By Jeanny Kao and Yimou LeeTAIPEI: Taiwan 's February export orders rose more than expected for the 12th month in a row to a record high, boosted by sustained demand for telecommuting products during strict lockdowns worldwide to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.New smartphone launches by brands such as Apple Inc also fuelled demand.Taiwan's export orders, a bellwether of global technology demand , jumped 48.5% from a year earlier to $42.59 billion in February, the highest by value for the month, data from the Ministry of Economic Affairs showed on Monday.That exceeded the median forecast of 45.1% in a Reuters poll.The ministry also attributed February's strong performance to a lower base for comparison last year when the escalating spread of the COVID-19 pandemic hit global demand for the island's tech products.In January, export orders surged 49.3% from a year earlier to $52.72 billion.February orders were boosted by "telecommuting business opportunities" during the work-from-home trend as well as strong sales of smartphones, the ministry said.Taiwan companies such as Foxconn and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd ( TSMC ) are key suppliers to Apple Inc, which launched its next-generation iPhone 12 in September.The ministry described an "optimistic" outlook for orders in the coming months, boosted by strong global demand for the island's tech products, and a gradual recovery of the global economy will also support orders for traditional products, such as metals.The ministry expects export orders to rise between 35.4% and 39.1% in March, again thanks to a lower base last year due to the pandemic.U.S. orders jumped 50.2% in February from a year earlier in their strongest growth on record, up from a rise of 49.6% in January, while orders from China were up 48.6% to a record high, versus a gain of 61.8% the previous month.European orders rose 73.4%, while those from Japan were up 45.3%.

Source: Economic Times March 22, 2021 09:08 UTC