XN000022-1983-06-12 — Page 2

SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 1983

HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE FOR JANUARY

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APRIL 1983

TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY APRIL 1983, VALUED AT $89 232 MILLION, SHOWED AN INCREASE OF SIX PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1982, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY NINE PER CENT TO $26 241 MILLION, IMPORTS BY FOUR PER CENT TO $47 668 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY EIGHT PER CENT TO $15 322 MILLION.

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

THE CHANGES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE 10 MAJOR OVERSEAS MARKETS ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1, AT THE END OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE USA ROSE BY 21 PER CENT IN VALUE. SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN CLOTHING (BY $815 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $328 MILLION OR 62 PER CENT) AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $318 MILLION OR 65 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN PLASTIC TOYS AND DOLLS (BY $224 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT) AND FOOTWEAR (BY $27 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT).

MOST COMMODITIES EXPORTED TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN VALUE, INCLUDING OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $42 MILLION OR 265 PER CENT) AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $36 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT). HOWEVER, DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF DECREASED BY $13 MILLION OR 13 PER CENT.

DECREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM WERE REGISTERED FOR CLOTHING (BY $167 MILLION OR 16 PER CENT) AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $43 MILLION OR 32 PER CENT). HOWEVER, DOMESTIC EXFORTS OF METALLIFEROUS ORES AND METAL SCRAP INCREASED BY $165 MILLION OR 638 PER CENT.

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE REGISTERED IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO CHINA OF TEXTILES (BY $174 MILLION OR 71 PER CENT) AND FEEDING STUFF FOR ANIMALS (BY $67 MILLION OR 1 001 PER CENT)- AND IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN OF JEWELLERY, GOLDSMITHS' AND SILVERSMITHS' WARES, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF PRECIOUS OR SEMI- PRECIOUS MATERIALS (BY $26 MILLION OR 59 PER CENT).

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

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

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