Taipei - Taiwan's November exports posted a record 28.5-per- cent fall due to the financial crisis which has hurt global demand for Taiwan's exports, the Economics Ministry said Tuesday.

In November, Taiwan received orders worth 22.8 billion US dollars, down 28.5 per cent year-on-year.

Among Taiwan's export markets, orders from China and Hong Kong - Taian's top export destination - fell 45.3 per cent, the biggest fall since 1990 and the second biggest decline in history.

Huang Chi-shih, a ministry official in charge of statistics, said Taiwan's January-November foreign orders totalled 330.9 billion US dollars, up 5.1 per cent year-on-year.

He said he hoped that Taiwan's foreign orders can recover in December, but admitted it will be difficult because the global slump is expected to continue for quite some time.

Export orders point to delivery three months later and serve as an important indicator of a country's economy.

Taiwan has few natural resources, so its economy relies mainly on exports. (dpa)