Taipei - Taiwan's exports, plagued by the global downturn, slumped to a seven-year low of 16.8 billion US dollars in November, the finance ministry said Monday.

Total exports declined for the third straight month by 5.1 billion US dollars in November, down 23.3 per cent from the same month last year, the ministry said in a statement.

Imports totaled 15.3 billion US dollars, the lowest since March 2002, representing a drop of 2.32 billion dollars or 13.2 per cent year-on-year, the ministry said.

It said the island was still able to enjoy a trade surplus of 1.52 billion dollars, though the amount declined by 2.77 billion dollars or 64.6 per cent, compared with the previous year.

From January to November, total exports amounted to 242 billion dollars, an increase of 8.4 per cent year-on-year. Accumulated imports amounted to 229.08 billion dollars, up by 15.7 per cent. (dpa)