According to the statistics released by the Taiwan Ministry of Finance on April 8, in March Taiwan's iron and steel exports increased by 40.4 percent to $1.44 billion, while its metal product exports, excluding machinery, rose by 43.7 percent to $823.1 million, both compared to March 2009.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of this year, the country's iron and steel exports were up 29.4 percent, totaling $3.69 billion, while its metal product exports, excluding machinery, stood at $2.15 billion, climbing by 50.5 percent, both compared to the corresponding period of 2009.
On the other hand, Taiwan's iron and steel imports in March totaled $1.04 billion and its metal product imports amounted to $1.01 billion. The year-on-year increase rates were 100 percent and 136.2 percent respectively.
In the first three months of this year, Taiwan's iron and steel imports came to $2.67 billion, up 93.4 percent, while its metal product imports, excluding machinery, rose 153.6 percent to $2.62 billion, both compared to Q1 2009.