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Swedish Imports from Hong Kong
Mr. Barto
th. Stewart <FCO
38
TablesI-III compare imports, exports, production and consumption of each item.
Table IV shows. quarterly imports of each itengud Jan-Oct. inputs.
Dress shirts, woven, of discontinuous synthetic fibre (Table I) ̧ Imports:
Production and Consumption:
Exports:
Argument in Summer 1968:
Total imports have risen substantially in 1968 (Jan-Oct. from 465,000 pieces to 713,000 pieces), but the rise from H.K. has been much less marked (Jan-Oct, 394,000 pieces to 465,000 pieces). S. Korea has provided the major increase in imports. In the 3rd quarter of 1968, Hong Kong imports were below the 1967 level, though October imports were significantly heavier. Hong Kong share of imports fell in 1968 compared with 1967.
Production in the first nine months of 1968 was 58% higher than in the corresponding period of 1967. (Imports over this period rose only by 36%). The rise in production was concentrated mainly at the beginning of the year, whereas in the third quarter, the rise in consumption was met to a greater extent by imports, though even in this quarter, imports as a percentage of consumption fell in 1968 compared with 1967.
This have always been negligible and have in 1968 been falling.
Production had risen between 1966 & 1967. The rise in imports of woven shirts was indicative of a change in consumer tastes. H.K. could not be penalised for responding more quickly than Swedish producers to this change.
Total shirts imports (Table IA)
Total shirt imports have been rising since 1966. Hong Kong together supply over half the market. changed as follows:
Portugal and Their shares have
1966
1967
1968 Jan-June
H.K. of total shirt imports
27.4
26.4
29.2
Portugal% of
30.4
26.4
23.4
Hong Kong share of the market in the second half of 1968 may fall; in that period, woven discontinuous synthetic fibre shirts were down on the previous year.
Portugal and Hong Kong compete mainly in the woven cotton field. Hong Kong exports very few knitted m.m.f.. shirts, whereas these we major Portuguese exports. Similarly Portugal does not compete against H.K. in the woven discontinuous .a. f. field.