Taiwan's export orders in March were better than expectations on robust U.S. orders, offsetting concerns that appetite for the island's electronic gadgets had been seriously affected by the slowdown in the global economy. The upbeat figures also helped to dispel worries about slowing demand from its largest trading partner, China, which over the weekend took bold steps to stimulate economic growth. Taiwan's orders in March rose 1.3 percent from a year earlier to a two-month high of $38.4 billion. It beat a Reuters poll for 0.6 percent growth and outperformed February's 2.7 percent drop, which was the first decline in more than a year. U.S. orders in March leapt 16.7 percent from a year ago, outpacing February's 9.1 percent gain. Orders from China fell 3.8 percent, narrowing from February's 8.1 percent fall. "What we see is that exports - by destination, U.S., by product, electronics - are holding up well in Taiwan," said Tim Condon, economist with ING in Singapore. "But this is a micro-theme." Condon said the broader export trend for Taiwan was still on the low growth side. Taiwan's export orders are a leading indicator of demand for Asia's exports and for hi-tech gadgets, and typically lead actual exports by two to three months. Much of the orders are farmed out to Taiwanese manufacturing plants located in China, from where the gadgets are then exported to final markets in the United States and Europe. China's exports for March contracted a shocking 15 percent from a year earlier. Concerns have been mounting that weakening demand, exacerbated by the traditional off peak season of the first quarter, would sharply crimp Taiwan's export engine amid macroeconomic uncertainties in China and Europe. Analysts remain cautiously optimistic about demand going forward. Last year, Taiwan's export orders and technology shipments hit record annual levels primarily boosted by Apple Inc's newest smartphones. While the boon from the iPhone 6 models may be weakening, the new Apple Watch may still provide some lift to export orders and exports. "As long as there is a new product we are very confident that a large part of it, if not all of it, will be made by Taiwanese plants," Taiwan economics minister John Deng told Reuters in an interview last week. The Apple Watch goes on sale officially on Friday and online orders have quickly outstripped supply, with most customers facing at least a month's wait. (Reuters)