XN000022-1980-10-16 — Page 6

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1980

CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM THE TEN MAJOR SOURCES ARE SUMMARISED

AS FOLLOWS:

JAN-AUG 80 (HK$ M.)

JAN-AUG 79 (HK$ M.)

INCREASE (HK M.)

PERCENTAGE

CHANGE

JAPAN

15 984

12 166

+3 818

+31

CHINA

13 236

8 983

+4 253

+47

U.S.A.

8 899

6 627

+2 272

+34

TAIWAN

4 924

3 693

+1 231

+33

SINGAPORE

4 631

2 967

+1 664

+56

U.K.

3 430

2 802

628

+22

R. OF KOREA

2 328

1 574

754

+48

F.R. OF GERMANY

1 946

1 769

177

+10

SWITZERLAND

1 803

1 616

187

+12

AUSTRALIA

1 084

1 009

75

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IN CONTRAST WITH DECLINING DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN, LOCAL DEMAND FOR JAPANESE GOODS REMAINED STRONG. INCREASES WERE NOTED PARTICULARLY FOR ROAD VEHICLES (BY $650 MILLION OR 90 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $488 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT), IRON AND STEEL (BY $371 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $382 MILLION OR 36 PER CENT), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $353 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT).

AS FOR IMPORTS FROM CHINA, INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS" (BY $679 MILLION OR 76 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $635 MILLION OR 114 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $597 MILLION OR 33 PER CENT), LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $196 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT), AND MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS (BY $149 MILLION OR 44 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. WERE LARGELY OF ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSE ESTERS AND ETHERS (BY $344 MILLION OR 96 PER CENT), TEXTILE FIBRES AND THEIR WASTES (BY $299 MILLION OR 56 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $297 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $162 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $1 335 MILLIC OR 80 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $232 MILLION OR 58 PER CENT), AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $134 MILLION OR 51 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN,

THE FOLLOWING