XN000022-1980-03-03 — Page 3

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MONDAY, MARCH 3, 1980

1979

(HK$ MN.)

1978

AIRBORNE IMPORTS FROM SIX MAJOR SUPPLIERS WERE SHOWN BELOW:

INCREASE/

PERCENTAGE

(HK$ MN.)

DECREASE (HK$ MN.)

CHANGE

JAPAN

3 586

2 644

941

+ 36

USA

3 386

2 031

+ 1 355

+ 67

SWITZERLAND

1 881

1 442

439

+ 30

UK

998

558

440

+ 79

ISRAEL

900

961

61

6

SINGAPORE

838

519

319

+ 61

DEMAND FOR AIRBORNE IMPORTS CONTINUED ON AN UPWARD TREND, PARTICULARLY FOR WATCHES AND CLOCKS (INCREASED BY $1 020 MILLION OR 34 PER CENT), THERMIONIC, COLD CATHODE AND PHOTO-CATHODE VALVES AND TUBES, PHOTO-CELLS AND TRANSISTORS (BY $933 MILLION OR 55 PER CENT), PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES (BY $496 MILLION OR 30 PER CENT) AS WELL AS ORGANIC AND INORGANİC COMPOUNDS OF PRECIOUS METALS (BY $184 MILLION OR 172 PER CENT).

HIGHER VALUES WERE RECORDED OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS FLOWN INTO HONG KONG FROM JAPAN (INCREASED BY $372 MILLION OR 30 PER CENT), SWITZERLAND (BY $282 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT), AND USA (BY $39 MILLION OR 51 PER CENT). INCREASES WERE ALSO REGISTERED IN AIRBORNE IMPORTS OF THERMIONIC, COLD CATHODE AND PHOTO-CATHODE VALVES AND TUBES, PHOTO-CELLS AND TRANSISTORS FROM JAPAN (BY $227 MILLION OR 60 PER CENT), USA (BY $225 MILLION OR 47 PER CENT) AND SINGAPORE (BY $122 MILLION OR 62 PER CENT). ALMOST HALF OF THE PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES FLOWN INTO HONG KONG WERE FROM ISRAEL.

AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS SHOWED REMARKABLE PERFORMANCE IN THE YEAR WITH SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES REGISTERED IN PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES (BY $419 OR 45 PER CENT), THERMIONIC, COLD CATHODE AND PHOTO-CATHODE VALVES AND TUBES, PHOTO-CELLS AND TRANSISTORS (BY $376 MILLION OR 78 PER CENT), INTERNAL COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES AND PARTS (BY $71 MILLION OR 75 PER CENT), AND CLOTHING (BY $46 MILLION OR 60 PER CENT).

JAPAN REMAINED THE LARGEST MARKET FOR OUR AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS WHICH, HOWEVER, SHOWED A DECLINE (BY $88 MILLION OR 7 PER CENT) OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. ON THE OTHER HAND, SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS TO USA (BY $375 MILLION OR 83 PER CENT), SWITZERLAND (BY $157 MILLION OR 158 PER CENT) THAILAND (BY $98 MILLION OR 86 PER CENT), AND WEST GERMANY {BY $89 MILLION OR 95 PER CENT).

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