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Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) Taiwan's exports hit a new high in September on the back of solid global demand for high-tech devices, marking the 12th consecutive month in which the country's outbound sales posted year-on-year growth, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Wednesday.

Exports for the month totaled US$28.9 billion, up 28.1 percent from a year earlier and up 4.1 percent from a month earlier, while imports hit US$22.21 billion, up 22.2 percent year-on-year and up 0.7 percent from the previous month, the MOF data shows.

The MOF said international high-tech brands, including Apple Inc., unveiled new products during the month, which boosted shipments of Taiwanese suppliers, while a relatively low comparison base over the same period of last year also sent the latest outbound sales figure higher.

Taiwan reported a trade surplus of US$6.69 billion, up US$2.31 billion from a year earlier, the data indicates.

Boosted by the strong outbound sales for September, exports for the third quarter of this year totaled US$83.76 billion, up 17.5 percent from a quarter earlier, according to the data.

In the first nine months of this year, Taiwan's exports rose 14.3 percent from a year earlier to US$231.48 billion.

Tsai Mei-na (蔡美娜), director of the MOF's statistics department, said Taiwanese exporters continued to benefit from a recovery in global demand in September, while with the peak season effect of the fourth quarter approaching, buying from international clients became stronger during the month.

In September, exports of electronic components totaled US$10.18 billion, up 20.8 percent from a year earlier, with outbound sales of semiconductors up 20.5 percent year-on-year at US$8.79 billion, the MOF said.

It was the first time Taiwan's monthly electronics component outbound sales had topped the US$10 billion mark.

Exports of information technology and audio/video items rose 24.1 percent from a year earlier to US$3.09 billion, while exports of optoelectronics equipment gained 17.9 percent to reach US$1.15 billion, the MOF added.

The data shows that exports of machinery rose 56.5 percent from a month earlier to US$2.28 billion in September, when global demand for semiconductor production equipment was strong.

Exports of base metal and plastic/rubber items rose 34.2 percent and 34.0 percent, respectively, from a year earlier to US$2.58 billion and US$1.96 billion, the data indicates.

In terms of export destinations, the MOF said, exports to China and Hong Kong for September rose 29.6 percent from a year earlier to US$12.17 billion, while exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries also gained 25.1 percent to reach US$5.01 billion.

Exports to the United States, Europe and Japan rose 20.6 percent, 39.9 percent and 25.6 percent, respectively, to reach US$3.31 billion, US$2.75 billion and US$1.97 billion. 

(By Chiu Po-sheng and Frances Huang) 
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