TAIPEI, June 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan's exports in May fell 31.4 percent from a year earlier, slightly less than expected as the slump in demand from China, the United States, Europe and Japan all eased to varying degrees, data showed on Monday.
The fall marked the eighth straight month of decline and compared with a median forecast in a Reuters poll for a slide of 34.0 percent. It also showed a slightly less intense decline from April's 34.3 percent.
Last week, South Korea said its exports in May declined by 28.3 percent from a year earlier, showing that while there has been a modest improvement in trends in Asia, global demand remained extremely weak.
Taiwan's May imports slumped 39.1 percent from a year earlier, in line with expectations for a fall of 39.2 percent and compared with a drop in April of 41.2 percent.
Taiwan's May exports totalled $16.17 billion and imports were $13.01 billion, leaving a trade surplus of $3.17 billion, bigger than the median forecast of the poll of $2.6 billion.
China exports dropped 30.0 percent from a year earlier, a modest improvement from a 33.6 percent fall in April's data.
U.S. shipments fell 28.0 percent, after falling in April 33.7 percent, which was the biggest drop since September 2001.
European shipments slumped 36.3 percent, marking a slightly smaller fall that 37.0 percent in April, which was the largest fall since records began in 1989.
Japanese demand in May fell 24 percent from a year earlier, compared with 32.3 percent in April's figures. (Reporting by Lee Chyen Yee; Editing by Neil Fullick)