6
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 1988
TRADE BILL WATCHED
THE PROTECTIONIST SENTIMENT IN THE U.S. MIGHT BE REDUCED BY PASSAGE OF THE OMNIBUS TRADE BILL, A TRADE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (THURSDAY) WHEN COMMENTING ON THE SENATE VOTE ON THE BILL.
THE ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRADE, MR CHRISTOPHER JACKSON, SAID: "THE BILL THAT HAS EMERGED FROM THE SENATE/HOUSE CONFERENCE IS A GREAT IMPROVEMENT ON EARLIER VERSIONS.
"MOST OF THE PROVISIONS OF CONCERN TO HONG KONG HAVE EITHER BEEN MODIFIED OR DROPPED COMPLETELY.
++
HONG
HE ADDED THAT THE BILL WOULD NO LONGER APPEAR TO THREATEN KONG'S INTERESTS AND ITS PASSAGE MIGHT HELP MODERATE PROTECTIONIST SENTIMENT.
"WE WILL BE WATCHING WITH INTEREST TO SEE WHETHER THE BILL IS VETOED, AND IF THIS HAPPENS WHETHER THE VETO WILL BE SUSTAINED," HE SAID.
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STATISTICS ON AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE RELEASED
1987
THE TOTAL VALUE OF MERCHANDISE TRADE BY AIR IN $162,649 MILLION, 32 PER CENT ABOVE THAT IN 1986, AS INDICATED BY SUMMARY STATISTICS ON AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE RELEASED (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
IN 1987, AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS, IMPORTS AND INCREASED IN VALUE TERMS BY 24 PER CENT, 35 PER CENT AND 11 RESPECTIVELY OVER 1986.
WAS
THE TODAY
RE-EXPORTS
PER
CENT
HOWEVER, THEIR SHARES IN TOTAL DOMESTIC EXPORTS, RE-EXPORTS WERE 27 PER CENT, 20 PER CENT AND 18 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, IMPORTS AND
WHICH WERE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE CORRESPONDING SHARES OF CENT, 21 PER CENT AND 19 PER CENT RECORDED IN 1986.
28 PER
234,407 TOTAL AMOUNTED
IN TERMS OF WEIGHT, AIRBORNE IMPORTS AMOUNTED ΤΟ TONNES OR 0.4 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL IMPORT TONNAGE, WHILE AIRBORNE EXPORTS (INCLUDING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS) TO 376,158 TONNES OR 1.4 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL EXPORT TONNAGE.
AIRBORNE DOMESTIC
TABLE 1.
EXPORTS ΤΟ MAJOR
MARKETS
ARE GIVEN IN
/INCREASES IN