XN000022-1981-11-16 — Page 5

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1981

LOCAL DEMAND FOR JAPANESE GOODS REMAINED STRONG.

INCREASES

WERE NOTED PARTICULARLY FOR WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $778 MILLION OR 49 PER CENT), ROAD VEHICLES (BY $757 MILLION OR 48 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $611 MILLION OR 38 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $610 MILLION OR 35 PER CENT), AND TEXTILES (BY $552 MILLION OR 21 PER CENT).

AS FOR IMPORTS FROM CHINA, INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN TEXTILES (BY $1 383 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $1 082 MILLION OR 75 PER CENT), VEGETABLES AND FRUIT (BY $367 MILLION OR 51 PER CENT), MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES - MAINLY BASKETWORK, WICKERWORK AND OTHER ARTICLES OF PLAITING MATERIALS

(BY $228 MILLION OR 35 PER CENT) AND LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $222 MILLION OR 20 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. WERE LARGELY OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $257 MILLION OR 32 PER CENT), ORGANIC CHEMICALS (BY $189 MILLION OR 245 PER CENT), VEGETABLES AND FRUIT (BY $157 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT), AS WELL AS OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $143 MILLION OR 14 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES WERE REGISTERED IN THE IMPORTS OF TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (BY $137 MILLION OR 22 PER CENT) AND TEXTILE FIBRES AND WASTES (BY $404 MILLION OR 48 PER CENT).

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE IMPORTS OF TEXTILES (BY $989 MILLION OR 48 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN, AND OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $1 847 MILLION OR 52 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE.

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

JAN-SEPT 81

(HK$ MN)

JAN-SEPT 80

(HK$ MN)

INCREASE (HK$ MN)

PERCENTAGE

CHANGE

MANUFACTURED GOODS

CLASS IF IED CHIEFLY BY MATERIAL (MAINLY

TEXTILE PRODUCTS, DIAMONDS, IRON AND

STEEL, AND PAPER)

MACHINERY AND

29 402

23 786

+5 616

+24

TRANSPORT

EQUIPMENT

23 740

17 942

+5 798

+32

MISCELLANEOUS

MANUFACTURED ARTICLES

(MAINLY WATCHES AND

CLOCKS, ARTICLES OF

APPAREL)

16 659

12 199

+4 460

+37

FOOD AND LIVE ANIMALS

CHIEFLY FOR FOOD

9 894

8 208

+1 686

+21

MINERAL FUELS.

LUBRICANTS AND

RELATED MATERIALS

8 106

5 953

+2 153

+36

CHEMICALS AND

RELATED PRODUCTS

6 586

5 987

599

+10

/SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH