Best known for seafood and noodles, Taiwan is a popular tourist destination thanks to its famous foods. But there’s more to this country than oysters, omelets, and wontons, as Taiwan’s most productive enterprises involve export. From bicycles to laptops, smartphones to fossil fuels, Taiwan has a varied and lucrative export trade.
So, what does Taiwan export? Taiwan’s top three exports include electronics, machinery, and plastics. Taiwan is also home to the world’s largest bicycle manufacturing company, and a plethora of other miscellaneous items.
These are rather broad categories, and a wide range of products are produced and exported under each one. Let’s delve deeper into what exactly Taiwan exports, which companies make some of these products, and where all of these goods go.
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Table of Contents
Electronics
Electronics are Taiwan’s largest export. These include flat screens, touch screens, microchips, and more. Taiwan is the world’s largest single computer chip manufacturer; odds are, if you’re using a computer, part of its components were made in Taiwan.
In fact, some of the most recognizable companies from Taiwan include the computer makers Acer and Asus. Taiwan also produces things like USB sticks, hard drives, and routers from brands, including Gigabyte and D-Link. All oh which, are currently used all over the world.
Additionally, Foxconn Technology Group is based in Taiwan. This massive enterprise has factories across China and is expanding into the U.S. Foxconn is the world’s number one contract electronics maker. Its long list of customers includes Apple, Sony, Dell, and Blackberry.
Originally started to produce plastic knobs for black and white TVs in the 1970s, the company exploded with the growth of the video gaming and personal computer industries. Producing electronics to meet the needs of consumers, this massive company now has over a million employees.
Taiwan’s participation in this category of exports is not expected to falter anytime soon. For example, when it comes to semiconductors alone, Taiwan accounts for 28% of the world’s output, which is second only to Silicon Valley.
Machinery
In 2018, Taiwan was the world’s fourth-largest exporter of machine tools. Taiwan’s machinery includes metal cutting machines, metal forming machines, and machine tool accessories, as well as parts, and much, much more.
They also produce machines with smart functions (such as temperature rise compensation, collision avoidance, and process optimization) and automated production cells, including robotic arms.
The largest machine tool manufacturing group in the world, the Fair Friend Group, is based in Taiwan. This company supplies power tools, forklifts, and pneumatic equipment. They also produce items such as lathes, horizontal boring milling machines, special purpose machines, and even marine engines.
Plastics
Taiwan exports numerous plastics and rubber machinery. In fact, in 2018, it was the sixth-largest exporter of these products. Their primary plastic exports include plastic injection molding machines, thermoforming machines, and blow-molding machines, as well as numerous other plastic and rubber products.
The largest plastics company in Taiwan, and one of the largest private corporate groups there is Formosa Plastics Group. This corporate group contains over one hundred domestic and international businesses. The industries they work in include everything from petrochemicals and plastics to healthcare and biotech.
Bicycles
While not one of Taiwan’s top exports, bicycles are a notable mention, as the nation is home to the world’s largest bicycle company, Giant. Giant Manufacturing Co. was established in 1972, and by 2014 the company was exporting bikes to over fifty countries. It’s one of the many prides of the country.
Another top bicycle company, Merida, calls Taiwan home and was also started in 1972. Merida sells their bikes in at least seventy-seven different countries. And as you can tell, both of these consumer companies are extremely popular – not just in the home country of Taiwan.
Other Exports
Taiwan exports far more than just what has been mentioned so far. Some of their other exports include optical technology, medical apparatus, mineral fuels, iron, steel, and articles of iron and steel, and vehicles.
Optical Technology
Taiwan exports a wide array of optical products, including the following:
- Optic lenses
- Optical components used in mobile phones, digital cameras, vehicles, communication tools, and commercial robot vision systems
- Digital surveillance systems
- Sunglasses
- Scuba goggles
- And more
Prime Optical Fiber Corporation (POFC) is one of the only manufacturers of fiber optics in Taiwan. Their fiber optics are used in varied applications, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Aviation
- Navigation of aerospace,
- Optical amplifiers
- Fiber lasers
- Germanium photon conductivity
- Optical fiber sensing
- Factory automation
- Optical medical equipment
- Audio and video streaming
Medical Apparatus
According to Export.gov, Taiwan is a world leader in the production of wheelchairs, bandages, rehabilitation products, patient aids, and other medical supplies, as well as basic medical and surgical instruments. They do not, however, produce much in the way of high-end medical supplies.
As you can see, most of Taiwan’s medical exports are on the lower end of the technology scale. While local producers are creating more complex medical devices like glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors, and contact lenses, these devices aren’t seeing anywhere near the same levels of export as less complex devices.
Mineral Fuels
Mineral fuels are energy sources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Taiwan’s main mineral fuel export is refined petroleum. There are a number of oil refineries in Taiwan, and many of them import crude oil to refine.
As of 2018, refined petroleum remained Taiwan’s number one commodity export by a wide margin, with more than $21 billion worth of this fuel leaving the country.
Iron, Steel, and Articles of Iron and Steel
Taiwan is a massive exporter of iron and steel.
In 2017, they were the world’s thirteenth-largest steel exporter, with 12 million tons leaving the country in that year alone. Their top steel producers are China Steel Corp, Dragon Steel Corp, and Tung Ho Steel.
They also have a significant iron export. According to Commodity.com, Taiwan’s third-highest commodity export is coated flat-rolled iron, as they export more than $2 billion of it per year. The only commodity exports that top it are refined petroleum and flat-rolled stainless steel ($2.09 billion exported).
Taiwan doesn’t just export raw metal, either. Some of the most common metal products exported by Taiwan include wires, pipes, rods, bearings, and valves. This is by no means a comprehensive list, as there are a huge number of items made of iron and steel in Taiwan.
Vehicle Technology
Taiwan doesn’t produce many finished vehicles, but it does participate in heavy research and development. It also produces a great number of automotive parts and has taken a lead in developing electronics systems for automotive intelligence.
Where Do All of These Products Go?
While the goods made in Taiwan are shipped all around the globe, their largest consumer bases are China and the U.S., with other Asian countries using much of the rest.
To be thorough, here’s a list of Taiwan’s top 15 trading partners. Almost 90% of Taiwan’s exports in 2017 were to these 15 countries:
- China
- Hong Kong
- United States
- Japan
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Vietnam
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Germany
- Thailand
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- India
- Australia
Conclusion
Although Taiwan is a small country – it’s approximately three times smaller than the state of New York – it is home to some of the largest manufacturers in the world. It exports far more than one would expect for its size. Trotting out electronics, machinery, plastics, and more to consumers around the globe, this industrial powerhouse has exports galore of which it can be proud of.
The industries in which Taiwan exports the majority of its goods are the semiconductor industry, the steel and iron industry, and the plastics industry. While there are thousands of products heading out of Taiwan’s ports and airports at any given time, these industries are the backbone of Taiwan’s export economy.
2 comments
Hi,i want manufacturers of fabric for curtain and upholstery
If war does come to Taiwan I think the world will see quite a few shortages.