Taiwan's 2013 export orders set new high

Taiwan's export orders for the entire year of 2013 hit a record high of 442.9 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 0.4 percent, according to statistics released by the island's economic authorities on Monday. Export orders in December last year also set a new record, standing at 42.3 billion U.S. dllars, a year-on-year rise of 7.4 percent. Orders for the information and communication and electronics industries also hit all-time highs of 116.19 billion and 106.01 billion U.S. dollars, respectively, according to the statistics. Orders from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong totaled 113.04 billion U.S. dollars throughout 2013, a year-on-year increase of 1 percent.