TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1979
INCREASED IMPORTS FROM CHINA WERE ALSO REGISTERED IN ITEMS SUCH AS TEXTILE PRODUCTS ($2,138 MILLION, +68 PER CENT) LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD ($1,152 MILLION, +FOUR PER CENT) VEGETABLES AND FRUIT ($782 MILLION, +24 PER CENT) AND PETROLEUM AND RELATED MATERIALS ($753 MILLION, +55 PER CENT).
THE RISE IN IMPORTS FROM U.S.A. COULD BE ACCOUNTED FOR MAINLY BY INCREASES IN SHIPMENTS OF TEXTILE FIBRES ($827 MILLION, +27 PER CENT), PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($764 MILLION, +75 PER CENT) AND ALSO ELECTRICAL MACHINERY ($637 MILLION, +15 PER CENT) AND OFFICE MACHINES ($604 MILLION, +15 PER CENT).
THERE WAS ALSO A RISE IN SHIPMENTS OF TEXTILE YARN, FABRICS, MADE-UP ARTICLES AND RELATED PRODUCTS ($1,720 MILLION, +22 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN AND IN SHIPMENTS OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY ($276 MILLION, +37 PER CENT) AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($166 MILLION, +67 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE.
THE FOLLOWING TABLE ILLUSTRATES THE CHANGES IN IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTIONS:
MANUFACTURED
1977
1978 (HK$ MN) (HK$ MN)
INCREASE
(HK$ MN)
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
GOODS CLASSFIED
CHIEFLY BY
MATERIAL (MAINLY
TEXTILE PRODUCTS
AND DIAMONDS)
14,612 20,498
+5,886
+40
MACHINERY AND
TRANSPORT
EQUIPMENT
9,541 12,467
+2,925
+31
MISCELLANEOUS
MANUFACTURED
ARTICLES (MAINLY
WATCHES AND
CLOCKS AND
ARTICLES OF
APPAREL)
6,356 8,884
+2,529
+40
FOOD AND LIVE
ANIMALS CHIEFLY
FOR FOOD
7,234 8,207
973
+13
CHEMICALS
AND RELATED
PRODUCTS
3,641 4,606
965
+27
REMARKABLE
*