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AS FOR IMPORTS FROM JAPAN, INCREASES WERE NOTED FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF " (BY $231 MILLION OR 34 PER CENT), AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $144 MILLION OR 26 PER CENT). HOWEVER, DECREASES WERE REGISTERED FOR ROAD VEHICLES (INCLUDING AIR CUSHION VEHICLES) (BY $62 MILLION OR EIGHT PER CENT), AND GENERAL INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT, AND MACHINE PARTS (BY $45 MILLION OR 13 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN IMPORTS FROM THE U.S.A. WERE MOSTLY OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THERE OF (BY $156 MILLION OR 43 PER CENT) AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $114 MILLION OR 37 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES WERE REGISTERED IN IMPORTS OF PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES UNWORKED OR WORKED (BY $99 MILLION OR 40 PER CENT), GENERAL INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT, AND MACHINE PARTS (BY 39 MILLION OR SEVEN PER CENT), AND VEGETABLES AND FRUIT (BY $4 MILLION OR TWO PER CENT).

DECREASES WERE REGISTERED IN IMPORTS FROM TAIWAN OF TEXTILES (BY $230 MILLION OR 23 PER CENT) AND IN IMPORTS FROM SINGAPORE OF PETROLEUM, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND RELATED MATERIALS (BY $508 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT). HOWEVER, IMPORTS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS FROM TAIWAN INCREASED (BY $7 MILLION OR SIX PER CENT)- AND IMPORTS OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF FROM SINGAPORE ALSO INCREASED (BY $44 MILLION OR 30 PER CENT).

TABLE 4 ILLUSTRATES THE MORE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN IMPORTS BY OMMODITY SECTIONS.

INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN RE-EXPORTS TO THE U.S.A. (BY $255 MILLION OR 21 PER CENT), INDONESIA (BY $149 MILLION OR 14 PER CENT), SINGAPORE (BY $115 MILLION OR 13 PER CENT), SAUDI ARABIA (BY $102 MILLION OR 66 PER CENT), VIETNAM (BY $88 MILLION OR 180 PER CENT), REPUBLIC OF KOREA (SOUTH KOREA) (BY $80 MILLION OR 19 PER CENT) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (BY $42 MILLION OR 51 PER CENT), AND MACAU (BY $36 MILLION OR 10 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, DECLINES WERE REGISTERED IN RE-EXPORTS TO CHINA (BY $335 MILLION OR 16 PER CENT) AND JAPAN (BY $104 MILLION OR 15 PER CENT).

MOST COMMODITIES RE-EXPORTED THROUGH HONG KONG EXHIBITED STRONG GROWTH. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT ONES BEING CLOTHING (BY $275 MILLION OR 47 PER CENT), PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, OPTICAL GOODS AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $170 MILLION OR 24 PER CENT), MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES (MAINLY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND ACCESSORIES AND BABY CARRIAGES, TOYS, GAMES AND SPORTING GOODS) (BY $94 MILLION OR 18 PER CENT) AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $93 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT). DECREASES WERE REGISTERED IN THE RE-EXPORTS OF TEXTILES (BY $418 MILLION OR 22 PER CENT), NON-METALLIC MINERAL MANUFACTURES (BY $177 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT) AND MACHINERY SPECIALISED FOR PARTICULAR INDUSTRIES (BY $71 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT).

THE MARCH 1983 ISSUE OF THE HONG KONG TRADE STATISTICS - SUMMARY+ WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AT HK$5 PER COPY. A MORE COMPREHENSIVE REPORT, *HONG KONG EXTERNAL TRADE, WITH A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF IMPORTS, EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS IN MARCH 1983 WILL BE AVAILABLE IN EARLY JUNE 1983 AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AT HK$10 PER COPY.

ENQUIRIES CONCERNING SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THESE REPORTS MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT AT BASKERVILLE HOUSE, HONG KONG (TEL. NO.

5-214375).

/Table 1