Adds text, updates prices

Oct 18 (Reuters) - Asia's trade-reliant currencies gained against the dollar on Friday, as Britain won European Union approval for a no-delay divorce deal and China expressed confidence about clinching a phased trade pact with the United States.

China's Commerce Ministry said on Thursday it hopes to reach a phased agreement with the United States and cancel tariffs as soon as possible, adding that trade wars had no winners.

That came as a relief to market participants after the new measures passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week related to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong were expected to put some strain on the trade talks.

Meanwhile, European Union leaders gave their unanimous backing to a Brexit deal with Britain on Thursday, putting the onus on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to secure the British parliament's approval for the deal in a vote in two days' time.

"The bigger driver has been the positive spillover effect from UK getting close to a Brexit deal," said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ in Singapore.

"The ongoing phase-1 deal between the U.S. and China is still contributing towards a bit more optimism for Asian currencies."

Leading the gains in Asia, the South Korean won KRW=KFTC rose 0.5% against the dollar and was on track for a third consecutive weekly advance.

Among other export-reliant currencies, the Taiwanese dollar TWD= and the Thai baht THB=TH rose 0.24% and 0.13%, respectively.

On other hand, China's yuan CNY=CFXS inched lower after economic growth slowed more than expected to 6.0% in the third quarter from a year earlier, the weakest pace in at least 27-1/2 years.

"The economic data surprised a bit... But that was not material enough to cause too much of a concern," said ANZ's Goh.

"But we did have some improvement in industrial production. So that helped to offset some of the disappointment in the GDP numbers."

China's industrial output grew a better-than-expected 5.8% in September, faster than the 17-year-low posted in August.

Lower oil prices pressured the Malaysian ringgit MYR=, while fiscal and economic worries pulled down the Indian rupee INR=IN. Both currencies shed about 0.1% on the day.

India is likely to miss its fiscal deficit target of 3.3% of gross domestic product for the current financial year by 30-50 basis points, two sources said, due to a sharp slowdown in the economy that has severely crimped tax collection goals.

The following table shows rates for Asian currencies against the dollar at 0508 GMT.

CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR

Change on the day at 0508 GMT

Currency

Latest bid

Previous day

Pct Move

Japan yen

108.560

108.65

+0.08

Sing dlr

1.364

1.3644

+0.02

Taiwan dlr

30.609

30.681

+0.24

Korean won

1180.500

1187

+0.55

Baht

30.270

30.31

+0.13

Peso

51.320

51.34

+0.04

Rupiah

14140.000

14143

+0.02

Rupee

71.208

71.16

-0.07

Ringgit

4.182

4.178

-0.10

Yuan

7.078

7.0772

-0.00

Change so far in 2019

Currency

Latest bid

End 2018

Pct Move

Japan yen

108.560

109.56

+0.92

Sing dlr

1.364

1.3627

-0.10

Taiwan dlr

30.609

30.733

+0.41

Korean won

1180.500

1115.70

-5.49

Baht

30.270

32.55

+7.53

Peso

51.320

52.47

+2.24

Rupiah

14140.000

14375

+1.66

Rupee

71.208

69.77

-2.02

Ringgit

4.182

4.1300

-1.24

Yuan

7.078

6.8730

-2.89

(Reporting By Patturaja Murugaboopathy; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

((patturaja.muruga@thomsonreuters.com ; +91-80-6749-6540; Reuters Messaging: patturaja.muruga.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

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