Taipei - Taiwan's export orders fell just 3 per cent year-on-year in September, a much smaller decline compared with the 11.96 per cent drop in August, reflecting a gradual recovery of global demand, the Economics Ministry said Friday.

Taiwan received foreign orders worth 30.84 billion US dollars in September, down 953 million US dollars from the same period last year. But the amount was up by 2.55 billion US dollars, or
9.01 per cent from last month, the ministry said.

Orders from China, worth 8.26 billion US dollars, remained the largest, followed by the United States with 6.6 billion US dollars and European Union at 5.7 billion US dollars, the ministry said.

In the first nine months of the year, export orders totalled 227.7 billion US dollars, down 18.01 per cent year-on-year, the ministry said.

Export orders indicate deliveries three months in advance and are a key economic indicator.

Taiwan's economy depends on exports. About 40 per cent of its exports go to China, and analysts were predicting that improving Taipei-Beijing ties would result in China buying more of Taiwan's goods and sending more tourists to the island. (dpa)