TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1981
REVIEW OF OVERSEAS TRADE IN 1980
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THE +HONG KONG REVIEW OF OVERSEAS TRADE IN 1980+ IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE IN THE GPO BUILDING AT CONNAUGHT PLACE.
AT $26 A COPY, IT CONTAINS A BRIEF TEXT, 18 GRAPHS AND 34 STATISTICAL APPENDICES WITH COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR THE PREVIOUS YEARS.
INTRODUCING THE REVIEW, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT POINTED OUT THAT IT GIVES A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE DIRECTION AND COMPOSITION OF HONG KONG'S OVERSEAS TRADE IN 1980, INCLUDING A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF TRADE BY MAJOR TRADING PARTNER AND BY COMMODITY CATEGORY.
TO FACILITATE INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON, A NEW TABLE IS INCLUDED, SHOWING TRADE STATISTICS OF SELECTED COUNTRIES BY CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION COUNCIL NOMENCLATURE (CCCN) COMMODITY CLASSIFICATION.
+ALSO INCLUDED IS AN ANALYSIS OF HONG KONG'S EXPORT PERFORMANCE IN PRINCIPAL OVERSEAS MARKETS, COMPARED WITH THOSE OF MAJOR COMPETITORS, HE ADDED.
ACCORDING TO THE REVIEW, SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES WERE NOTED IN IMPORTS FROM CHINA (BY $6818 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT) AND FROM JAPAN (BY $6 324 MILLION OR 33 PER CENT). AMONG THE OVERSEAS MARKETS WITH THE HIGHEST GROWTH IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE THE U.S. (BY $3.794 MILLION OR 20 PER CENT), THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (BY $1 040 MILLION OR 16 PER CENT), AND CHINA (BY $1 002 MILLION OR 166 PER CENT).
BY COMMODITY, SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH WAS REGISTERED IN IMPORTS OF TEXTILES (BY $3 032 MILLION OR 26 PER CENT) AND PETROLEUM (BY $2 882 MILLION OR 61 PER CENT) WHEREAS THE COMMODITIES WITH THE HIGHEST GROWTH IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE CLOTHING (BY $3 127 MILLION OR 16 PER CENT) AND PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, OPTICAL GOODS AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $1 993 MILLION OR 39 PER CENT).
RE-EXPORT TRADE EXPERIENCED STRONG GROWTH IN 1980. THE VALUE OF COMMODITIES OF CHINA ORIGIN RE-EXPORTED THROUGH HONG KONG INCREASED BY $2 731 MILLION OR 48 PER CENT, WITH THE LARGEST INCREASE REGISTERED IN CLOTHING (BY $570 MILLION OR 79 PER CENT). RE-EXPORTS OF JAPAN ORIGIN ALSO GREW SUBSTANTIALLY (BY $2 451 MILLION OR 72 PER CENT), ESPECIALLY FOR ROAD VEHICLES (BY $673 MILLION OR 184 PER CENT).
ON THE OTHER HAND, RE-EXPORTS TO CHINA ALSO INCREASED BY $3 327 MILLION OR 253 PER CENT, AND RE-EXPORTS TO JAPAN BY $1 090 MILLION OR 55 PER CENT.
THE VALUE