XN000022-1978-07-23 — Page 2

SUNDAY, JULY 23, 1978

HK'S EXPORTS UP BY 10 PER CENT IN FIRST FIVE MONTHS THIS YEAR

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HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR INCREASED BY 10 PER CENT, IMPORTS ROSE BY 19 PER CENT AND RE-EXPORTS BY 28 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH THOSE FOR THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR.

ACCORDING TO EXTERNAL TRADE FIGURES RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY, DOMESTIC EXPORTS FROM JANUARY TO MAY 1978 WERE VALUED AT $14,130 MILLION, IMPORTS WERE WORTH $23,135 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS $4,858 MILLION.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO 10 MAJOR OVERSEAS MARKETS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

INCREASE/

JAN.-MAY 77 (HK$ MN.)

JAN.-MAY 78 (HK$ MN.)

DECREASE PERCENTAGE (HK$ MN.)

CHANGE

$

U.S.A.

4,838

5,367

529

11%

F.R. OF GERMANY

1,350

1,461

+

111

8%

UNITED KINGDOM

1,130

1,258

128

11%

JAPAN

488

554

66

13%

AUSTRALIA

493

504

11

2%

CANADA

436

467

31

7%

SINGAPORE

322

381

58

18%

THE NETHERLANDS

291

308

17

6%

NIGERIA

149

272

123

82%

SWITZERLAND AND LIECHENSTEIN

231

265

35

15%

-

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE U.S. MAINTAINED A MODEST GROWTH RATE OF 11 PER CENT. DESPITE A SHARP DECLINE IN EXPORTS OF RADIO BROADCAST RECEIVERS ($225 MILLION, 35 PER CENT) TO U.S.A. SHIPMENTS OF ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES ($2,143 MILLION, + 11 PERCENT) AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($251 MILLION, +51 PER CENT) GAINED SIZEABLE INCREASES.

DELIVERIES TO F.R. OF GERMANY AND U.K. SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT UPTREND, LARGELY REFLECTING AN IMPROVED DEMAND SITUATION FOR ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES WHICH INCREASED BY NINE PER CENT AND 19 PER CENT FOR F.R. OF GERMANY (AT $829 MILLION) AND U.K. (AT $667 MILLION) RESPECTIVELY.

/AN ANALYSIS