XN000022-1982-08-30 — Page 3

MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1982

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AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY-JUNE 1982

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE BY AIR FOR JANUARY - JUNE 1982 WAS VALUED AT $28 112 MILLION, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF NINE PER CENT OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1981. AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE VALUED AT $9 207 MILLION (UP MARGINALLY), AIRBORNE IMPORTS AT $14 057 MILLION (UP 18 PER CENT) AND RE-EXPORTS AT $4 847 MILLION (UP THREE PER CENT).

FOR THE FIRST HALF EXPORTS, 20 PER CENT OF CARRIED BY AIR.

OF 1982, BY VALUE, 24 PER CENT OF DOMESTIC IMPORTS AND 23 PER CENT OF RE-EXPORTS WERE

IN TERMS OF WEIGHT, AIRBORNE IMPORTS AMOUNTED TO 65 266 TONNE, REPRESENTING 0.5 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL IMPORT TONNAGE, AND TOTAL AIRBORNE EXPORTS AMOUNTED TO 75 841 TONNE, OR 1.6 PER CENT OF TOTAL EXPORT TONNAGE.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE SUMMARY TRADE STATISTICS ON AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY TO JUNE RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (MONDAY).

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

INCREASE/ PERCENTAGE DECREASE CHANGE

JAN.-JUNE

1982 ($MILLION)

JAN.-JUNE

1981 ($ MILLION)

($ MILLION)

%

U.S.A.

3 855

4 010

-155

F.R. OF GERMANY

835

907

-

- 72

8

JAPAN

617

555

+ 62

+11

U.K.

516

631

-114

-18

CANADA

309

241.

+ 68

+28

SWITZERLAND

287

273

+ 14

5

BY COMMODITY, INCREASES IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE REGISTERED MAINLY IN JEWELLERY, GOLDSMITHS' AND SILVERSMITHS' WARES AND OTHER ARTICLES OF PRECIOUS OR SEMI-PRECIOUS MATERIALS (BY $140 MILLION OR 37 PER CENT), CLOTHING (BY $135 MILLION OR FIVE PER CENT), BABY CARRIAGES, TOYS, GAMES AND SPORTING GOODS (BY $125 MILLION OR 65 PER CENT) AND MISCELLANEOUS OFFICE AND STATIONERY SUPPLIES (BY $116 MILLION OR 420 PER CENT). DECREASES IN VALUE WERE RECORDED FOR PARTS AND ACCESSORIES OF OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $451 MILLION OR 41 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $196 MILLION OR SEVEN PER CENT) AND MÉTALL IFEROUS ORES AND METAL SCRAP (BY $44 MILLION OR 52 PER CENT).

/FURTHER ANALYSIS