XN000022-1979-05-20 — Page 5

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SUNDAY, MAY 20, 1979

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THE CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM 10 MAJOR SOURCES ARE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS

JAN-MAR 79 (HK$ MN)

JAN-MAR 78 (HK$ MN)

INCREASE (HK$ MN)

PERCENTAGE

CHANGE

JAPAN

4,048

2,905

+1,143

+ 39

CHINA

2,875

2,136

739

+ 35

U.S.A.

2,062

1,617

445

+ 28

TAIWAN

1,240

822

418

+ 51

SINGAPORE

896

716

+

180

+ 25

U.K.

788

573

215

+ 38

F.R. OF GERMANY

595

445

+

150

+34

SWITZERLAND

554

388

166

+ 43

REP. OF KOREA

542

416

126

+ 30

(S. KOREA)

FRANCE

322

225

97

+ 43

IMPORTS FROM JAPAN ROSE BY 39 PER CENT, DUE MAINLY TO INCREASED ARRIVALS OF TEXTILES ($617 MILLION,+ 20 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES ($423 MILLION, 98 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT ($356 MILLION, + 71 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($351 MILLION, + 48 PER CENT), ROAD VEHICLES ($265 MILLION, 28 PER CENT), AND IRON AND STEEL ($232 MILLION, + 24 PER CENT).

IMPORTS FROM CHINA ALSO ROSE BY ABOUT 35 PER CENT, ATTRIBUTED CHIEFLY TO LARGER DEMAND FOR RAW MATERIALS AND FOODSTUFFS INCLUDING TEXTILES ($626 MILLION, + 82 PER CENT), PETROLEUM AND RELATED MATERIALS ($242 MILLION, + 52 PER CENT), VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ($176 MILLION, 10 PER CENT), MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS ($134 MILLION, SEVEN PER CENT) AS WELL AS LIME, CEMENT AND FABRICATED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ($50 MILLION,+71 PER CENT).

IMPORTS OF CHINESE CLOTHING ALSO WENT UP BY NEARLY 25 PER CENT TO $134 MILLION.

IMPORTS FROM THE U.S.A. RECORDED A GROWTH OF 28 PER CENT, DUE MAINLY TO INCREASED ARRIVALS OF PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($227 MILLION, + 78 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT ($189 MILLION, 29 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES ($173 MILLION, 24 PER CENT), VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ($129 MILLION, + 17 PER CENT) AND TEXTILES ($65 MILLION, 59 PER CENT).

✦

ABOUT 50 PER CENT OF THE RISE IN SHIPMENTS FROM TAIWAN WAS ACCOUNTED FOR BY THE INCREASE IN TEXTILE PRODUCTS ($530 MILLION, + 55 PER CENT) WHILE THE GROWTH IN IMPORTS FROM SINGAPORE WAS DUE LARGELY TO THE UPWARD DEMAND FOR PETROLEUM AND RELATED MATERIALS ($474 MILLION, SEVEN PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES ($92 MILLION, + 61 PER CENT) AS WELL AS WATCHES AND CLOCKS (339 MILLION, 12 PER CENT).

/THE FOLLOWING