XN000022-1978-07-23 — Page 4

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SUNDAY, JULY 23, 1978

A SIZEABLE INCREASE IN EXPORTS OF HOUSEHOLD TYPE, ELECTRICAL AND NON-ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT ($264 MILLION, + 38 PER CENT) WAS REGI ERED, A MAJOR FACTOR ACCOUNTING FOR THE INCREASE IN EXPORTS OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES.

THE CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM 10 MAJOR SOURCES ARE SUMMARISED AS FOLLOWS:

i

INCREASE/

JAN.-MAY 77 (HK$ MN.)

JAN.-MAY 78 (HK$ MN.)

DECREASE (HK$ MN.)

PERCENTAGE

CHANGE

JAPAN

CHINA

4,510

5,248

738

16%

+

3,033

3,742

+ 709

23%

U.S.A.

2,604

2,964

360

+

1.49%

TA IWAN

1,380

1,500

120

9%

SINGAPORE

1,165

1,212

47

496

UNITED KINGDOM

835

1,004

169

20%

SOUTH KOREA

680

692

12

2%

F.R. OF GERMANY

567

758

192

34%

SWITZERLAND AND

505

710

205

41%

LIECHENSTE IN

AUSTRALIA

361

443

82

23%

IMPORTS FROM JAPAN ROSE BY 16 PER CENT, CONTRIBUTED MAINLY BY INCREASED ARRIVALS OF ROAD VEHICLES ($335 MILLION, + 66 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($415 MILLION, + 25 PER CENT) TEXTILE FABRICS ($717 MILLION, +14 PER CENT) AND TEXTILE YARN $234 MILLION, +34 PER CENT).

IMPORTS FROM CHINA GAINED AN IMPRESSIVE 23 PER CENT, REFLECTING MORE DELIVERIES OF TEXTILE FABRICS ($378 MILLION,

+ 63 PER CENT) AND PETROLEUM AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS ($262 MILLION, + 85 PER CENT),

GREATER DELIVERIES OF PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($259 MILLION, + 55 PER CENT) CONTRIBUTED TO ONE QUARTER OF THE INCREASE IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S.

IMPORTS FROM THE OTHER SOURCES ATTAINED FAVOURABLE GROWTH RATES, WHICH WERE PARTICULARLY REMARKABLE IN THE CASE OF F.R. OF GERMANY AND SWITZERLAND.

THE FOLLOWING