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Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
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Cuba, Central & S. America 169,000 933,000 Japan, Korea & Formosa 9,127,000 3,523,000 Australia 1,042,000 428,000 Canada 733,000 410,000 New Zealand 54,000 62,000 Foreign Countries Miscellaneous 195,000 38,000 TOTAL £30,482,000 £8,988,000The Scale of Hong Kong's trade with neighbouring countries is indicated by the following figures, also taken from the statistics for 1924:-
Imported from Exported to India Ceylon £1,998,000 £805,000 21,000 133,000 Burmah 1,051,000 224,000 Straits Settlements & F.M.S. 1,692,000 2,893,000 British North Borneo * 129,000 China 25,974,000 39,738,000 Netherlands East Indies 9,457,000 1,054,000 French Indo-China 5,135,000 2,530,000 Siam 6,262,000 654,000 Philippine Islands 2,530,000 1,719,000 TOTAL £58,380,000 £54,360,000Hong Kong's own consumption and production of commodities is comparatively small; one of its main functions is to act as an entrepot and clearing house for the products of South China and for the world's manufactured goods passing into South China.
However, owing to the fact that no duties are levied upon commodities, except liquors and tobacco, whereas China levies import and export duties upon all commodities, the tendency has been for a number of manufacturing processes to be established in the Colony, e.g., sugar and tin refining, cement making and ginger preserving; there are also several factories weaving cotton manufactured goods, and hundreds of native workshops manufacturing rattan ware and similar products.
Much of the voluminous trade with neighbouring countries comprises purely Chinese commodities and is carried on by Chinese firms in Hong Kong with branches elsewhere. Trade with Europe, the Americas and Australasia is principally in the hands of British and foreign import and export firms who do business with the Chinese mercantile community established in Hong Kong, purchasing from them the products of China which have been assembled from the interior, and selling manufactured goods which pass on from wholesale to retail dealers and so to the small shopkeepers in the interior of China. The lack of modern means of communication in China necessarily makes the process slow and difficult.
* This figure is obtained from the Chinese Maritime Customs Returns.