XN000022-1981-12-29 — Page 2

NOTE TO EDITORS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1981

GOVERNOR TO VISIT SHENZHEN ECONOMIC ZONE

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AT THE INVITATION OF THE SHENZHEN AUTHORITIES, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE WILL BE VISITING THE SHENZHEN ‍ECONOMIC ZONE TO SEE INDUSTRIAL AND TOURIST DEVELOPMENTS ON DECEMBER 30 AND 31.

SIR MURRAY WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE SECRETARY FOR CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, AND THE POLITICAL ADVISER, MR ROBIN MCLAREN,

THE PARTY WILL LEAVE BY HOVERFERRY FROM THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PIER, NEXT TO THE OUTLYING DISTRICT FERRY PIER, AT 9 AM TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY). THERE WILL BE A PHOTOGRAPHIC FACILITY AT THE PIER AND REPRESENTATIVES ASSIGNED TO COVER THE EVENT ARE REQUESTED TO MEET GIS OFFICERS THERE AT 8.30 AM.

SIR MURRAY AND HIS PARTY ARE SCHEDULED TO RETURN TO HONG KONG LATE THURSDAY MORNING.

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR NOVEMBER

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE PROVISIONAL TRADE F1QURES FOR HONG KONG'S VISIBLE TRADE IN NOVEMBER 1981. THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR NOVEMBER WAS $10 984 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AT $7 037 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS AT $3 947 MILLION, WITH IMPORTS AT $12 497 MILLION THE VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT FOR NOVEMBER WAS $1 513 MILLION.

COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1980, THERE WERE THE FOLLOWING INCREASES BY VALUE: $1 144 MILLIÓN OR 19.4 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, $1 013 MILLION OR 34.5 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS, $2 157 MILLION OR 24.4 PER CENT FOR TOTAL EXPORTS AND $1 597 MILLION OR 14.6 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS. THE VISIBLE TRADE +GAP+, THAT 13 THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, WAS 12.1 PER CENT IN NOVEMBER THIS YEAR, COMPARED WITH 19.0 PER CENT IN NOVEMBER 1980.

COMMENTING ON THE NOVEMBER TRADE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE GROWTH RATE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF 19.4 PER CENT IN MONEY TERMS WAS EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT 8 PER CENT IN REAL TERMS. THIS, HE SAID, WAS A VERY RESPECTABLE GROWTH RATE CONSIDERING THE GENERALLY UNFAVOURABLE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS PREVAILING IN HONG KONG'S MAIN MARKETS. HE ADDED THAT THE GROWTH RATE OF 8 PER CENT WAS COMPARABLE TO THOSE RECORDED IN RECENT MONTHS AND WAS HIGHER THAN THAT RECORDED IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1981, OF LESS THAN 6 PER CENT.

/AB REGARDS