XN000022-1983-04-03 — Page 2

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 1983

HONG KONG'S JANUARY EXTERNAL TRADE

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY 1983, VALUED AT $21 695 MILLION, INCREASED BY 11 PER CENT OVER JANUARY 1982, ACCORDING TO TRADE STATISTICS RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY THREE PER CENT TO $6 439 MILLION, IMPORTS BY 15 PER CENT TO $11 537 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY 12 PER CENT TO $3 718 MILLION. DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER SHOWED AN INCREASE OF SIX PER CENT.

THE CHANGES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE 10 MAJOR OVERSEAS MARKETS ARE AS FOLLOWS:-

JAN. 1983

($ MN)

JAN. 1982

($ MN)

INCREASE DECREASE ($ MN)

PERCENTAGE CHANGE

U. 8.A.

2 536

2 206

+330

+15

F.R. OF GERMANY

548

545

3

1

U.K.

437

566

-129

-23

CHINA

352

293

* 59

+20

JAPAN

230

229

1

INSIGNIFICANT

CANADA

219

166

+ 53

+32

AUSTRALIA

188

284

-

96

-34

SINGAPORE

161

142

+ 19

+14

NETHERLANDS

136

140

4

3

WITZERLAND

118

118

SUBSTANTIAL

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE U.S.A. ROSE BY 15 PER CENT. INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN CLOTHING (BY $143 MILLION OR 17 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $107 MILLION OR 91 PER CENT) AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $71 MILLION OR 58 PER CENT). DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN PLASTIC TOYS AND DOLLS (BY $63 MILLION OR 33 PER CENT) AS WELL AS TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR CONTAINERS (BY $8 MILLION OR 20 PER CENT).

MOST COMMODITIES EXPORTED TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN VALUE, INCLUDING CLOTHING (BY $11 MILLION OR THREE PER CENT) AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $3 MILLION OR EIGHT PER CENT). HOWEVER, DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT DECREASED BY $4 MILLION OR 10 PER CENT.

/DECREASES IN