In a recent report released by Taiwan’s economic authorities on October 21, it was revealed that from January to September of this year, Taiwan received orders from Mainland China and Hong Kong totaling $94.03 billion. This represents a 6% increase compared to the same period last year.
According to various Taiwanese media outlets, including Central News Agency and United Daily News, the breakdown of these orders included $50 billion for electronic products, $9.03 billion for optical equipment, and $4.5 billion for electrical machinery, which saw respective year-over-year increases of 11.8%, 2.9%, and 13.1%. Conversely, orders for information and communication products and chemicals were $8.57 billion and $4.32 billion, reflecting declines of 2.3% and 9.5%, respectively.
Focusing specifically on September, Taiwan’s total export orders amounted to $53.79 billion, marking an increase of $3.57 billion from the previous month. However, when seasonally adjusted, this represented a 3.5% month-over-month decrease, while year-over-year, it grew by 4.6%.
The department noted that growth in September’s orders for information and communication products and electronics was fueled by the rising demand for emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, with annual increases of 7.0% and 10.5%. On the other hand, orders for chemicals and plastic products decreased by 8.5% and 1.1%, respectively, largely due to hesitant purchasing behavior among downstream clients.
Looking ahead to October, 24% of manufacturers surveyed expect a decrease in order volume compared to September, while 18.2% anticipate an increase.