News
Total value of exports from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam amounted to US$385.738 billion in the first quarter of 2021, up 14.1% from a year earlier, according to the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Meanwhile, imports to the six major ASEAN nations were valued at $356,449 billion in total, up 12.3%. They exported and imported a total of $742.187 billion worth of commodities in January-March, up 13.2%. As a consequence, they gained a trade surplus of $29.289 billion, up 43.2%. Imports to and exports from the Southeast Asian nations both began decreasing around February 2020 due to a surge in coronavirus infections. They, however, turned upward after bottoming out in May 2020, and in March 2021, exports from the six economies swelled to exceed $140 billion in total value.
In January-March this year, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam all accomplished year-on-year growth in both exports and imports. Looking at outbound shipments, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore registered double-digit increases of 23.7%, 21.4%, 17.1% and 11.1%, respectively. In particular, Vietnam and Malaysia, both of which enjoyed rises of more than 20% in exports as described above, recorded augmentations of over 30% in those to the U.S. and China. Among products shipped out of Vietnam, growth was registered in computers, electronics and relevant parts and components as well as machinery and relevant parts and components. In those from Malaysia, electric and electronic appliances and others enlarged.
