TAIPEI -- Sales at Taiwan's Hsinchu science-based industrial park, the island's high-tech powerhouse, rose 6.5 percent in 2002 from a year earlier, statistics showed Friday.

Total sales of the 335 manufacturers in the park amounted to 705.5 billion Taiwan dollars (20.3 billion U.S.) last year, compared with 662.5 billion a year earlier, according to data released by the industrial park's administration.

The Hsinchu industrial park houses Taiwan's major information technology heavyweights including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and United Microelectronics Corp., the world's largest and second largest contract chipmakers.

The data showed sales of Integrated Circuit (IC) companies in the park increased 21.4 percent to 457.5 billion dollars, but those of computer and computer peripheral manufacturers fell 22.8 percent to 124.5 billion dollars.

"The 21.4 percent growth in the IC sector was well above the global average, showing our strong competitiveness," said an official from the administration.

"The fall in the computer sector reflected the slowdown in the global personal computer industry. Relocation of local PC makers to foreign countries for lower labor costs also hurt sales here," he added.

Revenues of communications companies grew 0.8 percent to 56.6 billion dollars, while those of optical electronics companies dropped 3.5 percent to 60 billion dollars. Sales of precision machinery makers gained 12.4 percent to 5.4 billion dollars and those of biological companies grew 6.1 percent to 1.4 billion dollars.(AFP)