Greater China is expected to account for 65.3% of the world's small- to medium-size TFT LCD panel and cell shipments in 2011, gaining 4.1 percentage points on-year, according to the latest data collected by Digitimes Research. China's enlarging handheld device market and international buyers' increased orders for Taiwan makers have driven up shipments to the region.

Korean panel makers' purchase of LCD cells from fellow suppliers in the region is also on the rise, leading to Greater China's increased share of shipments.

Demand for small- to medium-size TFT LCD panels began seeing significant growth in 2006 when mid-range feature phones began switching from STN LCD displays to TFT LCD and demand from China's white-box handset market surged.

In China, demand for small- to medium-size panels has been growing fast from portable navigation devices (PND), portable media players, and others.