XN000022-1978-08-27 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 1978

PROMINENT INCREASES IN AIRBORNE EXPORTS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS WERE ALSO OBSERVED FOR F.R. OF GERMANY (672 MILLION + 188 PER CENT), JAPAN (*46 MILLION, + 81 PER CENT) AND U.K. (370 MILLION, + 80 PER CENT).

IMPORTS BY AIR FROM THE FOLLOWING MAJOR SUPPLIERS ALSO RECORDED INCREASES:

JAN.-JUNE 1978

JAN.-JUNE 1977 CHANGES

(HK$ MN)

(HK3 MN)

JAPAN

1,075

768

+ 40%

U.S.A.

912

872

5%

SWITZERLAND AND LIECHTENSTEIN 554

393

+ 415%

ISRAEL

346

60

+472%

UNITED KINGDOM

232

175

+ 333

SINGAPORE

219

168

+ 31%

·

THE UPTRENDS IN AIRBORNE IMPORTS WERE MAINLY INCREASED ARRIVALS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS (^1,236 MILLION, + 36 PER CENT), DIAMONDS (#507 MILLION,+ 197 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (437 MILLION, + 35 PER CENT) AND ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES (146 MILLION,+ 61 PER CENT).

BY COUNTRY, NEARLY THREE-QUARTERS OF THE INCREASED AIRBORNE IMPORTS FROM SWITZERLAND REFLECTED HIGHER DELIVERIES OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS (455 MILLION, + 36 PER CENT).

THE EXTRAORDINARY GROWTH RATE REGISTERED IN AIRBORNE IMPORTS FROM ISRAEL WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY IN DELIVERIES OF DIAMONDS ($343 MILLION, + 493 PER CENT).

INCREASED AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS WERE MAINLY CAUSED BY DIAMONDS ($238 MILLION, + 125 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (389 MILLION, + 29 PER CENT) AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (369 MILLION, + 79 PER CENT).

THERE WERE SUBSTANTIAL GAINS IN AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS TO JAPAN (4550 MILLION, + 56 PER CENT), TAIJAN (1260 MILLION,+ 59 PER CENT) WHICH TOGETHER CONTRIBUTED A HALF OF THE INCREASE IN AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1978.

IN ADDITION, PROMINENT INCREASES IN RE-EXPORTS TO SINGAPORE (3258 MILLION, + 45 PER CENT) AND THE U.S. (192 MILLION, + 36 PER CENT) WERE OBSERVED.

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