XN000022-1981-12-20 — Page 4

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1981

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

JAN-OCT 81 (HK$ MN)

JAN-OCT 80 (HK$ MN)

INCREASE (HK$ MN)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

JAPAN

26 370

20 477

+5 893

+29

CH INA

23 609

17 342

+6 267

+36

U.S.A.

12 027

10 866

+1 161

+11

TAIWAN

8 787

6 255

+2 532

+40

SINGAPORE

8 710

5 692

+3 018

+53

U.K.

5 023

4 362

661

+15

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

4.496

3 010

+1 486

+49

(SOUTH KOREA)

F.R. OF GERMANY

2 773

2 405

368

+15

SWITZERLAND

2 327

2 314

AUSTRALIA

1 669

1 412

2333

13

+1

257

LOCAL DEMAND FOR JAPANESE GOODS REMAINED STRONG. INCREASES WERE NOTED PARTICULARLY FOR WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY 3810 MILL ON OR 45 PER CENT), ROAD VEHICLES (BY $792 MILLION OR 44 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $695 MILLION OR 35 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $694 MILLION OR 38 PER CENT) AND TEXTILES (BY $618 MILLION OR 21 PER CENT).

AS FOR IMPORTS FROM CHINA, INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN TEXTILES (BY $1 479 MILLION OR 47 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $1 190 MILLION OR 69 PER CENT), VEGETABLES AND FRUIT (BY $443. MILLION OR 53 PER CENT), MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES MAINLY BASKETWORK, WICKERWORK AND OTHER ARTICLES OF PLAITING MATERIALS (BY $265 MILLION OR 36 PER CENT) AND LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $244 MILLION OR 19 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S. WERE LARGELY OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES (BY $337 MILLION OR 38 PER CENT), VEGETABLES AND FRUIT (BY $196 MILLION OR 31 PER CENT), TOBACCO AND TOBACCO MANUFACTURES (BY $132 MILLION OR 32 PER CENT), AS WELL AS OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $131 MILLION OR 12 PER CENT) ON THE OTHER HAND. DECREASES WERE REGISTERED IN THE IMPORTS OF TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (EXCLUDING ROAD VEHICLES) (BY $125 MILLION OR 20 PER CENT) AND TEXTILE FIBRES AND WASTES (BY $387 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT).

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SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE IMPORTS OF TEXTILES (BY $1 068 MILLION OR 46 PER CENT) FROM TAIWAN, AND OF PETROLEUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $2 405 MILLION OR 66 PER CENT) FROM SINGAPORE.

/TILE FOLLOWING