XN000022-1977-09-11 — Page 5

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1977

IMPORTS OF TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT FROM JAPAN INCREASED CONSIDERABLY, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF $276 MILLION OR +155.1 PER CENT. OTHER REMARKABLE INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM JAPAN WERE RECORDED IN PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CONTROLLING INSTRUMENTS- PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OPTICAL GOODS, WATCHES AND CLOCKS (+ $226 MILLION (+$147 MILLION OR +43.6 PER CENT), MACHINERY, OTHER THAN ELECTRIC OR +28.1 PER CENT) AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (+ $140 MILLION OR +19.3 PER CENT).

IMPORTS FROM CHINA, HONG KONG'S SECOND MAJOR SUPPLIER INCREASED ONLY BY 2.5 PER CENT. AN INCREASE OF 21,8 PER CENT OF IMPORTS FROM U.S.A. WAS LARGELY DUE TO A SUBSTANTIAL RISE IN THE IMPORTS OF TEXTILE FIBRES AND THEIR WASTE ($386 MILLION OR +292.9 PER CENT). BESIDES, IMPORTS OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES WENT UP BY 20.5 PER CENT OR $108 MILLION. A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WAS ALSO RECORDED IN TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (+79 MILLION OR +387.1 PER CENT).

THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS THE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTIONS :

INCREASE PERCENTAGE (HK$ MN) CHANGE

JAN-JULY 1976 JAN-JULY 1977

(HK$ MN)

(HK$ MN)

MANUFACTURED

7,777

8,261

+484

+ 6.2%

GOODS

CLASSIFIED

CHIEFLY BY

MATERIAL

(MAINLY

TEXTILE YARN,

FABRICS, AND

DIAMONDS)

MACHINERY

4,240

5,345

+1,104

+26.0%

AND TRANSPORT

EQUIPMENT

FOOD AND LIVE

3,642

4,076

434

+11.9%

ANIMALS

MISCELLANEOUS

2,710

3,494

783

+29.0%

MANUFACTURED

ARTICLES (MAINLY

WATCHES)

CHEMICALS

1,994

2,090

96

+ 4.8%

CRUDE MATERIALS, 1,926

2,069

143

+ 7.49%

INEDIBLE,

EXCEPT FUEL

(MAINLY TEXTILE

FIBRES AND

THEIR WASTE)

/THE MORE