Taiwan extends two-year rise in US chip exports despite weak semiconductor market

Taiwan’s exports of chips to the US rose for a 26th consecutive month in May, defying a downturn in the global semiconductor market.

US purchases of Taiwanese semiconductors increased 9% from a year earlier that month, while shipments to China and Hong Kong dropped 14.3%, according to figures from the Ministry of Finance in Taipei. That’s despite an 8% slide in overall exports of chips from Taiwan, widening from the previous month’s drop of 7.1%.

The island shipped $91 million worth of chipmaking machines to China and Hong Kong in May, down 44.2% from a year earlier. In contrast, exports of gear to the US surged 59.3%.