XN000022-1980-01-14 — Page 4

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1980

3

THE CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM TEN MAJOR SOURCES ARE SUMMARISED AS FOLLOWS:-

JAN.-NOV. 79

(HK$ MN.)

JAN.-NOV. 78

(HK$ MN.)

INCREASE (HK$ MN.)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

JAPAN

17 386

12 789

+4 597

+36

CHINA

13 429

9 431

+3 998

+42

USA

9 465

6 819

+2 646

+39

TAIWAN

5 371

3 759

+1 612

+43

SINGAPORE

4 358

2 898

+1 460

+50

UK

4 033

2 674

+1 359

+51

WEST GERMANY

2 554

1 857

697

+38

SWITZERLAND

2 332

1 851

481

+26

REP. OF KOREA

2 285

1 587

698

+44

AUSTRALIA

1 448

1 121

327

+29

IMPORTS FROM JAPAN ROSE CONSIDERABLY, MAINLY OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $631 MILLION OR 57 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $554 MILLION OR 58 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $504 MILLION OR 24 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $401 MILLION OR 35 PER CENT), AND IRON AND STEEL (BY $309 MILLION OR 38 PER CENT).

IMPORTS FROM CHINA ALSO SHOWED SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH, CHIEFLY IN TEXTILES (BY $848 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT), PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $609 MILLION OR 89 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $375 MILLION OR 67 PER CENT), FISH, CRUSTACEANS AND MOLLUSCS (BY $159 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT) AS WELL AS VEGETABLES AND FRUITS (BY $144 MILLION OR 21 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM USA WERE REGISTERED MAINLY IN ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSE ESTERS AND ETHERS (BY $359 MILLION OR 161 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $328 MILLION OR 60 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $270 MILLION OR 47 PER CENT), AND MISCELLANEOUS TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (BY $212 MILLION OR 151 PER CENT).

THERE WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN IMPORTS OF TEXTILES (BY $621 MILLION OR 41 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN AND PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS FROM SINGAPORE (BY $836 MILLION OR 51 PER CENT).

/THE FOLLOWING