CO129-558-11 Mission of Sir F. Leith-Ross to China- proposals for a Hong Kong - China customs... 29-9-1936 - 30-12-1936 — Page 36

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origin, and it is not possible to distinguish the various

items of trade accurately. By examination of the

individual items of trade, it is, however, possible to make

an approximate estimate of the values of the respective

items and the following broad results emerge. One third

inks tingka

of the imports is of goods intended for retention in Hong

A Kong, coming from Chinese and non-Chinese countries in

the proportions of one to three; and a tenth or less of

the exports is of goods originating in Hong Kong (e.g.

refined sugar, rubber shoes). Re-exports constitute ras

of the imports and 2 of the exports. of them some 10%

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to

consists of "Chinese coastal trade", 20 e 25 per cent.

consists of non-Chinese entrepôt trade and the remainder, nearly 70% is made up of goods passing between China and

the rest of the world via Hong Kong.

4.

Perhaps the most interesting thing in these

proportions is the comparative importance of the Chinese

coastal trade and the non-Chinese entrepôt trade. It is

common to speak of Hong Kong's trade as being almost

wholly concerned with China, but the figures make it quite

clear that such a part of it as is concerned with China

alone is less important than that which is not concerned

with China at all. The latter consists of such items as

the trade in rice from Siam and Indo-China to Japan and

the Philippines, the trade in wheat flour from North

America to Siam and the trade in Japanese manufactured

articles to Indo-China, Siam, Malaya and the Netherlands

East Indies.

5. A detailed analysis has not been possible, but

so far as the figures indicate, the proportions do not

seem

3