Taipei - Taiwan's year-on-year exports dropped 28.6 per cent in February as demand declined amid global downturn, the Finance Ministry said Monday.

The amount of exports slipped to 12.59 billion US dollars in February, down 5.03 billion US dollars, or 28.6 per cent, from a year earlier, registering a decline for the sixth straight month, the ministry said in a statement.

Imports amounted to 10.92 billion US dollars, down 5.04 billion dollars, or 31.6 per cent, from the same period last year, marking a contraction for the fifth straight month, the ministry said.

In February, Taiwan posted a trade surplus of 1.67 billion dollars, up 0.6 per cent from the same period last year, it said. (dpa)