Taiwan's exports growth highest in almost 20 years
Taiwan, a major producer of microchips and other electronics, said Thursday exports had hit the highest growth rate in nearly 20 years in December due to recovering global demand.
Shipments from the island last month totalled 20.03 billion US dollars, a rise of 46.9 percent from a year earlier, the finance ministry said in a statement.
"The figures marked the highest growth rate since 1991," it said.
December's export data represented a 14-month high and a 0.1 percent rise from November.
But analysts said they were worried whether the momentum could last through 2010 amid fears of overbooking by clients from abroad.
"The base of comparison from a year earlier was very low. It remains to be seen how far the growth momentum will last," Chen Yu-yu of Capital Securities said.
Imports last month also hit a 15-month high of 18.38 billion dollars, a rise of 56.2 percent year-on-year, leaving a trade surplus of 1.65 billion dollars, the ministry said.
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