Taiwan's exports declined 15.8 percent in February from a year ago to $19.7 billion, the Ministry of Finance reported Thursday.
The rate of fall far exceeded a decline of 8.1 percent forecast by economists due to sharp decreases in electronics, basic metals and chemical product shipment.
Imports, at the same time, dropped 8.5 percent year-on-year, faster than the expected 7.3 percent. The trade balance resulted in a surplus of $0.92 billion compared to a $2.07 billion expected surplus.
Exports to Mainland China and Hong Kong slipped 21.8 percent, while shipments to Japan rose 0.5 percent. Exports to U.S.A dipped 11.9 percent and that to Europe dipped 17.2 percent.
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