TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1988
8
DECEMBER PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED
HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE GREW STRONGLY IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR, AT RATES GENERALLY FASTER THAN IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH, ACCORDING TO THE PUBLISHED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY).
WAS
$18.850
1987 IN DECEMBER THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS MILLION, 22.7 PER CENT OR $3,482 MILLION HIGHER THAN IN DECEMBER 1986, PKR CENT OR $6,428 WHILE THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 50.9 MILLION TO $19,055 MILLION.
THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS (DOMESTIC EXPORTS PLUS RR-EXPORTS), MILLION HIGHER THAN AT $37,905 MILLION, WAS 35.4 PER CENT OR $9,910
IMPORTS GREW BY 41.3 PER CENT OR IN DECEMBER 1986. THE VALUE OF $11,351 MILLION OVER DECEMBER 1986 TO $38,818 MILLION.
THAN THAT RECORDED
OF
AS THE VALUE OF IMPORTS IN DECEMBER 1987 WAS HIGHER OF TOTAL EXPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE BALANCE IN DECEMBER 1987 A DEFICIT OF $913 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 2.4 PER CENT OF THE VALUE IMPORTS.
THE SITUATION
A THIS DIFFERS FROM
1986, IN DECEMBER
WHEN THE VALUE OF SURPLUS OF $528 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 1.9 PER CENT OF IMPORTS IN THAT MONTH, WAS RECORDED.
THE VALUE OF MILLION, MADE UP OF OF $195,254 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $182,780
PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, TOTAL EXPORTS FOR 1987 AS A WHOLE WAS $378,034 DOMESTIC EXPORTS MILLION.
1986, THE VALUE OF TOTAL 36.7 PER
THAT CENT,
EXPORTS
GREW AY OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY RE-EXPORTS BY $60,234
GREW
WITH COMPARED $101,504 MILLION OR $41,270 MILLION OR 26.8 PER CENT, AND THAT OF MILLION OR 49.2 PER CENT. OVER THIS PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS BY $101,993 MILLION OR 37 PER CENT, TO $377,948 MILLION.
TRADE ACCOUNT WITH A SURPLUS OF ONLY $86 MILLION, THE VISIBLE
THIS COMPARES WITH A FOR 1987 AS A WHOLE WAS VIRTUALLY IN BALANCE.
CENT OF SMALL SURPLUS OF $575 MILLION IN 1986, EQUIVALENT TO 0.2 PER THE VALUE OF IMPORTS IN THAT YEAR.
COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES. A GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT EXPORTS IN 1987 WAS SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE BUOYANCY OF DOMESTIC ATTRIBUTABLE TO SUSTAINED DEMAND FOR IMPORTS IN HONG KONG'S MARKETS AND TO THE CONTINUED COMPETITIVENESS OF HONG KONG'S PRODUCTS.
OVERSEAS
/THE STRONG