31
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1985
J
+FAST AND EFFICIENT MACHINES, I ADMIT - BUT THE IR PRIME TASK IN REALITY IS TO FREE HUMAN TALENT AND INGENUITY FROM ROUTINE DRUDGERY AND TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER TO IMPROVE OUR COMMON FUTURE, SHE SAID.
+WE IN HONG KONG ARE THUS VERY WELL PLACED TO FACE THE FUTURE - FOR IT IS IN HUMAN RESOURCES THAT OUR TERRITORY IS RICHEST. OUR POEPLE ARE NOT AFRAID OF HARD WORK, THEY ARE ADAPTABLE AND QUICK TO REACT,+ MISS CHEUNG SAID.
PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY 1985
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THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN FEBRUARY 1985 GREW BY 38 PER CENT OR $2 558 MILLION OVER FEBRUARY 1984, TO REACH $9 380 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS ALSO GREW RAPIDLY, BY 46 PER CENT OR $2 344 MILLION TO $7 437 MILLION. THUS, TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT $16 817 MILLION, WAS 41 PER CENT OR $4 902 MILLION HIGHER THAN A YEAR EARLIER.
OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY TWO PER CENT OR $218 MILLION TO REACH $14 966 MILLION.
AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS GREATER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE ACCOUNT RECORDED A SURPLUS OF $1 851 MILLION IN FEBRUARY 1985.
COMPARING THE 12 MONTHS ENDING FEBRUARY 1985 WITH THE 12 MONTHS
THE ENDING FEBRUARY 1984, OVERALL TRADE GREW BY 29 PER CENT. VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY 35 PER CENT, WHILE THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY 23 PER CENT. IN CONSEQUENCE, A VISIBLE TRADE SURPLUS OF $2 892 MILLION WAS RECORDED IN THE 12 MONTHS ENDING FEBRUARY 1985, EQUIVALENT TO ONE PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS DURING THIS PERIOD.
THIS WAS IN SHARP CONTRAST TO THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP (THAT IS, THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THAT OF TOTAL EXPORTS) OF EIGHT PER CENT RECORDED IN THE 12 MONTHS ENDING FEBRUARY 1984.
/COMMENTING ON