SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1979
ON THE OTHER HAND, DECLINES WERE REGISTERED IN SALES OF PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CONTROLLING INSTRUMENTS AND APPARATUS (BY $20 MILLION OR 19%) AS WELL AS CRUDE ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE MATERIALS (BY $5 MILLION OR 8%).
THE CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM TEN MAJOR SOURCES ARE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS :-
JAN.-OCT. 79 (HK$ M.)
JAN.-OCT. 78 (HK$ M.)
INCREASE (HK$ M.)
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
JAPAN
15 683
11 362
+ 4 321
+ 38%
CHINA
11 897
8 315
+ 3 582
+ 43%
U.S.A.
8 469
6 090
+ 2 379
+ 39%
TAIWAN
4 781
3 328
+ 1 453
+ 44%
SINGAPORE
3 925
2 618
+ 1 307
+ 50%
U.K.
3 579
2 301
+ 1 278
+ 56%
F.R. OF GERMANY
2 284
1 631
653
+ 40%
SWITZERLAND
2 083
1 612
471
+ 29%
REP. OF KOREA
2 029
1 408
621
+ 4496
AUSTRALIA
1 281
1 021
260
+ 25%
INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM JAPAN WERE MAINLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE RISE IN DEMAND FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $601 MILLION OR 62%), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS (BY $522 MILLION OR 63%), TEXTILES (BY $457 MILLION OR 24%), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $412 MILLION OR 41%) IRON AND STEEL (BY $260 MILLION OR 35%), AND ROAD VEHICLES (BY $233 MILLION OR 34%).
INCREASES WERE ALSO RECORDED IN THE FOLLOWING IMPORTS FROM CHINA: TEXTILES (BY $755 MILLION OR 46%), PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $580 MILLION OR 96%), CLOTHING (BY $318 MILLION OR 67%) AND FISH, CRUSTACEANS AND MOLLUSCS (BY $145 MILLION OR 46%).
IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. ALSO WENT UP SIGNIFICANTLY, PARTICULARLY IN ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSE ESTERS AND ETHERS (BY $327 MILLION OR 177%), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT BY $290 MILLION OR 59%), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $234 MILLION OR 46%), AND PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES (BY $116 MILLION OR 19%).
THE FOLLOWING