XN000022-1980-09-20 — Page 4

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1980

3

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

JAN.

(HK$ MN.)

JULY 80 JAN. JULY 79

(HK$ MN.)

INCREASE (HK$ MN.)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

JAPAN

13 773

10 536

+ 3 237

+ 31

CHINA

11 313

7 665

+ 3 648

48

U.S.A.

7 766

5 682

+ 2 084

+ 37

TAIWAN

4 238

3 198

+ 1 040

+ 33

SINGAPORE

3 922

2 509

+ 1 413

+ 56

U.K.

2 940

2 332

608

+ 26

REP. OF KOREA

2 063

1 369

694

+ 51

F.R. OF GERMANY

1 690

1 514

176

+ 12

SWITZERLAND

1 613

1 448

165

+ 11

THAILAND

918

719

199

+ 28

IN CONTRAST WITH DECLINING DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN, LOCAL DEMAND FOR JAPANESE GOODS REMAINED STRONG. INCREASES WERE NOTED PARTICULARLY FOR ROAD VEHICLES (BY $567 MILLION OR 90 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $393 MILLION OR 24 PER CENT), IRON AND STEEL (BY $337 MILLION OR 54 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $312 MILLION OR 30 PER CENT), AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $300 MILLION OR 33 PER CENT).

AS FOR IMPORTS FROM CHINA, INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $602 MILLION OR 84 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $515 MILLION OR 32 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $512 MILLION OR 112 PER CENT), LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $158 MILLION OR 24 PER CENT), AND MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS (BY $129 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. WERE LARGELY OF ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSE ESTERS AND ETHERS (BY $364 MILLION OR 121 PER CENT), TEXTILE FIBRES AND THE IR WASTES (BY $292 MILLION OR 63 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $252 MILLION OR 53 PER CENT), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $151 MILLION OR 32 PER CENT).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $1 151 MILLION OR 84 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $203 MILLION OR 61 PER CENT), AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING

APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $118 MILLION OR 53 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN.

/THE FOLLOWING