XN000022-1981-01-19 — Page 6

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MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1981

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

JAN - NOV 80 (HK$M)

JAN - NOV 79

(HK$M)

INCREASE/ DECREASE (HK$M)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

JAPAN

22 897

17 386

+ 5 511

+ 32

CHINA

19 628

13 429

+ 6 199

+ 46

U.S.A.

11 968

9 465

+ 2 503

+ 26

TA IWAN

7 058

5 371

+ 1 687

+ 31

SINGAPORE

6 576

4 358

+ 2 218

+ 51

U.K.

4 961

4 033

928

+ 23

R. OF KOREA

3 397

2 285

+ 1 112

+ 49

F.R. OF GERMANY

2 648

2 554

94

4

SWITZERLAND

2 591

2 332

259

+11

AUSTRALIA

1 559

1 448

111

8

IN CONTRAST WITH DECLINING DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN, LOCAL DEMAND FOR JAPANESE GOODS REMAINED STRONG. INCREASES WERE NOTED PARTICULARLY FOR ROAD VEHICLES (BY $947 MILLION OR 91%), TEXTILES (BY $698 MILLION OR 27%), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $583 MILLION OR 39%) IRON AND STEEL (BY $530 MILLION OR 48%), AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $482 MILLION OR 31%).

AS FOR IMPORTS FROM CHINA, INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN CLOTHING (BY $1 073 MILLION OR 114%), TEXTILES (BY $922 MILLION OR 34%), PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $834 MİLLION OR 64%) LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $311 MILLION OR 28%), AND MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS (BY $207 MILLION OR 40%).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. WERE LARGELY OF OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $425 MILLION OR 49%), ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSE ESTERS AND ETHERS (BY $237 MILLION OR 41%), TEXTILE FIBRES AND THE IR WASTES (BY $129 MILLION OR 18%), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $133 MILLION OR 16%).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (EY 31 823 MILLION OR 74%) FROM SINGAPORE, AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $266 MILLION OF 44%), AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $175 MILLION OR 45%) FROM TAIWAN,

/THE FOLLOWING