Taiwan's exports to mainland, HK rise 14.3 pct in October

TAIPEI, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's exports to the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong rose to 16.22 billion U.S. dollars in October, up 14.3 percent year on year, according to data released by the island's finance authorities on Monday.

The mainland and Hong Kong remained Taiwan's biggest export destination, with cross-Strait exports accounting for 40.4 percent of the island's total exports in October.

Taiwan saw a trade surplus of 6.12 billion U.S. dollars in October, and its trade surplus to the mainland was 8.96 billion U.S. dollars.

During the first 10 months of this year, Taiwan's exports totaled 364.2 billion U.S. dollars, and imports increased to 310.38 billion U.S. dollars. The island's exports to the mainland reached a record high for the period of 154.68 billion U.S. dollars, while imports hit 68.42 billion U.S. dollars.

The finance authorities said that global economic recovery will continue to underpin Taiwan's exports later this year, but the spread of the COVID-19 variants and the policy changes in major economies may weigh on its exports.