XN000022-1979-04-21 — Page 5

SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1979

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A MAJOR PROPORTION OF THE INCREASE IN SHIPMENTS FROM TAIWAN CONSTITUTED OF TEXTILES ($341 MILLION, +60 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES ($66 MILLION, +47 PER CENT).

THE FOLLOWING TABLE ILLUSTRATES THE MORE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTIONS:-

MANUFACTURED GOODS

JAN.-FEB. 79 (HK$ MN)

JAN.-FEB. 78 (HK$ MN)

INCREASE (HK$ MN)

PERCENTAGE

CHANGE

CLASS IF IED CHIEFLY

BY MATERIAL

3,639

2,477

+1,162

+47

(MAINLY TEXTILE

PRODUCTS AND

DIAMONDS)

MACHINERY AND

2,365

1,547

818

+53

TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT

MISCELLANEOUS

MANUFACTURED ARTICLES

(MAINLY WATCHES AND 1,451

1,034

417

+40

CLOCKS AND ARTICLES

OF APPAREL)

FOOD AND LIVE ANIMALS

CHIEFLY FOR FOOD

1,326

1,187

139

+12

CHEMICALS AND

831

571

260

+46

RELATED PRODUCTS

SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES WERE FOUND IN IMPORTS OF RAW MATERIALS SUCH AS TEXTILES ($1,694 MILLION, +51 PER CENT), IRON AND STEEL ($364 MILLION, +54 PER CENT) AND ALSO IN IMPORTS OF CAPITAL GOODS LIKE ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES ($720 MILLION, +59 PER CENT) AND GENERAL ́ INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT ($259 MILLION, +43 PER CENT). IMPORTS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS CONTINUED TO RISE, REACHING $520 MILLION FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THE YEAR.

RE-EXPORT SHOT UP BY 59 PER CENT OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1978, ATTRIBUTED MAINLY TO AN ACTIVE DEMAND FROM JAPAN, ($447 MILLION, +64 PER CENT), TAIWAN ($238 MILLION, +67 PER CENT), U.S.A. ($236 MILLION, +62 PER CENT) AND SINGAPORE ($232 MILLION, +13 PER CENT). PROMINENT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN RE-EXPORTS OF TEXTILES ($406 MILLION, +150 PER CENT), AND CLOTHING (599 MILLION, +103 PER CENT). OTHER PRODUCTS LIKE PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($326 MILLION +41 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($146 MILLION, +23 PER CENT), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES ($135 MILLION, +77 PER CENT) ALSO REGISTERED SIGNIFICANT GRONTA.

THE "RADE