What?

50 years ago Taiwan was nonexistent on the world trade scene. Now, you see their products on a worldwide scale. What products are made in Taiwan and what industries fuel its growing economy? These are excellent questions which we will examine in more detail below.

Exporting goods has allowed Taiwan to expand its economy rapidly in the last five decades. In the beginning of this period, most of what was made in Taiwan and shipped overseas was agricultural in nature. Yet, you probably recognize Taiwan for its presence in the industrial products market, as this now represents nearly all of its exports. Among these, electronics are by far Taiwan's most prolific segment, taking up the lion share of its manufacturing labors. So, when asking what is currently made in Taiwan, the general answer is electronic goods.

More specifically, within the electronic industry, computer chips feature largely in Taiwan's exports. In fact, the country is the top producer of custom computer chips in the world. Taiwan also has a strong presence in the television and computer monitor market, with an emphasis on LCD screen production. Also within the optics arena, they produce solar panels, also known as photovoltaic arrays.

What else does Taiwan make? Another electronic component built in country is memory for computers, namely RAM. Also, they produce a variety of electronics for network construction and maintenance. They are also a dominant force in the more general electronic field, with items such as televisions, stereos, clock radios and virtually any other consumer product you can imagine.

What may surprise you to learn, is that Taiwan also makes a great deal of textiles as well. However, this trend is decreasing due to problems with rising labor and land ownership costs. Further, new restrictions to protect Taiwan's environment have made the manufacture of textiles even more expensive.

One of Taiwan's largest industries is the Information Technology field, and their growth in this sector is truly staggering. Only 50 years ago, Taiwan had no IT to speak of, yet the country's leaders chose to promote the manufacture of IT products to fill the growing need for these worldwide. They placed an emphasis on learning technological expertise, and creation of their own industries, unaided by foreign help. Taiwan quickly accomplished this goal, and has become a major player in the region for the research and development of new products. However, a great portion of Taiwan's current IT business comes from foreign contracts. Many manufacturers produce equipment to the specifications for other brands, for use in those companies products. A common feature in the industry is the making of original equipment manufacturer (OEM), which is often outsourced by major computer suppliers to a company in Taiwan. Semiconductors are a major component of these contracts, and Taiwan is one of the largest manufacturers of them in the world at the present time. In fact, the two biggest contract specific computer chip manufacturers in the world are located in Taiwan.

As you can see, when it comes to electronics, Taiwan is a force to reckon with. From high tech computers, to clock radios, Taiwan produces it all.