Taiwan’s Exports Rise in January

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s exports rose more than expected in January, driven by demand for artificial intelligence and companies securing orders before Donald Trump took office.

Exports increased 4.4% year-on-year to $38.71 billion, surpassing the 3.5% forecast in a Reuters poll. While this growth was lower than December’s 9.2%, it marked the 15th consecutive monthly rise.

Prominent firms like TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, supply major tech companies such as Apple and Nvidia.

Ministry official Beatrice Tsai attributed the better-than-expected performance in January to AI demand and pre-emptive ordering by companies before the imposition of tariffs.

After Trump took office on January 20 and initiated tariffs on China—Taiwan’s largest trading partner—there remains uncertainty due to tariffs and geopolitical risks. However, officials are still generally positive about export momentum for the year.

For February, the ministry expects exports to increase between 16% and 20% year-on-year.

In January, exports to the United States grew 0.7% to $8.46 billion, a decline compared to the previous month’s 16% gain. Meanwhile, exports to China fell 11.7% after a jump of 3.6% in December.

Total exports of electronic components rose 3.1% to $14.0 billion, with semiconductor exports up 4.2%. Imports fell 17.2% to $28.74 billion, below economists’ forecasts of a 0.7% increase.