Taiwan's Ministry of Finance announced that exports in May reached an all-time monthly high of US$51.74 billion, a year-on-year increase of 38.6%, the largest surge in nearly 15 years. It was the 19th consecutive month of export growth, partly due to a 90-day tariff buffer period stimulating advanced purchases.

Basic metals and their products, along with machinery, both had positive growth. Basic metals exports hit US$2.704 billion (up by 5.7% year on year), with significant growth to China and Hong Kong (+31.5%). Machinery exports rose by 7.7% year on year to US$2.29 billion, driven by a 22.2% increase to the US and an 18.5% rise to Europe.

The record-breaking performance was largely attributed to global supply chain restructuring, booming AI opportunities, accelerated US manufacturing reshoring, and pre-tariff rush orders.

Exports to the US soared by 87.4% yearly to US$15.52 billion, becoming Taiwan's largest export market, primarily driven by a 1.5-fold surge in ICT (information and communications technology) and audio-visual products. This significant increase in US demand accounted for roughly half of Taiwan's total export growth in May.