Exports for July 1–10 reached $29.8 billion, the highest ever for the first 10 days of any month. Semiconductor exports drove the overall performance, climbing more than 190%.
According to the "July 1–10 import and export trends" that the tariff office released on the 13th, exports for the 1st to 10th were tallied at $29.8 billion, up 53.9% from a year earlier. The previous record was $28.6 billion in June this year.
In particular, the growth in semiconductor exports stood out. Semiconductor exports rose 193% to $11.2 billion, also a record for the same period. Semiconductors accounted for 37.6% of total exports, up 17.8 percentage points (p) from a year earlier. Exports also were strong for computer peripherals (208.1%), petroleum products (22.7%), and passenger cars (5.7%).
By country, exports increased to China (88.7%), the United States (43.2%), Vietnam (92.8%), the European Union (28.9%), and Taiwan (49.7%). The export share of the top three—China, the United States, and Vietnam—was 51.7%.
Meanwhile, imports for July 1–10 rose 17.4% to $23.5 billion. Imports surged for semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, crude oil, and machinery, while energy imports including crude oil, gas, and coal also increased 23.4%. The trade balance, the difference between exports and imports, posted a surplus of $6.4 billion.