Taipei - Taiwan's export orders contracted for the sixth-straight month in March, falling 24.29 per cent from the same month a year earlier, but the decrease eased somewhat because of a slight recovery in global demand, the Economics Ministry said Thursday. The island received orders worth 23.94 billion US dollars in March, a fall of 18.99 per cent from February and an improved figure from the record contraction of 41.67 per cent registered in January, the ministry said in a statement.

Among Taiwan's export markets, orders from China and Hong Kong fell 29.38 per cent year-on-year to 6.14 billion US dollars, but they recorded a 27.89-per-cent rise from February.

Orders from the United States, Taiwan's second-largest export destination, also posted a decline of 23.43 per cent year-on-year to 5.6 billion US dollars but a 14.6-per-cent rise from February, the ministry said.

Orders from Europe fell 22.9 per cent year-on-year to 4.5 billion US dollars, up 13.79 per cent from the preceding month, it said. (dpa)