FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1936
HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE PERFORMANCE IN 1985
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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR 1985, VALUED AT $466 572 MILLION. INCREASED BY FIVE PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE 1984 FIGURE, ACCORDING TO TRADE VALUE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, DOMESTIC EXPORTS DECREASED BY SIX PER CENT TO $129 882 MILLION, WHILE RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 26 PER CENT TO $105 270 MILLION AND IMPORTS INCREASED BY FOUR PER CENT TO $231 420 MILLION.
TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY SIX PER CENT.
COMPARING DECEMBER 1985 WITH DECEMBER 1984, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY FOUR PER CENT AND FIVE PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, GIVING A GROWTH OF FOUR PER CENT FOR TOTAL EXPORTS. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME SINCE FEBRUARY 1985 THAT AN INCREASE IN MONTHLY DOMESTIC EXPORTS VALUE WAS RECORDED AND WAS MAINLY DUE TO THE INCREASE OF OUR DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE U.S.A. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS IN DECEMBER 1985 INCREASED BY SIX PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1984.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT ALL THE TRADE STATISTICS PRESENTED HERE ARE MEASURED AT CURRENT PRICES AND NO ACCOUNT HAS BEEN TAKEN OF THE CHANGES IN PRICES BETWEEN THE PERIODS OF COMPARISON. A SEPARATE ANALYSIS ON THE PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE FOR DECEMBER 1985 WILL BE RELEASED EARLY NEXT MONTH.
DOMESTIC EXPORTS
COMPARING 1985 WITH 1984, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE U.S.A. DECREASED BY SIX PER CENT. ANALYSED BY COMMODITY, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $1 497 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT) OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $1 393 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT) AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF (BY $980 MILLION OR 16 PER CENT).
ON THE OTHER HAND, INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN CLOTHING (BY $1 158 MILLION OR FIVE PER CENT) AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, OPTICAL GOODS, WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $232 MILLION OR SIX PER CENT).
MOST COMMODITIES