Taiwan's March exports hit 19-month high

Taiwan's exports climbed 3.3 percent year on year in March to 27.23 billion U.S. dollars, the highest level since August 2011, partly boosted by strong demand on the mainland, the island's finance authority said on Monday.

This compares with a year-on-year slump of 15.8 percent registered in February, when the nine-day Chinese Lunar New Year holiday reduced working days.

Exports to the mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which account for 40.4 percent of the island's total exports, expanded 5.2 percent to 10.99 billion U.S. dollars last month.

The island's exports totaled 72.64 billion U.S. dollars in the first three months of 2013, up 2.4 percent from one year earlier. Imports also increased, rising by 4.4 percent year on year to 68 billion U.S. dollars during the January-March period.

Other figures released on Monday included the island's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, which rose 1.39 percent in March from one year earlier. Taiwan's CPI was up 1.81 percent in the first quarter.