According to the figures released by the Taiwan Ministry of Finance on January 7, in 2009 Taiwan's iron and steel exports came to a value of $12.32 billion, down 32.5 percent, while its metal product exports totaled $7.03 billion, decreasing by 29.5 percent, both compared to 2008.
In the January-November period of 2009, Taiwan's iron and steel imports declined by 53.5 percent to $7.62 billion, while its metal product imports totaled $7.57 billion, down 39.5 percent, both compared to 2008.
In December 2009, Taiwan's iron and steel exports decreased by 1.4 percent to $1.15 billion, while its metal product exports increased by 33 percent to $688.3 million, both compared to December 2008.
On the other hand, Taiwan's iron and steel imports in December totaled $908.3 million and its metal product imports amounted to $758.9 million. The year-on-year increase rates were 63.7 percent and 64.6 percent respectively.