Taiwan's export orders increased at a faster-than-expected pace in May, data from the Ministry of Economic Affairs showed on Wednesday.
Export orders rose 9.5 percent year-on-year in May. That was well above the 5.6 percent rise expected by economists.
Orders for mineral products grew the most, by 171.2 percent, annually in May, and those for information and communication products increased 22.0 percent.
Bookings for chemicals grew 18.8 percent and orders for electronics products advanced 11.7 percent.
At the same time, orders for optical, photographic, and cinematographic apparatus fell sharply by 28.4 percent.
On a month-on-month basis, export orders climbed 6.1 percent in May.
