XN000022-1978-02-05 — Page 2

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1978

HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE FOR 1977

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THE VALUE OF HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS LAST YEAR INCREASED BY 7.3 PER CENT IMPORTS ROSE BY 12.5 PER CENT AND RE-EXPORTS BY 10.1 PER CENT RMPARED WITH THAT OF 1976.

DETAILED TRADE FIGURES RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY SHOWED THAT DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE VALUED AT $35,004 MILLION LAST YEAR, IMPORTS AMOUNTED TO $48,701 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS, $9,829 MILLION.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO 10 MAJOR PARTNERS:

1976

1977

INCREASE/

(HK$ MN) (HK$ MN)

DECREASE

(HK$ MN)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

U.S.A.

11,236

13,552

+ 2,316

+ 20.6%

F.R. OF GERMANY

3,995

3,669

326

8.2%

UNITED KINGDOM

3,286

3,035

251

7.6%

JAPAN

1,400

1,386

14

1.0%

AUSTRALIA

1,368

1,247

121

8.8%

CANADA

1,396

1,171

225

16.1%

.SINGAPORE

782

904

121

+ 15.5%

NETHERLANDS

SWEDEN

SWITZERLAND AND

LIECHTENSTEIN

756

763

8

+ 1.0%

713

600

113

- 15.9%

663

572

91

-

13.7%

THE PERFORMANCE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR. DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO U.S.A. ACCELERATED AT AN IMPRESSIVE GROWTH RATE OF 20.6 PER CENT LAST YEAR, WITH EXPORTS OF CLOTHING INCREASING BY 18.8 PER CENT TO $5,426 MILLION. PLASTIC TOYS AND DOLLS ROSE BY 27.4 PER CENT TO $1,215 MILLION, TRANSISTORISED RADIOS BY 14.1 PER CENT TO $920 MILLION, ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS AND PARTS FOR COMPUTERS BY 48.2 PER CENT TO $553 MILLION AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS BY 50.4 PER CENT TO $539 MILLION. SINGAPORE AND THE NETHERLANDS ALSO INCREASED THEIR PURCHASES FROM HONG KONG IN 1977.

EXPORTS TO OTHER MAJOR MARKETS IN 1977 FELL BELOW THE LEVEL ACHIEVED IN 1976. HOWEVER, THERE WERE INDICATIONS THAT DEMANDS IN THESE MARKETS PICKED UP TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR.

/AN ANALYSIS