The output value of Taiwan's manufacturing sector in the third quarter hit a two-year high on the back of stable global economic recovery, according to the local economic affairs authority.
The island's manufacturing production value grew 6.43 percent year on year in Q3 to reach 3.3 trillion new Taiwan dollars (109.8 billion U.S. dollars), the highest level since the third quarter of 2015.
Manufacturing output for the first three quarters of the year expanded at 6.7 percent, the highest rise in the past five years.
The authority attributed the increase to double-digit growth in the output of chemical materials and basic metals on recent rising trends in commodity prices.
The production value of the machinery industry rose 11.68 percent year-on-year in Q3 to 16.72 billion new Taiwan dollars, while that for the automobile industry grew 6.5 percent.
However, output of computer, electronics and optical products fell 3.79 percent year on year to 161.3 billion new Taiwan dollars last quarter, mainly due to intensified global competition and component shortages, the authority said.
The authority is upbeat about the manufacturing sector's output growth this quarter because of a recovering global economy, the onset of the peak season for electronic parts and components, and the launch of new mobile devices by international brands.
