XN000022-1983-05-18 — Page 2

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 1983

COUNTRY AND COMMODITY BREAKDOWN FIGURES FOR HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE FOR JANUARY - MARCH 1983

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY-MARCH 1983. VALUED AT $63 921 MILLION, SHOWED AN INCREASE OF FOUR PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1982.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY SIX PER CENT TO $18 629 MILLION, IMPORTS BY TWO PER CENT TO $34 140 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY FIVE PER CENT TO $11 152 MILLION,

DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER SHOWED AN INCREASE OF SIX PER CENT.

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT RELEASED TODAY THE RELEVANT SUMMARY TRADE STATISTICS,

THE CHANGES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE TEN MAJOR OVERSEAS MARKETS ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE U.S.A. ROSE BY 19 PER CENT. SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN CLOTHING (BY $532 MILLION Π25 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $261 MILLION OR 70 PER CENT) AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $199 MILLION OR 54 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN PLASTIC TOYS AND DOLLS (BY $141 MILLION OR 26 PER CENT) AND FOOTWEAR (BY $25 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT).

MOST COMMODITIES EXPORTED TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN VALUE, INCLUDING WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $34 MILLION OR 35 PER CENT) AND CLOTHING (BY $24 MILLION OR THREE PER CENT). HOWEVER, DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF DECREASED BY $10 MILLION OR 14 PER CENT.

HOWEVER,

DECREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM WERE REGISTERED FOR CLOTHING (BY $154 MILLION OR 20 PER CENT) AND PLASTIC TOYS AND DOLLS (BY $30 MILLION OR 32 PER CENT). DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF METALLIFEROUS ORES AND METAL SCRAP INCREASED BY $143 MILLION OR 724 PER CENT.

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE REGISTERED IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO CHINA OF TEXTILES (BY $118 MILLION OR 66 PER CENT) AND FEEDING STUFF FOR ANIMALS (BY $48 MILLION OR 1 212 PER CENT)- AND IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN OF JEWELLERY, GOLDSMITHS' AND SILVERSMITHS WARES, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF PRECIOUS OR SEMI-PRECIOUS MATERIALS (BY $33 MILLION OR 151 PER CENT).

CHANGES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY MAJOR COMMODITY DIVISIONS ARE PRESENTED IN TABLE 2.

CHANGES IN IMPORTS FROM THE TEN MAJOR SOURCES ARE SUMMARISED IN TABLE 3.

LOCAL' DEMAND FOR IMPORTED GOODS FROM CHINA REMAINED STRONG. INCREASES WERE RECORDED MAINLY IN CLOTHING (BY $253 MILLION OR 30 PER CENT), MEAT AND MEAT PREPARATIONS (BY $48 MILLION OR 15 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF (BY $38 MILLION OR 36 PER CENT) AND LIVE ANIMALS CHIEFLY FOR FOOD (BY $34 MILLION OR SEVEN PER CENT).

/AS FOR