XN000022-1981-02-16 — Page 4

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1981

THE CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM THE TEN MAJOR SOURCES WERE

1980 (HK$ MN.)

1979 (HK$ MN.)

INCREASE (HK$ MN.)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

JAPAN

25 644

19 320

+6 324

+ 33

CHINA

21 948

15 130

+6 818

+45

U.S.A.

13 210

10 365

+2 845

+ 27

TAIWAN

7 961

€ 035

+1 926

+ 32

SINGAPORE

7 384

4 821

+2 563

+ 53

U.K.

5 456

4 350

+1 106

+ 25

REP. OF KOREA

3 869

2 529

+1 340

+ 53

SWITZERLAND

2 897

2 592

305

+ 12

F.R. OF GERMANY

2 883

2 775

108

AUSTRALIA

1 698

1 579

119

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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 $1 098 MILLION OR 93 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $790 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $712 MILLION OR 42 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $582 MILLION OR 34 PER CENT), AND IRON AND STEEL (BY $558 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT).

AS FOR IMPORTS FROM CHINA, INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN CLOTHING (BY $1 194 MILLION OR 109 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $1 042 MILLION OR 34 PER CENT), PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $787 MILLION OR 54 PER CENT), MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES (BY $419 MILLION OR 76 PER CENT), LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $346 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT), AND MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS (BY $238 MILLION OR 40 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. WERE LARGELY OF TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (BY 9562 MILLION OR 156 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $452 MILLION OR 47 PER CENT), ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS, AND CELLULOSE ESTERS AND ETHERS (BY $242 MILLION OR 37 PER CENT), MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES (BY $156 MILLION OR 37 PER CENT), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $130 MILLION OR 14 PER CENT).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $2 119 MILLION OR 78 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE, AS WELL AS TEXTILES (BY $630 MILLION OR 26 PER CENT) AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $272 MILLION OR 40 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN,

THE FOLLOWING