XN000022-1980-08-20 — Page 7

6

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1980

CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM TEN MAJOR SOURCES ARE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS :

JAN

-

JUNE 80 JAN JUNE 79 INCREASE (HK$ M.)

PERCENTAGE

(HK$ M.)

(HK$ M.)

CHANGE

JAPAN

11 654

8 908

+ 2 746

31

CHINA

9 629

6 408

+ 3 221

50

U.S.A.

6 479

4 597

+ 1 882

41

TAIWAN

3 652

2 733

919

34

SINGAPORE

3 376

2 023

+ 1 353

67

U.K.

2 536

1 910

626

33

R. OF KOREA

1 751

1 153

598

52

F.R. OF GERMANY

1 443

1 289

+

154

12

SWITZERLAND

1 341

1 189

152

13

THAILAND

801

624

177

28

IN CONTRAST WITH DECLINING DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN, LOCAL DEMAND FOR JAPANESE GOODS REMAINED STRONG, INCREASES WERE NOTED PARTICULARLY FOR ROAD VEHICLES (BY $485 MILLION OR 93 PER CENT), TEXTILES BY $328 MILLION OR 24 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $273 MILLION OR 31 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $277 MILLION OR 36 PER CENT), AND IRON AND STEEL (BY $271 MILLION OR 52 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM CHINA WERE MAINLY PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $550 MILLION OR 91 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $453 MILLION OR 34 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $430 MILLION OR 118 PER CENT), LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $148 MILLION CR 27 PER CENT), AND MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS (BY $115 MILLION OR 46 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. WERE LARGELY OF ARTIFICIAL RESINS ANI PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSE ESTERS AND ETHERS (EY $391 MILLION OR 164 PER CENT), TEXTILE FIBRES AND THEIR WASTES (BY $278 MILLION OR 70 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $204 MILLION OR 51 PER CENT), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $130 MILLION OR 33 PER CENT).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $1 092 MILLION OR 101 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $183 MILLION OR 68 PER CENT), AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $108 MILLION OR 58 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN.

/THE FOLLOING