TAIPEI - The value of Taiwan's export orders in October increased by 3.2 percent compared with the same period last year due to launches of new technology products, according to statistics released by Taiwan's economic authorities on Tuesday.

Export orders amounted to $38.38 billion in October, a 1.9-percent increase month on month. Statistics show that export orders were on the rise in the second half of this year as many new technology products hit the market.

New smartphones, tablet computers and other products have driven the growth of Taiwan's assembly, contract manufacturing and other relevant sectors along the supply chain.

The value of orders in the IT and communication industry reached $9.84, a month-on-month increase of 3.5 percent, while the value of orders for electronic products in October reached $8.95 billion, the highest in history due to strong demand.

Orders from the United States topped those from other countries and regions at a record $9.71 billion. Orders from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong reached $9.39 billion, a drop of $810 million from September.

The value of export orders in the first 10 months stood at $360.9 billion, showing a year-on-year decrease of 0.6 percent.