MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1977
HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE STATISTICS FOR JAN AUG ******
THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY RELEASED DETAILED TRADE FIGURES FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY TO AUGUST THIS YEAR.
DOMESTIC EXPORTS TOTALLED $22,488 MILLION, WHICH REPRESENTED AN INCREASE OF 8.3 PER CENT OR $1,727 MILLION OVER THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR IMPORTS GREW BY 13 PER CENT (+$3,618 MILLION) TO $31,437 MILLION, AND RE-EXPORTS WERE VALUED AT $6,266 MILLION, SHOWING AN INCREASE OF 10.1 PER CENT OR $575 MILLION.
THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO TEN MAJOR TRADING PARTNERS:
JAN-AUG
1976
JAN-AUG
1977
(HK$ MN) (HK$ MN)
INCREASE/ DECREASE (HK$ MN)
PERCENTAGE INCREASE/DECREASE
+ 24.6%
- 10.9%
12.3%
U.S.A.
7,075
8,812
+ 1,737
F.R. OF GERMANY
2,580
2,299
282
UNITED KINGDOM 2,125
1,863
262
JAPAN
893
867
25
-
2.8%
AUSTRALIA
905
828
77
8.5%
CANADA
908
777
132
-
14.5%
SINGAPORE
493
564
+
71
+ 14.4%
NETHERLANDS
475
484
9
SWEDEN
444
429
15
SWITZERLAND
448
381
67
1.9%
3.4%
15.0%
DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES WERE UP BY 24.6 PER CENT. THE INCREASE WAS DUE TO THE FAVOURABLE GROWTH RATES RECORDED IN CLOTHING (+$539 MILLION OR +17.9%), MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES, N.E.S. (+$532 MILLION OR +39.7%) AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLICANCES (+$444 MILLION OR +33.7%).
ON THE OTHER HAND, EXPORT SALES TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM DROPPED BY 10.9 PER CENT AND 12.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, THIS IS MAINLY ACCOUNTED FOR BY THE CONTINUING DOWNWARD TREND IN THE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF CLOTHING, WHICH DECREASED BY 21.2 PER CENT ($366 MILLION) IN THE CASE OF THE GERMANY AND BY 23.1 PER CENT (-3276 MILLION) FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE RATES OF DECLINE HAVE, HOWEVER, GRADUALLY SLOWED DOWNL
/DOMESTIC