FX.co ★ Taiwan Trade Surplus Widens Sharply in December

Taiwan reported a significant expansion in its trade surplus for December, reaching USD 19.43 billion, compared to USD 6.10 billion in the same period the previous year, surpassing market forecasts of USD 16.1 billion. The country experienced a robust 43.4% year-on-year growth in exports, totaling USD 62.48 billion. This growth was primarily driven by substantial increases in shipments of information, communication, and audio-video products, which soared by 126.3%, along with electronic parts, which saw a rise of 34.1%. Taiwan's exports to key trade partners saw remarkable increases, with shipments to the United States growing by 125.9%, Europe by 54.5%, Japan by 26.2%, ASEAN countries by 20.3%, and China and Hong Kong by 11.3%. On the import side, there was a 14.9% increase to USD 43.04 billion, fueled by heightened purchases of electronic parts (+23.3%), information and audio-video products (+100.9%), and machinery (+15.1%). The most significant import growth was observed from ASEAN (+31.2%), South Korea (+18.7%), China and Hong Kong (+15.3%), Japan (+9.3%), and the United States (+8.3%). For the entire year of 2025, Taiwan's trade surplus amounted to USD 157.14 billion, with exports rising by 34.9% and imports increasing by 22.6% on a year-on-year basis.