international Standards Adopted for Trade Statistics

        A new way to present import and export statistics was adopted at a meeting by representatives from the Finance Ministry’s Dept. of Statistics, the Executive Yuan’s Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, and the Central Bank on Jan. 11. The meeting decided to include re-export and re-import figures in trade statistics. The change will be announced in February at the soonest, meaning that import and export statistics for January will use the new method of calculation.

　　According to the Dept. of Statistics（MOF）, the method of calculation is being adjusted mainly to comply with the “International Merchandise Trade Statistics” (IMTS) manual issued by the United Nations in 2004. Other countries, including the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea, are implementing this new method and including, in their trade statistics, re-imported goods that are returned to the country because of defects as well as re-exports of imported goods following simple processing (without changing the goods in form or nature, while increasing their added value by 35%) and of transshipped goods that undergo the customs procedure. The Ministry of Finance expects that this new method of calculation will increase Taiwan’s trade value and trade surplus. For more related information, please consult this website: http://www.mof.gov.tw/lp.asp?ctNode=657&CtUnit=11&BaseDSD=5&xq_bDept=015.

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