German Economic Office: Taiwan-Germany Industries Highly Complementary, Deepened Cooperation Possible in Semiconductors and 2 Other Fields
The German Economic Office announced that Taiwan-Germany bilateral trade reached US$5.2 billion in Q1 this year, with Taiwan's electronic components exports up over 70%. Deepened cooperation is expected in semiconductors, drones, and aerospace, with a Taiwan-Germany aerospace and drone technology industry conference scheduled for May 5 to foster business opportunities.
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- 📰 Published: April 29, 2026 at 18:27
- 🔍 Collected: April 29, 2026 at 19:01 (34 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 02:56 (7h 55m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yun-ting, Taipei, 29th) The German Trade Office Taipei (GTO) announced that the bilateral trade volume between Taiwan and Germany in the first quarter of this year was US$5.2 billion, an increase of 5.8% compared to the same period last year, with Taiwan's exports of electronic components growing by over 70% year-on-year. The GTO analyzed that the industrial chains of Taiwan and Germany are highly complementary, and deepened cooperation is expected in the fields of semiconductors, drones, and aerospace satellites. The GTO will also hold the Taiwan-Germany Aerospace and Drone Technology Industry Conference on May 5 to build business opportunities for Taiwan-Germany cooperation.
Daisy Hsieh, General Manager of German Trade Office Taipei's service execution unit, Advantage Business Consulting Co., Ltd., stated today during an exchange with the media that according to statistics from the Ministry of Finance, Taiwan's exports to Germany in the first quarter of this year amounted to US$2.121 billion, a year-on-year increase of 28.3%. Among these, electronic component exports reached US$490 million, a year-on-year increase of 71.2%; ICT and audio-visual product exports were US$557 million, a year-on-year increase of 20.4%.
In terms of imports, the total imports from Germany in the first quarter of this year were US$3.12 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 5.5%, mainly due to the impact of supply chain adjustments on overall demand. However, imports of precision machinery and equipment increased against the trend by 24.1%, reaching US$635 million, indicating that Germany's high-end manufacturing technology continues to support the upgrading of Taiwan's semiconductor industry.
Observing the export structure, electronic components are the biggest highlight, with major products including wafers, dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and hybrid integrated circuits, all highly related to the semiconductor industry.
In terms of semiconductor layout, the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC), a joint venture between TSMC, Bosch, Infineon, and NXP, broke ground in Dresden in August 2024 and is expected to start production in 2027. It will produce 28 to 12-nanometer mature process chips for the European automotive and industrial markets.
Daisy Hsieh pointed out that with the TSMC-invested ESMC factory in Dresden expected to be completed in 2027, the first batch of chip production schedules are also being prepared as planned, and the current progress is fully on track. Germany is also actively replicating the semiconductor supply chain system, hoping to attract more Taiwanese supply chain operators to invest in Germany.
In addition, regarding new industry cooperation, the GTO pointed out that Taiwan is a very large exporter of drones to the European market. Taiwan's drone trade value to Europe in the first quarter of this year was US$115 million, which has already exceeded the export value to Europe in 2025. Daisy Hsieh stated that under the trend of non-red supply chains, although Germany has strong capabilities in traditional defense industries (such as tanks), it is seeking opportunities to cooperate with Taiwanese manufacturers in the new types of demand for drones.
To promote bilateral exchanges, the GTO will hold the Taiwan-Germany Aerospace and Drone Technology Industry Conference on May 5, expecting to invite 12 German companies to Taiwan, covering fields such as satellite components, drone systems, aerospace materials, and precision sensing technology, to expand cooperation opportunities in low-orbit satellites and drone supply chains.
Regarding media inquiries about whether recent international developments affect German businesses' views on Taiwan's security, Daisy Hsieh stated that the recent rise in geopolitical tensions has prompted companies to pay more attention to diversified supply chain layouts, but it has not negatively impacted the operations of German businesses in Taiwan. On the contrary, for German businesses, Taiwan is a core and important market for the semiconductor industry, still attracting German companies to evaluate investments in Taiwan. (Editors: Pan Yi-ching / Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150429
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(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yun-ting, Taipei, 29th) The German Trade Office Taipei (GTO) announced that the bilateral trade volume between Taiwan and Germany in the first quarter of this year was US$5.2 billion, an increase of 5.8% compared to the same period last year, with Taiwan's exports of electronic components growing by over 70% year-on-year. The GTO analyzed that the industrial chains of Taiwan and Germany are highly complementary, and deepened cooperation is expected in the fields of semiconductors, drones, and aerospace satellites. The GTO will also hold the Taiwan-Germany Aerospace and Drone Technology Industry Conference on May 5 to build business opportunities for Taiwan-Germany cooperation.
Daisy Hsieh, General Manager of German Trade Office Taipei's service execution unit, Advantage Business Consulting Co., Ltd., stated today during an exchange with the media that according to statistics from the Ministry of Finance, Taiwan's exports to Germany in the first quarter of this year amounted to US$2.121 billion, a year-on-year increase of 28.3%. Among these, electronic component exports reached US$490 million, a year-on-year increase of 71.2%; ICT and audio-visual product exports were US$557 million, a year-on-year increase of 20.4%.
In terms of imports, the total imports from Germany in the first quarter of this year were US$3.12 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 5.5%, mainly due to the impact of supply chain adjustments on overall demand. However, imports of precision machinery and equipment increased against the trend by 24.1%, reaching US$635 million, indicating that Germany's high-end manufacturing technology continues to support the upgrading of Taiwan's semiconductor industry.
Observing the export structure, electronic components are the biggest highlight, with major products including wafers, dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and hybrid integrated circuits, all highly related to the semiconductor industry.
In terms of semiconductor layout, the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC), a joint venture between TSMC, Bosch, Infineon, and NXP, broke ground in Dresden in August 2024 and is expected to start production in 2027. It will produce 28 to 12-nanometer mature process chips for the European automotive and industrial markets.
Daisy Hsieh pointed out that with the TSMC-invested ESMC factory in Dresden expected to be completed in 2027, the first batch of chip production schedules are also being prepared as planned, and the current progress is fully on track. Germany is also actively replicating the semiconductor supply chain system, hoping to attract more Taiwanese supply chain operators to invest in Germany.
In addition, regarding new industry cooperation, the GTO pointed out that Taiwan is a very large exporter of drones to the European market. Taiwan's drone trade value to Europe in the first quarter of this year was US$115 million, which has already exceeded the export value to Europe in 2025. Daisy Hsieh stated that under the trend of non-red supply chains, although Germany has strong capabilities in traditional defense industries (such as tanks), it is seeking opportunities to cooperate with Taiwanese manufacturers in the new types of demand for drones.
To promote bilateral exchanges, the GTO will hold the Taiwan-Germany Aerospace and Drone Technology Industry Conference on May 5, expecting to invite 12 German companies to Taiwan, covering fields such as satellite components, drone systems, aerospace materials, and precision sensing technology, to expand cooperation opportunities in low-orbit satellites and drone supply chains.
Regarding media inquiries about whether recent international developments affect German businesses' views on Taiwan's security, Daisy Hsieh stated that the recent rise in geopolitical tensions has prompted companies to pay more attention to diversified supply chain layouts, but it has not negatively impacted the operations of German businesses in Taiwan. On the contrary, for German businesses, Taiwan is a core and important market for the semiconductor industry, still attracting German companies to evaluate investments in Taiwan. (Editors: Pan Yi-ching / Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150429
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is the power to protect press freedom.
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Unauthorized reproduction, public broadcasting, public transmission, or use of the texts, images, and audio/video on this website is prohibited.