XN000022-1980-05-17 — Page 2

1

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 1980

38 PER CENT INCREASE IN TRADE IN FIRST QUARTER

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY TO MARCH 1980, VALUED AT $43 956 MILLION, SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 38 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1979, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY 36 PER CENT TO $13 708 MILLION, IMPORTS BY 38 PER CENT TO $24 212 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY 44 PER CENT TO $6 036 MILLION.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 38 PER CENT.

THE CHANGES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO TEN MAJOR OVERSEAS MARKETS ARE AS FOLLOWS #

JAN

-

MAR 80

JAN

—

MAR 79

INCREASE/ PERCENTAGE DECREASE

(HK$ M)

(HK$ M)

(HK$ M)

CHANGE

U.S.A.

4 352

3 262,

+ 1 090

33

F.R. OF GERMANY

1 616

1 215

401

33

U.K.

1 373

1 144

229

20

JAPAN

498

516

18

3

AUSTRALIA

452

379

73

19

SINGAPORE

369

275

94

34

NETHERLANDS

349

263

86

33

CANADA

347

303

44

15

CHINA

305

51

254

+ 498

FRANCE

268

161

107

66

INCREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE U.S. WERE REGISTERED MAINLY IN CLOTHING (BY $252 MILLION OR 21 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $126 MILLION OR 72 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $125 MILLION OR 69 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $122 MILLION OR 46 PER CENT) AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $88 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT).

/INCREASES IN