According to statistics published today by the Taiwan Machine Tool Development Fund (TMTF), the total export value of Taiwan's machine tools reached US$1.22729 billion in January-June 2010, an increase of 46.0% from the same period of last year, and the export situation has improved significantly. Among them, exports amounted to 972.74 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 47.2% year-on-year; and export value of forming machine tools was 279.55 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 42.3% year-on-year.

From the perspective of the export market, in the first half of this year, China and Hong Kong ranked first, with an export value of US$ 637.76 million, accounting for 47.5% of total exports, up 87.4% from the same period last year. TMTF told reporters that from the January-June export situation, Taiwan’s exports to China’s mainland were more stable compared to the world’s.

The United States ranked second, amounting to US$ 57.29 million, accounting for 4.5% of exports, a negative growth of 26.6% over the same period of last year. India ranked third, amounting to US$53.47 million, accounting for 4.2%, and growing 114% over the same period last year.

From the perspective of imports, in the first half of this year, the import value of Taiwan’s machine tools reached US$2.702 million, which was a year-on-year increase of 70.8%. Among them, the import value of cutting machine tools was US$216.56 million, an increase of 75.2% year-on-year; the import value of forming machine tools was US$50.45 million, an increase of 53.9% year-on-year.

From January to June this year, Taiwan was the main source of imported machine tools, with Japan ranking first, and import value reaching US$15.908 million, which accounted for 58.9% of the total import value, an increase of 141% over the same period of last year; Germany’s second place. Imports amounted to US$23.54 million, which represented 8.7%, down 12.0% from the same period of last year; Switzerland was ranked third with imports amounting to US$18.18 million, accounting for 6.7%, and an increase of 89.6% year-on-year.