For poll data click: Exports median forecast +26.7% (prior month +30.2%) Imports median forecast +30.6% (prior month +33.8%) Balance median forecast $5.9 bln (prior month $5.71 bln) CPI median forecast 2.7% y/y (prior month +2.84%) TAIPEI, Jan 5(Reuters) - Taiwan"s exports likely rose for the 18th straight month in December, a Reuters poll showed, boosted by sustained demand for chips and hi-tech gadgets and the year-end shopping season. Taiwan, a global hub for chip production and a key supplier to Apple Inc (AAPL.O), is one of Asia"s major exporters of technology goods, and the trade data is seen as an important gauge of world demand for tech gadgets. Exports last month were expected to rise 26.7% from a year earlier, a Reuters poll of 13 analysts showed, slower than the 30.2% gain in November. read more The export forecasts ranged between a rise of 23% and 30%, reflecting uncertainties over the global economic recovery and ongoing supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Separately, the consumer price index (CPI) was expected to have risen 2.7% from a year earlier, compared with an increase of 2.84% in November. The inflation data will be released on Thursday followed by the trade data on Friday.