Taiwan’s export orders reached US$53.04 billion in March, a 12.5% increase from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

This growth follows a 31.1% rise in February and is within the MOEA’s projection of US$52 billion to US$54 billion.

For the first quarter of 2025, export orders totaled US$149.47 billion, reflecting a 12.1% growth compared to the same period last year.

The MOEA attributed this increase to strong demand for emerging technologies, including AI, high-performance computing (HPC) devices, and cloud services.

🔗 Source: Focus Taiwan

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Taiwan’s export market shifts from China to U.S. amid tech boom

Taiwan’s export orders show a remarkable geographic shift in demand patterns, revealing changing trade dynamics in the tech sector.

The data shows a stark contrast: U.S. orders surged 30.7% while China orders declined 5.3%, signaling a significant realignment in Taiwan’s export dependencies 1.

This represents a historic shift, as February 2025 marked the first time in 24 years that the U.S. became Taiwan’s top export destination, accounting for 28.5% of total exports 2.

The transition is primarily driven by advanced technology demand, particularly AI computing chips and semiconductor technologies that are increasingly flowing to American tech companies rather than Chinese ones.

This divergence reflects broader geopolitical tensions and technology competition between the U.S. and China, with Taiwan’s tech industry increasingly aligning with American demand.

2️⃣ Technology exports thrive while traditional industries struggle

Taiwan’s export data reveals a two-speed economy with high-tech sectors booming while traditional manufacturing declines.

The electronics industry saw orders increase 21.8% year-on-year to $20.11 billion, while information and communications technology rose 11.4% to $14.81 billion, both driven by AI and high-performance computing demand 1.

In stark contrast, traditional sectors like chemicals (-8.7%), plastics/rubber (-6.1%), and base metals (-3.8%) all experienced declining orders, showing the uneven nature of Taiwan’s export recovery 1.