Taiwan’s exports of textiles and apparel are showing a recovery. Exports during January-September 2017 increased by 2% year-on-year to US$7,547 million, supported by exports to China and Vietnam. The export increase is attributed to a recovery of apparel markets worldwide centering on sportswear, an item in which many Taiwanese firms specialize.
Exports have been decreasing for five consecutive years since 2012. This year, exports decreased by 1% during January-March and 0.3% during January-June.
By major category, January-September 2017 exports of fabrics rose by 2% to US$5,143 million, along with those of yarn by 5% to US$1,122 million, and other textile products by 13% to US$301 million. Meanwhile, exports of textile fibers decreased by 10% to US$567 million, together with those of apparel and accessories by 4% to US$414 million.
Vietnam was the largest market with exports growing by 6% to US$1,624 million. The second largest market was China with a 5% growth to US$1,414 million, and was followed by the U.S. (down 4% to US$559 million), Hong Kong (down 8% to US$484 million) and Indonesia (up 0.1% to US$408 million). US$290 million of exports to Hong Kong were destined for Mainland China.