XN000022-1980-12-20 — Page 4

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1980

3

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

JAN-OCT 80

(HK$ MN.)

JAN-OCT 79 (HK$ MN.)

INCREASE (HK$ MN.)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

JAPAN

20 477

15 683

+4 794

+ 31

CHINA

17 342

11 897

+5 445

+ 46

U.S.A.

10 866

8 469

+2 397

+ 28

TAIWAN

6 255

4 781

+1 474

+ 31

SINGAPORE

5 692

3 925

+1 767

+ 45

U.K.

4 362

3 579

783

+ 22

REP. OF KOREA

3 010

2 029

981

+ 48

F.R. OF GERMANY

2 405

2 284

121

5

SWITZERLAND

2 314

2 083

231

+ 11

AUSTRALIA

1 412

1 281

131

+ 10

IN CONTRAST WITH DECLINING DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN, LOCAL DEMAND FOR JAPANESE GOODS REMAINED STRONG. INCREASES WERE NOTED PARTICULARLY FOR ROAD VEHICLES (BY $866 MILLION OR 94 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $599 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT), IRON AND STEEL (BY $491 MILLION OR 49 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $462 MILLION OR 34 PER CENT), AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $413 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT).

AS FOR IMPORTS FROM CHINA, INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN CLOTHING (BY $928 MILLION OR 117 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $762 MILLION OR 32 PER CENT), PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $762 MILLION OR 64 PER CENT), LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $271 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT), AND MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS (BY $176 MILLION OR 38 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM U.S.A. WERE LARGELY OF OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $360 MILLION OR 46 PER CENT), ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSÉ ESTERS AND ETHERS (BY $258 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT), TEXTILE FIBRES AND THE IR WASTES (BY $184 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $145 MILLION OR 19 PER CENT).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $1 384 MILLION OR 62 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE, AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $244 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT), AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $165 MILLION OR 48 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN.

/THE FOLLOWING