XN000022-1977-11-11 — Page 7

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1977

HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE FOR JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER

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HONG KONG EXPORTED $25,471 MILLION WORTH OF GOODS DURING THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, IMPORTS WERE $35,182 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS $7,089 MILLION,

ACCORDING TO TRADE FIGURES RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY, DOMESTIC EXPORTS GREW BY 6.9 PER CENT OR $1,649 MILLION COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR. IMPORTS INCREASED BY 11.4 PER CENT OR $3,604 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS UP BY 9.2 PER CENT OR $598 MILLION.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO ITS TEN MAJOR TRADING PARTNERS:

JAN.-SEPT. 1976

(HK$ MN)

JAN.-SEPT. 1977 (HK$ MN)

INCREASE/

DECREASE (HK$ MN)

PERCENTAGE INCREASE/ DECREASE

U.S.A.

8,303

10,035

+ 1,732

+ 20.9%

F.R. OF GERMANY

2,900

2,575

325

11.2%

UNITED KINGDOM

2,374

2,100

275

- 11.6%

JAPAN

1,044

1,002

42

4.1%

AUSTRALIA

1,017

949

68

6.7%

CANADA

1,039

870

168

16.2%

SINGAPORE

564

645

81

+ 14.4%

NETHERLANDS

530

538

+

7

1.4%

SWEDEN

512

466

46

8.9%

SWITZERLAND

486

419

67

-

13.8%

DECLINING RATES WERE RECORDED IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO SEVERAL MAJOR MARKETS, SUCH AS FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, U.K. AND CANADA BECAUSE OF THE CONTINUED SLOWDOWN IN THE DEMAND FOR CLOTHING AND TEXTILE PRODUCTS.

IN CONTRAST TO THESE DECREASES, DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES MAINTAINED A BUOYANT GROWTH RATE SO FAR THIS YEAR.

EXPORTS SALES PERFORMANCE OF CLOTHING (+$461 MILLION OR +12.9%), PLASTIC TOYS AND DOLLS (+3297 MILLION OR + 46.0%), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (+ $119 MILLION OR + 50.9%), ALL TRANSISTORIZED RADIOS (+ $133 MILLION OR 22.8%), AND ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS AND PARTS FOR COMPUTERS (+133 MILLION OR + 50.0%) REMAINED FAVOURABLE.

/AN ANALYSIS .....