XN000022-1980-08-20 — Page 5

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1980

HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE IN FIRST HALF YEAR

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY TO JUNE 1980, VALUED AT 396 332 MILLION, SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 35 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1979. DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY 33 PER CENT TO $31 122 MILLION, IMPORTS BY 35 PER CENT TO 51 973 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY 44 PER CENT TO $13 237 MILLION. DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 36 PER CENT.

THESE AND OTHER DETAILED STATISTICAL TRADE FIGURES WERE RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY.

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

JAN

-

JUNE 80 JAN

-

JUNE 79 INCREASE/ PERCENTAGE

(HK$ M.)

(HK$ M.)

DECREASE (HK$ M.)

CHANGE

U.S.A.

10 414

7 838

+ 2 576

33

F.R. OF GERMANY

3 391

2 640

751

28

U.K.

3 128

2 618

510

19

JAPAN

1 936

1 188

152

13

AUSTRALIA

895

753

142

19

SINGAPORE

828

622

+

206

33

NETHERLANDS

737

579

158

27

CANADA

762

707

55

8

CHINA

680

164

516

+ 315

SWITZERLAND

633

391

242

62

GROWTH IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE U.S. MARKET REMAINED BUOYANT, WITH SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES IN CLOTHING (BY $718 MILLION OR 23 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES

(BY $340 MILLION OR 56 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $286 MILLION OR 71 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $251 MILLION OR 60 PER CENT), AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $193 MILLION OR 46 PER CENT).

/SIGNIFICANT