XN000022-1979-08-08 — Page 4

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 1979

3

THE CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM 10 MAJOR SOURCES ARE SUMMARISED

AS FOLLOWS

JAN-JUNE 79

(HK$ MN)

JAN-JUNE 78

(HK$ MN)

INCREASE (HK$ MN) CHANGE

PERCENTAGE

JAPAN

8,908

6,406

+ 2,502

+ 39

CHINA

6,408

4,582

+ 1,826

+ 40

U.S.A.

4,597

3,631

966

+ 27

TAIWAN

2,733

1,837

896

+ 49

SINGAPORE

2,023

1,500

523

+ 35

U.K.

1,910

1,272

638

+ 50

F.R. OF GERMANY

1,289

935

354

+ 38

SWITZERLAND

1,189

882

307

+ 35

REP. OF KOREA

1,153

828

325

+ 39

AUSTRALIA

727

576

151

+ 26

IMPORTS FROM JAPAN ROSE CONSIDERABLY, DUE MAINLY TO AN ACTIVE DEMAND FOR TEXTILES ($1,393 MILLION, + 20 ̊PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES ($880 MILLION, + 71 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($800 MILLION, 50 PER CENT) TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND EQUIPMENT ($760 MILLION, 68 PER CENT), AND ROAD VEHICLES ($520 MILLION, + 29 PER CENT).

INCREASED IMPORTS FROM CHINA COMPRISED MAINLY TEXTILES ($1,346 MILLION, + 61 PER CENT), PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS ($604 MILLION, 89 PER CENT), CLOTHING ($363 MILLION, 52 PER CENT), VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ($352 MILLION, 16 PER CENT) AS WELL AS CRUDE ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE MATERIALS ($262 MILLION, ← 19 PER CENT).

DEMAND FOR U.S. PRODUCTS WAS ACTIVE IN PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($447 MILLION, +37 PER CENT), OFF ICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT ($399 MILLION, + 38 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES ($390 MILLION,

• 34 PER CENT), VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ($279 MILLION, + 21 PER CENT), ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSE ESTERS AND ETHERS ($238 MILLION, ✦ 170 PER CENT).

THERE WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN IMPORTS OF TEXTILES ($1,113 MILLION, + 48 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN AND PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS ($1,078 MILLION, + 21 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE.

THE FOLLOWING