Export orders rise on ICT, electronics

MILESTONES: In addition to unexpected growth, orders for ICT products surged to a record-high US$12.49 billion, as did combined orders from the US and Europe

Taipei Times
Date: May 21, 2020
By: Natasha Li / Staff reporter

Export orders last month again defied expectations by increasing 2.3 percent year-on-year to US$38.53 billion amid robust demand for information and communications technology (ICT) products and electronics, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

“Due to COVID-19 lockdowns, market demand for laptops and tablets, as well as servers and other electronic devices, remained strong… Stronger than our previous predictions,” Department of Statistics Director Huang Yu-ling (黃于玲) told a news conference in Taipei.

The ministry in March had forecast a 6.37 to 10.34 percent annual decline in export orders for last month.Different from customs-cleared exports, export orders are a gauge of how actual exports are likely to perform in one to three months, the ministry said.    [FULL  STORY]