XN000022-1980-08-30 — Page 3

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1980

JAN-JUNE 80

(HK$ M.)

JAN-JUNE 79

(HK$ M.)

AIRBORNE IMPORTS FROM THE SIX MAJOR SUPPLIERS ARE SHOWN BELOW:

INCREASE/DECREASE (HK$ M.)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

JAPAN

2 025

1 638

+ 387

+24

US A

2 012

1 358

+ 654

+ 48

SWITZERLAND

1 007

847

+ 160

+ 19

TAIWAN

441

312

+ 129

+41

UK

438

416

22

5

ISRAEL

424

451

27

6

INCREASES WERE REGISTERED IN AIRBORNE IMPORTS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $594 MILLION OR 33%), THERMIONIC, COLD CATHODE AND PHOTO-CATHODE VALVES AND TUBES, PHOTOCELLS AND TRANSISTORS (BY $319 MILLION OR 28%), AND AIRCRAFT AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT AND PARTS (BY $255 MILLION OR 327%). IN CONTRAST, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE SUPPLY OF PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES (BY $229 MILLION OR 21%) AS WELL AS TANNED OR DRESSED FUR SKINS (BY $62 MILLION OR 33%).

HIGHER VALUES WERE NOTED FOR AIRBORNE IMPORTS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS FROM SWITZERLAND (INCREASED BY $166 MILLION OR 27%), JAPAN (BY $139 MILLION OR 27%), REPUBLIC OF KOREA (BY $76 MILLION OR 157%), AND TAIWAN (BY $42 MILLION OR 58%). GROWTH WAS ALSO REGISTERED IN AIRBORNE IMPORTS OF THERMIONIC, COLD CATHODE AND PHOTO-CATHODE VALVES AND TUBES, PHOTOCELLS AND TRANSISTORS FROM USA (BY $80 MILLION OR 27%), REPUBLIC OF KOREA (BY $47 MILLION OR 25%), AND SINGAPORE (BY $31 MILLION OR 22%). ALTHOUGH AIRBORNE IMPORTS OF PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES FROM ISRAEL DECLINED (BY $27 MILLION OR 6%), THEY STILL CONSTITUTED ABOUT HALF OF SUCH AIRBORNE IMPORTS INTO HONG KONG.

AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS CONTINUED TO GROW IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR. MAJOR RE-EXPORT ITEMS WITH SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES WERE WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $370 MILLION OR 77%), SILVER, PLATINUM AND OTHER METALS OF THE PLATINUM GROUP (BY $181 MILLION OR 469%), AND THERMIONIC, COLD CATHODE AND PHOTO-CATHODE VALVES AND TUBES, PHOTOCELLS AND TRANSISTORS (BY $100 MILLION OR 25%). FOLLOWING THE SAME TREND IN AIRBORNE IMPORTS, AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS OF PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES DECLINED SUBSTANTIALLY (BY $174 MILLION OR 23%).

JAPAN REMAINED THE LARGEST MARKET FOR HONG KONG'S AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS IN SPITE OF A DECLINE (BY $105 MILLION OR 15%) OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1979. IT WAS FOLLOWED BY TAIWAN (INCREASED BY $72 MILLION OR 18%), SINGAPORE (INCREASED BY $172 MILLION OR 62%), USA (INCREASED BY $18 MILLION OR 5%), THE UK (INCREASED BY $248 MILLION OR 567%) AND SWITZERLAND (INCREASED BY $122 MILLION OR 166%).

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