09.03.202608:39:28UTC+00Taiwan Imports Growth at Over 1-Year Low

Imports to Taiwan rose 6.8% year-on-year to USD 37 billion in February 2026, sharply down from the 63.6% surge recorded in January and well below market expectations of a 23.7% increase. This marked the weakest annual import growth since the contraction in January 2025, despite higher purchases of electronic products (up 24%), information, communication, and audio-visual products (up 81.9%), and machinery (up 0.2%). By contrast, imports of mineral products fell 30.2%, driven largely by a 32.5% drop in petroleum, while chemical imports declined 18.3%. By source, imports increased most strongly from Mainland China and Hong Kong (up 20.7%), ASEAN countries (up 27.5%), and South Korea (up 14.7%). In contrast, imports from Japan (-8%), the United States (-7.5%), and Europe (-14.4%) all decreased. Over the first two months of 2026, Taiwan’s total imports reached USD 83.9 billion, representing a 32.5% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.