Taiwan Central Bank Notes Weak Traditional Manufacturing as Regional Pattern; South Korea, Japan Show Similar Trends

According to Taiwan's central bank, on July 2, the central bank noted that weak performance in traditional manufacturing is not unique to Taiwan but a pattern also observed in South Korea and Japan. The central bank cited data from January to April: Taiwan's electronics and ICT exports surged 64.4% while traditional manufacturing rose only 7.7%. Similarly, South Korea's electronics and ICT exports climbed 116.5% in the January-May period, compared to just 8.3% for traditional manufacturing.

Nomura Securities reported on July 6 that non-tech exports in Asia have begun gaining momentum. Non-tech export growth in May reached 10.9% year-over-year, a significant jump from minus 2.2% in October of last year, signaling that export expansion is extending beyond semiconductors and AI servers.