XN000022-1979-10-15 — Page 2

MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1979

HK'S EXTERNAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY AUGUST 1979 ******

HONG KONG'S TOTAL TRADE VALUE FOR THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR WAS $100 358 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF 40 PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO TRADE FIGURES RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (MONDAY).

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY 37 PER CENT TO $34 372 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY 55 PER CENT TO $12 603 MILLION REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 42 PER CENT IN TOTAL EXPORTS.

IMPORTS RECORDED A 38 PER CENT INCREASE, REACHING $53 383

MILLION.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO 10 MAJOR MARKETS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

JAN - AUG 79 (HK$ MN)

-

JAN AUG 78 (HK$ MN)

INCREASE (HK$ MN)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

USA

11 635

9 675

+ 1 960

+ 20

FR OF GERMANY

3 889

2 625

+ 1 264

+ 48

UK

3 715

2 267

+ 1 448

+ 64

JAPAN

1 706

1 005

701

+ 70

AUSTRALIA

1 095

902

193

+ 21

CANADA

1 019

798

221

+ 28

SINGAPORE

893

642

251

+ 39

NETHERLANDS

855

557

298

+ 54

SWEDEN

615

345

270

+ 78

FRANCE

566

317

249

+ 79

INCREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE US COMPRISED MAINLY CLOTHING ($4 534 MILLION, 13 PER CENT), PLASTIC TOYS AND DOLLS ($1 076 MILLION, +37 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES ($914 MILLION, 50 PER CENT),

50 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT ($608 MILLION, + 26 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($606 MILLION,+ 35 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, EXPORTS OF RADIO BROADCAST RECEIVERS ($362 MILLION, - 9 PER CENT) AND PLASTIC ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS ($153 MILLION, 17 PER CENT) CONTINUED TO DECLINE.

/DOMESTIC EXPORTS