XN000022-1980-02-11 — Page 9

8

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1980

THE FOLLOWING TABLE ILLUSTRATES THE MORE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTION 1-

JAN-DEC 79 (HK$ MN)

JAN-DEC 78 (HK$ MN)

INCREASE (HK$ MN)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

MANUFACTURED GOODS

CLASS IF IED CHIEFLY

BY MATERIAL (MAINLY

TEXTILE PRODUCTS

AND DIAMONDS)

26 931

20 498

+ 6 433

+31

MACHINERY AND

TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT

18 609

12 467

+ 6 142

+ 49

MISCELLANEOUS

MANUFACTURED ARTICLES

(MAINLY WATCHES AND

CLOCKS, ARTICLES OF APPAREL)

12 525

8 884

+ 3 641

+ 41

FOOD AND LIVE ANIMALS

CHIEFLY FOR FOOD

9 646

8 207

+ 1 439

+18

CHEMICALS AND

RELATED PRODUCTS

6

6 819

4 606

+ 2 213

+48

MINERAL FUELS,

LUBRICANTS AND

RELATED MATERIALS

4 906

3 122

+ 1 784

+ 57

BY COMMODITY, INCREASES IN IMPORTS WERE DUE MAINLY TO THE GROWTH IN DEMAND FOR TEXTILES (BY $3 182 MILLION OR 37 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $1 925 MILLION OR 49 PER CENT), PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $1 731 MILLION OR 57 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS (BY $1 200 MILLION OR 58 PER CENT), AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $1 130 MILLION OR 36 PER CENT).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN RE-EXPORTS TO CHINA (BY $1 101 MILLION OR 514 PER CENT), TO USA (BY $763 MILLION OR 62 PER CENT), TO TAIWAN (BY $509 MILLION OR 42 PER CENT), TO SINGAPORE (BY $414 MILLION OR 30 PER CENT), AND TO INDONESIA (BY $382 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT).

THE DEMAND FOR RE-EXPORTS CONTINUED TO RISE, PARTICULARLY FOR TEXTILES (BY $958 MILLION OR 53 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $531 MILLION OR 80 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $471 MILLION OR 102 PER CENT), PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI- PRECIOUS STONES (BY $445 MILLION OR 26 PER CENT), AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $366 MILLION OR 42 PER CENT).

/THE TRADE