XN000022-1978-01-15 — Page 7

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 1978

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

MANUFACTURED GOODS

JAN.-NOV.

1976 (HK$MN)

JAN.-NOV.

1977 (HK$MN)

INCREASE/ DECREASE

(HK$MN)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

CLASSIFIED CHIEFLY

BY MATERIAL

12,158

13,036

878

7.2%

(MAINLY TEXTILE

YARN, FABRICS,

AND DIAMONDS)

MACHINERY AND

6,953

8,377

+1,424

+ 20.5%

TRANSPORT

EQUIPMENT

FOOD AND LIVE

6,009

6,525

+

516

8.6%

ANIMALS

MISCELLANEOUS

MANUFACTURED

4,538

5,893

+1,354

+ 29.8%

ARTICLES (MAINLY

WATCHES AND CLOCKS)

CHEMICALS

3,121

3,267

147

4.7%

CRUDE MATERIALS

INEDIBLE EXCEPT

3,062

2,952

110

3.6%

FUELS (MAINLY

TEXTILE FIBRES)

STRENGTHENED DOMESTIC DEMAND FOR CAPITAL GOODS AND CONSUMER GOODS WAS EVIDENT FROM AN INCREASE OF $661 MILLION OR +98.8% IN TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT AND ANOTHER OF $587 MILLION OR +15.0% IN ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES.

IN ADDITION, IMPORTS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS WENT UP BY $521 MILLION OR +36.2%, PETROLEUM AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS BY $329 MILLION OR +13.9%.

RE-EXPORTS TO JAPAN DECLINED FURTHER BY 12.2% OR $168 MILLION. THIS WAS OFFSET BY INCREASES OF RE-EXPORTS TO INDONESIA (+$298 MILLION OR +46.0%) AND SINGAPORE (+$111 MILLION OR +13.3%).

/COLMODITIES