for growth above 20%.

Electronics and IT/telecommunications products were once again Taiwan's largest exports for the entire year.

In 2006, Taiwan shipped USD 68.82 billion's worth of electronics, due to strong demand for products such as gaming consoles, portable music players, and computer memory modules. Electronics comprised 22.99% of all exports. Trailing not too far behind, IT/telecommunications product vendors collected orders worth USD 61.73 billion, an increase of 20.63%, thanks to brisk orders for notebook computers and mobile phones, as well as an increase in OEM orders from major global brands.

Taiwan exports will see growth of up to 10% for 2007, according to MOEA projections. Although this rate does not match last year's growth, 2006 is an extremely high base for comparison, said Chang Yao-tsung, head of the MOEA statistics department.

In a MOEA survey of exporters in Taiwan, 46.84% of the respondents said they believed their orders would remain the same, 19.88% said they believed their orders would increase, and 33.28% said they believed their orders would decrease.

The MOEA also announced that in Dec., foreign export orders saw a 7.32% increase with a total of USD 26.389 billion. IT and telecommunications products surged in Dec., increasing by USD 900 million, or 16.85%. Electronics were the second highest export in Dec., increasing by USD 460 million, or 8.36%.

(Central News Agency)

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