XN000022-1982-03-21 — Page 2

SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 1982

1

COUNTRY AND COMMODITY BREAKDOWN FIGURES FOR AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE IN 1981

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AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE IN 1981 WAS VALUED AT $57 001 MILLION, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 23 PER CENT OVER 1980.

AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE VALUED AT $21 344 MILLION (UP 25 PER CENT), AIRBORNE IMPORTS AT $25 665 MILLION (UP 23 PER CENT), AND AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS AT $9 991 MILLION (UP 21 PER CENT).

IN 1981, 27 PER CENT BY VALUE OF TOTAL DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 19 PER CENT OF TOTAL IMPORTS AND 24 PER CENT OF TOTAL RE-EXPORTS WERE DESPATCHED BY AIR,

SUMMARY TRADE STATISTICS ON AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE IN 1981 WERE RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE ILLUSTRATES THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE SIX MAJOR MARKETS FOR HONG KONG'S AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS-

INCREASE/DECREASE

(HK$ MN.)

PERCENTAGE

CHANGE

1981 (HK$ MN.)

1980 (HK$ MN.)

USA

9 659

6 703

+2 956

+44

FR OF GERMANY

2 003

1 972

31

+

N

UK

1 394

1 516

122

JAPAN

1 367

920

447

+49

CANADA

666

469

197

+42

SWITZERLAND

564

541

23

BY COMMODITY, INCREASES IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE REGISTERED MAINLY IN CLOTHING (BY $1 898 MILLION OR 38 PER CENT), PARTS AND ACCESSORIES OF OFFICE MACHINES AND DATA PROCESSING MACHINES, INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (BY $607 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT) AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $490 MILLION OR NINE PER CENT).

HOWEVER, DECLINES WERE RECORDED FOR SCRAP AND SWEEPINGS OF PRECIOUS METALS (OTHER THAN OF GOLD) (BY $179 MILLION OR 53 PER CENT) AS WELL AS THERMIONIC, COLD CATHODE AND PHOTO-CATHODE VALVES AND TUBES, PHOTOCELLS AND TRANSISTORS (BY $197 MILLION OR 14 PER CENT).

FURTHER ANALYSIS OF COMMODITY BY COUNTRY REVEALED SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF CLOTHING TO THE USA (BY $1 180 MILLION OR 56 PER CENT), JAPAN (BY $384 MILLION OR 98 PER CENT) AND CANADA (BY $88 MILLION OR 41 PER CENT) IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS TO THE USA (BY $251 MILLION OR 18 PER CENT) AND SAUDI ARABIA (BY $205 MILLION OR 119 PER CENT); AND IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF PARTS AND ACCESSORIES OF OFFICE MACHINES AND DATA PROCESSING MACHINES, INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS, TO THE USA (BY $638 MILLION OR 54 PER CENT).

AIRBORNE IMPORTS