THURSDAY, JULY 25, 198
*AS REGARDS THEIR REQUEST THAT BABIES BORN IN CHINA AFTER THEIR RETURN SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO COME TO HONG KONG TOGETHER WITH THEIR MOTHERS, WE WILL RELAY THIS TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION,+ HE SAID.
THIS MORNING'S MEETING WAS CONDUCTED IN A CORDIAL MANNER HE SAID.
PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JUNE
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THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS CONTINUED TO GROW IN JUNE 1985, bv $1 579 MILLION OR 23 PER CENT OVER JUNE 1984, TO REACH $8 341 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS, HOWEVER, FELL BY $1 410 MILLION, OR 11 PER CENT, TO $10 956 MILLION. THUS, TAKING DOMEST EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS GRE BY $169 MILLION, OR ONE PER CENT, TO $19 297 MILLION.
THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, AT $19 758 MILLION IN JUNE 1985, WAS TWO PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN JUNE 1984.
AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS GREW AT A SLOWER RATE THAN THE OF IMPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE GAP (THAT IS THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS) OF TWO PER CENT WAS RECORDED IN JUNE 1985, COMPARED WITH ONE PER CENT IN JUNE 1984.
PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, A GOVERNMEN SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 1985 WAS $113 050 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS $60 408 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $52 642 MILLION.
COMPARED WITH THE FIRST HALF OF 1984, THE VALUES OF TOTAL EXPORTS AND OF RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 13 PER CENT AND 41 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, WHILE THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS FELL BY FOUR PER CENT. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY SEVEN PER CENT TO $112 772 MILLION. A SMALL VISIBLE TRADE SURPLUS, EQUIVALENT TO 0.2 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, COMPARED WITH A VISIBLE TRADE GAP OF FIVE PER CENT IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE DECLINING TREND IN THE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS WAS LARGELY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SLOWING DOWN IN THE GROWTH RATE OF THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1985.
THE RELATIVE STRENGTH OF THE HONG KONG DOLLAR OVER THE PAST YEAR AND IN THE BEGINNING MONTHS OF THIS YEAR WAS ALSO A CONTRIBUTORY FACTOR. RE-EXPORTS, ON THE OTHER HAND, CONTINUED TO EXPAND.
THE FOLLOWING