By Argin Chang

TAIPEI, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Taiwan's export orders from China rose for the first time in a year, data showed on Monday, backing views the world's second biggest economy will help drive the region's recovery.

Taiwan's overall export orders in July fell 8.77 percent from a year earlier, logging the smallest decline since October 2008 when orders dropped by 5.56 percent, with analysts expecting the improving trend to persist through the rest of the year.

Export orders from China rose an annual 2.2 percent in July, posting their first gain since July last year and rebounding strongly from a 10.49 percent drop in June, data from the economics ministry showed.

"Overall, China's demand for electronics is pretty strong, especially LCDs," Huang Ji-shih, the economics ministry's chief statistician, told a news conference.

Huang added that this year's overall export orders will total $310 billion, down about 12 percent from 2008 and roughly in line with his previous forecast for a decline of about 10 percent.

Taiwan's orders, an indicator of the strength of global tech demand and Asia's exports in coming months, will likely continue to improve and start posting growth in the fourth quarter, helped also by the low base effect of last year's collapse, analysts said.

"Exports are likely to return to growth in the fourth quarter of 2009. China's rising import appetite has indeed contributed positively to Asian export sectors," said Daniel Soh, an economist at Forecast Ltd in Singapore.

Growth in Taiwan's export orders slowed sharply from June last year and started posting annual falls in October, after the demise of key U.S. financial firms triggered the worst global downturn since the Great Depression. LINKS: > For analysts view, please click > For graphic, please click

http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/089/TW_EXPORD0809.gif (Additional reporting by Kevin Yao in Singapore; Writing by Lee Chyen Yee; Editing by Kazunori Takada) ((chyenyee.lee@thomsonreuters.com; +886 2 2508-0815; Reuters Messaging: chyenyee.lee.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: TAIWAN ECONOMY/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)

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