4
PRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1981
NEVERTHELESS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ENTREPOT TRADE, THE GROWTH RATES HAD SLOWED DOWN TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR. COMPARING THE FIGURES FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS OF 1980 WITH THOSE FOR THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1979, DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED IN VALUE BY 12.4 PER CENT, RE-EXPORTS BY 57.3 PER CENT, TOTAL EXPORTS BY 24.1 PER CENT AND IMPORTS BY 27.9 PER CENT.
COMPARING THE FIGURES FOR DECEMBER 1980 WITH THOSE FOR THE SAME MONTH IN 1979, DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED IN VALUE BY 11.9 PER CENT, RE-EXPORTS BY 65 PER CENT, TOTAL EXPORTS BY 25.3 PER CENT AND IMPORTS BY 35.8 PER CENT.
IN CONNECTION WITH THE RELATIVELY RAPID GROWTH RATE FOR IMPORTS, THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT A BOEING 747 AIRCRAFT WORTH ABOUT $270 MILLION WAS IMPORTED IN DECEMBER. ALSO ABOUT $100 MILLION OF FUEL OIL WAS IMPORTED AS PART OF THE GOVERNMENT'S EFFORT TO BUILD UP HONG KONG'S STRATEGIC RESERVES.
THE FOLLOWING ARE COMPARATIVE TRADE FIGURES AS RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY1
LATEST 3 MONTHS
OCT - DEC
1980
$ M
OCT - DEC
1979
$ M
INCREASE OR
DECREASE
$ M
96
DOMESTIC EXPORTS
18 252
16 232
+ 2 020
+ 12.4
RE-EXPORTS
8 946
5 686
+ 3 260
+ 57.3
TOTAL EXPORTS
27 198
21 918
+ 5 280
+ 24.1
IMPORTS
31 754
24 818
+ 6 936
+ 27.9
TRADE BALANCE
- 4 556
2 900
- 1 656
DEC
DEC
SAME MONTH LAST YEAR
1980
1979
$ M
$ M
INCREASE OR
DECREASE
$ M
%
DOMESTIC EXPORTS
(% OF TOTAL EXPORTS)
6 270 (66.8%)
5 602 (74.8%)
668
+ 11.9
RE-EXPORTS
3 120
1 891
+ 1 229
+ 65.0
TOTAL EXPORTS
9 391
7 493
+ 1 897
+ 25.3
IMPORTS
11 306
8 328
+ 2 978
+ 35.8
TRADE BALANCE
- 1 915
835
—
1 080
/LAST MONTH