XN000022-1978-09-26 — Page 2

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1978

MONTHLY DOMESTIC EXPORTS REACH RECORD VALUE ******

THE VALUE OF HONG KONG'S MONTHLY DOMESTIC EXPORTS EXCEEDED THE 34,000 MILLION MARK FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST MONTH (AUGUST) TO REACH 24,016 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST PROVISIONAL EXTERNAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE IMPORTS FOR THE MONTH WERE WORTH $5,239 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS $1,196 MILLION.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SAID THE CONSIDERABLE INCREASE IN AUGUST'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE USUAL SEASONAL RISE AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.

THE FIGURES FOR THE PERIOD JUNE TO AUGUST 1978 (LATEST THREE MONTHS) SHOWED INCREASES BY VALUE COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1977 OF 12.8 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 28.4 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 31.9 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

COMPARED WITH FIGURES FOR AUGUST 1977, INCREASES BY VALUE OF $700 MILLION OR 21.1 PER CENT IN EXPORTS, $1,480 MILLION OR 39.4 PER CENT IN IMPORTS AND $355 MILLION OR 42.3 PER CENT IN RE-EXPORTS WERE RECORDED.

THE SHORT TERM CHANGES, AUGUST 1978 COMPARED WITH JULY 1978, SHOWED INCREASES OF $492 MILLION OR 14 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, $191 MILLION OR 3.8 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND $217 MILLION OR 22.2 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

THE FIGURES FOR THE 12-MONTH PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER 1977 TO AUGUST 1978 COMPARED WITH THOSE FOR THE PREVIOUS 12-MONTH PERIOD SHOWED INCREASES BY VALUE OF 9.2 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 19 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 22.8 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE LATEST COMPARATIVE EXTERNAL TRADE FIGURES :

LATEST 3 MONTHS

JUNE-AUGUST

1978

JUNE-AUGUST

1977

INCREASE OR

DECREASE

$ MN.

$ MN.

$ MN.

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

10,875

9,642

+1,233

+12.8

IMPORTS

15,392

11,989

+3,402

+28.4

RE-EXPORTS

3,247

2,461

+ 786

+31.9

/SAME MONING . . . . .