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Who does Taiwan rely on?

The largest supplier of Taiwan in 2024 is China, with 21.5% of what Taiwan buys. Its share was 20.2% in 2019 and 3.4% in 1995. 453 of the 1,045 products Taiwan buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Taiwan buys of that product; in 129, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 16.1% of what Taiwan buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: China
21.5%
Concentration (HHI)
960
Products with a supplier above 50%
453
Products with a supplier above 75%
129

Concentration index (HHI): 960 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 10 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

Japan went from 31.5% to 12.6% of what Taiwan buys

Share (%)

  • China 21.5%
  • Japan 12.6%
  • South Korea 11.7%
  • United States 10.7%
  • Australia 4%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995Japan31.5%
1996Japan29.1%
1997Japan25.7%
1998Japan25.4%
1999Japan25.8%
2000Japan25.9%
2001Japan23%
2002Japan23.8%
2003Japan25.1%
2004Japan25.1%
2005Japan24.1%
2006Japan21.5%
2007Japan20.2%
2008Japan18.4%
2009Japan20%
2010Japan19.7%
2011Japan17.2%
2012Japan15%
2013Japan14.1%
2014China17.4%
2015China19.1%
2016China18.8%
2017China19%
2018China18.5%
2019China20.2%
2020China22.3%
2021China21.2%
2022China19.8%
2023China20.8%
2024China21.5%

Its suppliers

  1. China$77.3 billion · 21.5%
  2. Japan$45.3 billion · 12.6%
  3. South Korea$41.9 billion · 11.7%
  4. United States$38.3 billion · 10.7%
  5. Australia$14.5 billion · 4%
  6. Malaysia$14.4 billion · 4%
  7. Germany$12.5 billion · 3.5%
  8. Singapore$10 billion · 2.8%
  9. Saudi Arabia$8.4 billion · 2.4%
  10. Vietnam$7.9 billion · 2.2%

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Products with a dominant supplier

Of the 1,045 products Taiwan buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
CoalAustralia57.4%Indonesia · 22.3%$9.2 billion
ComputersChina53.1%Mexico · 18%$7.4 billion
Computer and office machine partsChina55.3%South Korea · 13.7%$7.4 billion
Cameras and broadcast equipmentChina63.5%Vietnam · 12.5%$6.3 billion
Printed circuit boardsChina64.4%Japan · 15.8%$4.7 billion
Turbojets and gas turbinesUnited States55.7%United Kingdom · 13.7%$3.6 billion
Silicon wafers for electronicsJapan58.3%China · 13.2%$3 billion
Transformers and power suppliesChina55.3%Japan · 9.4%$2.9 billion
Iron oreAustralia70.5%Brazil · 21.8%$2.2 billion
Low-voltage switches and connectorsChina60.1%Japan · 6.7%$2.2 billion
Stainless steel sheetIndonesia72.7%China · 18.5%$2 billion
Phones and telecom equipmentChina72.1%Vietnam · 11%$1.6 billion
BatteriesChina60.8%South Korea · 10.7%$1.6 billion
Cables and wireChina56.6%South Korea · 11.3%$1.6 billion
Aircraft partsUnited States64.5%France · 8.2%$1.5 billion
SoybeansBrazil55.5%United States · 39.8%$1.2 billion
JewelryHong Kong51.1%France · 16.8%$1.1 billion
Photographic chemicalsJapan86.1%over 75%South Korea · 6.4%$1 billion
Optical fibers and lensesChina51.2%Japan · 23.6%$978 million
Parts for broadcast equipmentChina79.7%over 75%Japan · 5.6%$881 million
Monitors and projectorsChina66%Vietnam · 10%$876 million
Unwrought nickelChina64.3%Indonesia · 18.9%$873 million
Motorcycle and bicycle partsChina58.5%Japan · 18.1%$860 million
SpiritsUnited Kingdom67.2%Singapore · 12%$824 million
Self-adhesive plastic sheetsJapan55.2%China · 20.9%$577 million

and 428 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Countries that sell more than 50% of some product; the darker, the higher the value of those products.

Selling: who it relies on

Largest customer: United States
19.5%
Concentration (HHI)
1,071

Concentration index (HHI): 1,071 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 9 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

Singapore went from 4.3% to 10.3% of what Taiwan sells

Share (%)

  • United States 19.5%
  • China 18.3%
  • Hong Kong 12.1%
  • Singapore 10.3%
  • South Korea 5.2%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995United States24.8%
1996United States24.3%
1997United States24.1%
1998United States26%
1999United States25.8%
2000United States23.3%
2001United States22.2%
2002United States20.2%
2003China23%
2004China24.6%
2005China27.8%
2006China25.7%
2007China29.6%
2008China29%
2009China30.1%
2010China27.5%
2011China27.4%
2012China25.6%
2013China26.5%
2014China26.6%
2015China24.4%
2016China24.9%
2017China32.7%
2018China25.9%
2019China25.5%
2020China26.7%
2021China25.2%
2022China21.7%
2023China19.4%
2024United States19.5%

247 of the 919 products Taiwan sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Taiwan sells of that product; in 74, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 7.1% of what Taiwan sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
Computer and office machine partsUnited States50.8%China · 12.4%$48 billion
Cyclic hydrocarbonsChina54.9%South Korea · 12.9%$2.4 billion
Optical fibers and lensesChina55.3%Japan · 17.1%$2.1 billion
Copper foilChina63.8%Japan · 10.8%$1.9 billion
Metal hardware and fittingsUnited States52.7%China · 9.5%$1.5 billion
FurnitureUnited States65.3%Japan · 11%$1.3 billion
GoldHong Kong52.7%China · 24.3%$936 million
Copper scrapChina62.7%Japan · 16.8%$910 million
Monitors and projectorsUnited States56.1%Japan · 5.2%$900 million
PolypropyleneChina52.9%Vietnam · 9.9%$814 million
Ball and roller bearingsChina59.9%Germany · 8.1%$721 million
JewelryHong Kong89.3%over 75%United States · 4.9%$656 million
Woodworking machinesUnited States57.7%Canada · 9.6%$485 million
Yachts and pleasure boatsUnited States71.6%Australia · 11.2%$448 million
Plastic pipes and hosesUnited States51.8%China · 13.5%$433 million

and 232 more

Concentration compared

The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).

RankCountryHHI
141Panama983
142Kenya962
143Taiwan960
144Dominica958
145Malaysia927
146Belgium925

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.