5
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 1988
CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED IN INTERPRETING THE TRADE FIGURES FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL MONTH IN ISOLATION, IN VIEW OF THE FLUCTUATIONS THAT MAY OCCUR FROM MONTH TO MONTH. FAIRLY WIDE FLUCTUATIONS HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED DURING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, REFLECTING IN PART THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS.
TAKING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 1988 TOGETHER, TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE, AT $195,904 MILLION, INCREASED BY 28 PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE FIRST QUARTER IN 1987.
ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 15 PER CENT TO $44,169 MILLION, WHILE RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 45 PER CENT TO $52,868 MILLION.
THUS, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY 29 PER CENT ΤΟ $97,037 MILLION. IMPORTS INCREASED BY 26 PER CENT TO $98,867 MILLION.
COMPARING THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1988 WITH THE SAME QUARTER IN 1987, DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO ALL MAJOR MARKETS INCREASED IN VALUE TERMS,
THE MARKETS WITH THE LARGEST GROWTH IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCLUDED SINGAPORE (+44 PER CENT), FRANCE (+30 PER CENT), CHINA (+23 PER CENT), THE UNITED KINGDOM (+23 PER CENT) AND JAPAN (+21 PER CENT). DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO HONG KONG'S LARGEST MARKET, THE USA, GREW BY 3 PER CENT.
COMPARING MARCH 1988 WITH MARCH 1987, DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE USA DECREASED IN VALUE TERMS BY 16 PER CENT.
DECREASES WERE ALSO RECORDED IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO CANADA (-12 PER CENT), AUSTRALIA (-11 PER CENT), THE NETHERLANDS (-9 PER CENT), THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (-9 PER CENT), THE UNITED KINGDOM (-8 PER CENT) AND FRANCE (-6 PER CENT).
EXPORTS
ON THE OTHER HAND, INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN DOMESTIC TO SINGAPORE (+38 PER CENT), CHINA (+19 PER CENT) AND JAPAN (+14 PER CENT).
THE LEVEL OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN THE EARLY PART OF MARCH 1988 MAY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE LUNAR NEW YEAR PERIOD WHICH OCCURRED IN THE SECOND HALF OF FEBRUARY THIS YEAR.
IMPORTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1988 FROM ALL MAJOR SUPPLIERS INCREASED IN VALUE TERMS WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SAME QUARTER IN
SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN IMPORTS SWITZERLAND (+51 PER CENT), THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (+45 PER FRANCE (+39 PER CENT), THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (+31 PER AND CHINA (+27 PER CENT).
1987.
FROM
CENT),
CENT}
/IN MARCH