The head of the government statistics office, Chu Tzer-ming, says that the economy could start to rally in June if COVID-19 is brought under control by then. Chu was speaking Wednesday during a meeting of the legislature’s finance committee.
Chu has previously told the committee that despite his office’s earlier prediction of 2% economic growth this year, actual growth may only reach 1.8%. That’s as the COVID-19 pandemic put pressure on Taiwan’s exports. He said this low level of growth is still likely even with the government’s COVID-19 relief measures in place.
In response to lawmakers’ questions, Chu said his office has not yet predicted when Taiwan’s economy is likely to hit its lowest point during the pandemic. However, he said that Health Minister Chen Shih-chung’s view that COVID-19 could subside in Taiwan during June makes that month a candidate for a possible turn for the better.
However, he said that given Taiwan’s reliance on exports, COVID-19 could still hurt the economy even then if other nations are still struggling to keep the disease under control.