Gold Tops Sudan’s Foreign Trade Exports

Gold Tops Sudan’s Foreign Trade Exports
TT

Gold Tops Sudan’s Foreign Trade Exports

Gold Tops Sudan’s Foreign Trade Exports

Gold has topped Sudan’s foreign trade exports in Q2 2022.

The value of its export revenues amounted to more than half the value of all other Sudanese commodities, including major strategic agricultural goods, Sudan’s official news agency SUNA reported.

The value of the exported gold amounted to more than $720 million to about 11,986 kilograms, while that of the gum arabic amounted to $29.7 million to about 24.8 thousand metric tons, and cotton exports amounted to $115.3 million, as the country exported about 53,328 cotton bale.

It also exported live animals and livestock worth $63.6 million, meat with a value of $34.2 million, and hides with a value of $916,000.

Petroleum exports received a low share, as the value of what was exported did not exceed $16 million.

The trade balance of the country’s foreign trade recorded a deficit of $1.2 billion in Q1 of the fiscal year 2022, which is nearly half of the volume of foreign trade.

Sudan’s total exports during Q1 2022 reached about $1.4 billion, while imports of goods from outside the country amounted to $2.6 billion.

The majority of foreign trade commodities, including the exported and imported, included raw and manufactured goods and foodstuffs.



Chip Powerhouse Taiwan Calls for Economic Partnership Deal with EU

 Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks at the annual Taiwan-EU investment forum in Taipei, Taiwan November 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks at the annual Taiwan-EU investment forum in Taipei, Taiwan November 18, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Chip Powerhouse Taiwan Calls for Economic Partnership Deal with EU

 Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks at the annual Taiwan-EU investment forum in Taipei, Taiwan November 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks at the annual Taiwan-EU investment forum in Taipei, Taiwan November 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called on Monday for the signing of an economic partnership agreement with the European Union, saying it would boost cooperation in semiconductors and that as democracies the two sides should be working together.

Taiwan has pushed for the signing of investment and trade deals with the EU, in what would be politically significant for Taiwan given its diplomatic isolation and general exclusion from most global bodies and agreements.

For its part, the EU has been courting Taiwan as a "like-minded" partner under the European Chips Act to encourage more semiconductor production in Europe and lessen dependence on Asia, despite the lack of formal ties with the Chinese-claimed island.

Speaking at a Taiwan-EU investment forum in Taipei, Lai said that facing the threat of expanding authoritarianism, Taiwan and the EU must form a "strong democratic umbrella" and build secure supply chains for global democracies.

"Looking to the future, Taiwan hopes to take an innovative approach towards the signing of an economic partnership agreement with the EU," he said.

Such an agreement would set a sound institutional basis for further cooperation in fields such as semiconductors and AI, Lai added.

"This would not only make both our economies more resilient and secure, but also ensure the stable operation of global supply chains."

Taiwanese investment in EU has been anchored by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), which in August launched a major new chip plant in Dresden, Germany, expected to be a key supplier to European industry and automakers.

Maria Martin-Prat, deputy head of the European Commission's directorate general for trade, made no mention of signing such a deal with Taiwan in a video message to the investment event, though she did praise bilateral relations.

"Taiwan, a vibrant democracy with an open economy, is a trusted partner for us to promote our economic security," she said.

Taiwan has few free trade agreements, though last year it signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership with Britain and has applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.