Taipei, March 20 (CNA) The value of export orders received by Taiwanese companies in the first two months of the year declined 3.9 percent from a year earlier mainly due to Lunar New Year distortions, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Wednesday.However, the fall was at a more moderate rate than expected thanks to robust demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high performance computing (HPC) applications, according to the ministry.Taiwan's export orders fell 3.9 percent from a year earlier to US$86.15 billion in January and February, with the pace easing from the 18.8 percent decline in the same period of 2023, data compiled by the MOEA showed.The 3.9 percent fall was also lower than the MOEA forecast, which had expected the figure to drop around 10 percent.In February alone, Taiwan's export orders fell 10.4 percent from a year earlier to US$37.73 billion because there were fewer working days in the month compared with a year earlier as the Lunar New Year break fell from Feb. 8-14, while in 2023 it began in late January.MOEA Department of Statistics Director Huang Yu-ling (黃于玲) said that the value of export orders received in February was higher than expected mainly due to strong demand for HPC solutions and AI apps which drove up growth in electronics and information and communications technology (ICT) products.This led to the decline in orders for the first two months of the year at a moderate rate, Huang said.In the first two months of the year, except for the ICT and machinery sectors which saw export orders fall 16 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, to US$24.36 billion and US$2.93 billion, all other sectors posted growth in export orders.In January and February, export orders for electronic products grew 6.3 percent year-on-year to US$30.66 billion.The optoelectronics equipment industry generated US$2.99 billion in export orders for the two months, up 15.2 percent from a year earlier on the back of soaring flat panel prices and an increase in camera lens and backlight modules orders, the MOEA said.However, the mobile phone market was weak, with end user consumption not yet fully recovered, and there are still uncertainties in manufacturer inventory management, as a result of the U.S.-China technology war and geopolitical risks, which require close attention, Huang said.Looking ahead, Huang added that in March export orders are expected to increase between 0.9 percent and 5.2 percent from a year earlier to between US$47 billion and US$49 billion due to inventory replenishment, strong demand for emerging technologies and the quarter-end effect.Orders in the first quarter of this year are estimated to reach between US$133.2 billion and US$135.2 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 0.8 percent to 2.3 percent, Huang said.In the long term, export orders are expected to rise and emerging technologies will help boost the probability of orders turning to positive growth in the second quarter, according to Huang.(By Liu Chien-ling and Evelyn Kao)Enditem/AW (ICE TAIPEI)

Fonte notizia: Organi di Stampa - Focus Taiwan News Channel