Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) Amid weakness in global demand, Taiwan's industrial production fell from a year earlier in December, marking the 19th consecutive monthly year-on-year decline, pushing down production for 2023 as a whole by more than 12%, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said.Data compiled by the MOEA showed that the local industrial production index fell 3.99% from a year earlier to 90.40 in December after a 2.05% year-on-year drop in November.For 2023, the industrial production index lost 12.45% from a year earlier to 86.11, the data showed.The sub-index for the manufacturing sector, which accounts for more than 90% of Taiwan's total production, fell 4.19 percent from a year earlier to 90.08, with the sub-index for 2023 falling 12.88% from a year earlier to 85.56, the data indicated.The drops in the main index and the sub-index for the manufacturing sector in 2023 were both the steepest ever recorded, according to the MOEA.In the fourth quarter of last year, the industrial production index fell 2.77% from a year earlier to 91.78, while the sub-index for the manufacturing sector also dropped 2.70% from a year earlier to 91.58, according to the MOEA.The December sub-index for the manufacturing sector fell below an earlier forecast from the MOEA that the sub-index would move within a 0.3 % increase to a 4% decline range.Speaking with the press, Huang Wei-jie (黃偉傑), deputy head of the MOEA Department of Statistics, said the lower than expected December production in the local manufacturing sector was partly caused by a shortage of raw materials for AI server production, which impacted local production.In addition, weaker than expected global demand for high-end smartphones also pushed down production among manufacturers in Taiwan in December, Huang said.In December, weakness in global demand for electronic gadgets from end-users, saw production generated by the electronic components industry fall 4.31%, with many IC suppliers continuing to report a fall in production.However, IC designers benefited from the debut of new products and a relatively low comparison base over the same period of last year which moderated the production decline in the electronics components industry, the MOEA said.Production posted by semiconductor suppliers as a whole fell 17.16% from 2023, the steepest decline in 22 years.As for the computer and optoelectronics sectors, production fell 1.88% from a year earlier in December in the wake of weaker demand for industrial computers, communications devices and semiconductor inspection equipment, the ministry said.Old economy industries, except the base metal industry, suffered a year-on-year decline in production in December with production in chemical material/fertilizer, machinery and auto/auto part industries posting a year-on-year decline of 3.69%, 11.31 percent and 1.27%, respectively, in December, the ministry added.In contrast, the base metal industry saw its clients rebuild their inventories and enjoyed a 4.83% year-on-year increase in production in December.Huang said the growth largely came after American auto makers stopped their strike and placed new orders with Taiwanese suppliers, but it remains unclear whether such orders will continue. Production in the local manufacturing industry is expected to grow 9.6-14.7% from a year earlier in January due to a relatively low comparison base over the same period of the previous year, when the number of working days was cut due to the Lunar New Year holiday.However, production growth among local manufacturers is expected to fall into negative territory in February, when a seven-day long Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on Feb. 8, will cut working days, Huang said. It is hard to say exactly when production in the local manufacturing sector will return to sustained growth.Production in the semiconductor industry is expected to improve quarter by quarter this year, Huang said.Huang cautioned that the global economy remains haunted by uncertainties including high inflation, aggressive rate hikes by the major central banks in the world and lingering geopolitical tensions.The shipping crisis in the Red Sea resulting from attacks on commercial vessels by the Houthi militants also poses a threat to the world economy by creating interruptions to the global supply chains, he said.(By Liu Chien-ling and Frances Huang) (ICE TAIPEI)

Fonte notizia: Organi di Stampa - Focus Taiwan News Channel