XN000022-1978-08-14 — Page 4

MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1978

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BY COMMODITY, PROMINENT ADVANCES WERE RECORDED IN EXPORTS OF ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES ($6,761 MILLION, +7 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($1,030 MILLION, +60 PER CENT), ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS AND PARTS FOR COMPUTERS, ($347 MILLION, +15 PER CENT), TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR CONTAINERS ($398 MILLION, +18 PER CENT).

DEMAND FOR RADIO BROADCAST RECEIVERS ($689 MILLION, -29 PER CENT) DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY. EXPORTS OF TEXTILE YARN, VALUED AT $171 MILLION, DECLINED BY 11 PER CENT.

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

INCREASE/

JAN.-JUNE 77

JAN.-JUNE 78

(HK$ MN.)

(HK$ MN.)

DECREASE PERCENTAGE (HK$ MN.)

CHANGE

JAPAN

5,471

6,406

+935

+17%

CHINA

3,685

4,582

+897

+24%

U.S.A.

3,095

3,631

+536

+17%

TAIWAN

1,650

1,837

+187

+11%

SINGAPORE

1,416

1,500

+84

+ 6%

UNITED KINGDOM

1,010

1,272

+262

+26%

F.R. OF GERMANY

671

935

+264

+39%

SWITZERLAND AND

LIECHENSTEIN

608

882

+274

+45%

SOUTH KOREA

834

828

7

-

1%

AUSTRALIA

445

576

+131

+29%

IMPORTS FROM JAPAN ADVANCED BY 17 PER CENT BECAUSE OF INCREASED ARRIVALS OF TEXTILE FABRICS ($887 MILLION, +17 PER CENT), TEXTILE YARN ($267 MILLION, +29 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($533 MILLION, +28 PER CENT) AND ROAD VEHICLES ($402 MILLION, +66 PER CENT).

THE PROMINENT INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM CHINA OCCURRED MOSTLY IN TEXTILE FABRICS ($469 MILLION, +64 PER CENT) PETROLEUM AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS ($320 MILLION, +90 PER CENT) AND CLOTHING ($238 MILLION, +36 PER CENT).

IN ADDITION, INCREASES IN THE IMPORTS OF FOODSTUFFS FROM CHINA WERE RECORDED. THESE INCLUDED A 16 PER CENT INCREASE IN VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ($305 MILLION) AND A 23 PER CENT INCREASE IN MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS ($230 MILLION).

/A SIGNIFICANT