Taipei: Taiwan's exports saw an impressive rise of nearly 30 percent year-on-year in April, marking the 18th consecutive month of growth, driven by a rush to build inventories during a 90-day tariff pause granted by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the robust performance in April was also fueled by strong global demand for artificial intelligence applications and other emerging technologies. Data from the MOF indicated that Taiwan's exports increased by 29.90 percent from the previous year, reaching US$48.66 billion, making it the second-highest figure this year following March's US$49.57 billion. This figure surpassed the MOF's earlier forecast, which anticipated an export range of US$37.4 billion to US$39.3 billion.

Imports into Taiwan grew by 33.0 percent year-on-year, totaling US$41.46 billion in April, leading to a trade surplus of US$7.21 billion, a 15.0 percent increase from the prior year. In the first four months of the year, exports rose by 20.6 percent to US$178.23 billion, while imports increased by 20.4 percent to US$147.38 billion, with the trade surplus expanding by 21.6 percent to US$30.85 billion.

Beatrice Tsai, head of the MOF's Department of Statistics, explained that Taiwan benefited from Trump's temporary suspension of a proposed 32 percent "reciprocal" tariff on Taiwanese products. This pause encouraged buyers to place orders ahead of time, counteracting the typically slow season in April. The continued growth of Taiwan's exports was primarily propelled by sustained demand for AI-related devices and the introduction of new tech products.

The MOF reported that the local information/communications and video/audio industry achieved a new high in outbound sales, amounting to US$18.83 billion in April, a 60.5 percent increase from the previous year. The electronic components industry also experienced strong growth, with a 26.8 percent rise in exports valued at US$16.41 billion. Together, these two industries accounted for 72.4 percent of Taiwan's total exports in April.

Tsai noted that trade tensions between the United States and China have prompted many Taiwanese investors, especially in the electronics sector, to return to Taiwan, further boosting tech device shipments. Old economy industries, including base metal, machinery, and chemical sectors, also enjoyed year-on-year increases in exports, generating US$2.42 billion, US$1.98 billion, and US$1.69 billion, respectively.

However, the plastics and rubber industry saw a decline, with exports dropping by 3.4 percent to approximately US$1.50 billion in April. Taiwan's exports to major buyers, excluding Europe, grew at a double-digit pace in April, with sales to China/Hong Kong and the United States rising by 22.3 percent and 29.5 percent, respectively, to US$13.82 billion and US$13.15 billion. Exports to ASEAN countries surged by 60.2 percent to US$10.46 billion due to increased demand for tech items, while outbound sales to Europe fell by 17.4 percent to US$2.70 billion due to decreased shipments of electronic products and base metal items.

The MOF expects the ongoing boom in cloud services to continue driving up AI application sales, thereby supporting Taiwan's exports. However, it cautioned that uncertainties stemming from Trump's tariff policies and geopolitical tensions could impact international trade.