Cuba, Central & S. America
169,000
Japan, Korea & Formosa
9,127,000
938,000 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
£ 8,988,000
The Scale of Hong Kong's trade with neighbouring countries is indicated by the following figures, also taken from the statistics for 1924:
India Ceylon
Burmah
China
Straits Settlements & F.M.S.
British North Borneo
Netherlands East Indies
French Indo-China
Siam
Philippine Islands
TOTAL
Imported from
Exported to
£ 1,998,000
£ 805,000
21,000
133,000
1,051,000
224,000
1,692,000
2,893,000
277,000
129,000
*25,974,000
39,738,000
9,457,000
1,054,000
10,994,000
5,135,000
6,262,000
2,530,000
654,000
1,719,000
£58,380,000
£54,360,000
Hong 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.