XN000022-1981-06-16 — Page 4

TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1981

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LOCAL DEMAND FOR JAPANESE GOODS REMAINED STRONG.

INCREASES WERE NOTED PARTICULARLY FOR ROAD VEHICLES (BY $552 MILLION OR 88 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $451 MILLION OR 73 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $331 MILLION OR 48 PER CENT), TEXTILES (BY $272 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT), AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $261 MILLION OR 36 PER CENT).

AS FOR IMPORTS FROM CHINA, INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN TEXTILES (BY $483 MILLION OR 43 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $408 MILLION OR 86 PER CENT), PETROLEUM, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND RELATED MATERIALS (BY $133 MILLION OR 18 PER CENT), AND VEGETABLES AND FRUIT (BY $130 MILLION OR 49 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE US WERE LARGELY OF ORGANIC CHEMICALS (BY $123 MILLION OR 392 PER CENT), OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $108 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT), TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (BY $67 MILLION OR 143 PER CENT), AS WELL AS VEGETABLES AND FRUIT (BY $62 MILLION OR 28 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES WERE REGISTERED IN THE IMPORTS OF ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS (BY $132 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT), AND TEXTILE FIBRES (BY $164 MILLIÓN OR 41 PER CENT).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE IMPORTS OF TEXTILES (BY $542 MILLION OR 62 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN, AND OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $615 MILLION OR 42 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE ILLUSTRATES THE MORE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTION:

JAN-APR 81 (HK$ MN.)

JAN-APR 80 (HK$ MN.)

INCREASE/ DECREASE (HK$ MN.)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

MANUFACTURED GOODS

CLASS IF IED CHIEFLY BY MATERIAL (MAINLY TEXTILE PRODUCTS,

DI ONDS, IRON AND

STIIL, AND PAPER) 12 579

10 168

+2 411

+24

MACHINERY AND

TRANSPORT

EQUIPMENT

9 766

7 200

+2 566

+36

MISCELLANEOUS

MANUFACTURED ARTICLES

(MAINLY WATCHES AND

CLOCKS, ARTICLES OF

APPAREL)

6 909

4 781

+2 128

+45

FOOD AND LIVE ANIMALS

CHIEFLY FOR FOOD

4 124

3 411

713

+21

MINERAL FUELS.

LUBRICANTS AND

RELATED MATERIALS

3 326

2 442

884

+36

CHEMICALS AND

RELATED PRODUCTS

2 819

2 887

68

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SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH