XN000022-1983-07-11 — Page 2

MONDAY, JULY 11, 1983

SIR EDWARD OFF TO PEKING FOR TALKS

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THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, LEFT FOR PEKING THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE SECOND PHASE OF THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.

HE WAS SEEN OFF AT THE AIRPORT BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, SIR S.Y. CHUNG, THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR ROGER LOBO, AND TWO OFFICIALS FROM THE XINHUA NEWS AGENCY (HONG KONG BRANCH), MR TAN GAN, VICE-CHIEF EDITOR AND MR JI SHAOXIANG, FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECRETARY.

ACCOMPANYING THE GOVERNOR TO PEKING WERE THE POLITICAL ADVISER, MR ROBIN MCLAREN AND GOVERNMENT CHIEF INTERPRETER, MR Y.P. CHENG.

COUNTRY AND COMMODITY BREAKDOWN FIGURES

FOR HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE FOR JANUARY - MAY 1983

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY - MAY 1983, VALUED AT $115 423 MILLION, SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 9 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1982, ACCORDING TO SUMMARY TRADE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY 11 PER CENT TO $34 241 MILLION, IMPORTS BY 8 PER CENT TO $61 596 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY 9 PER CENT TO $19 586 MILLION. DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 10 PER CENT.

THE CHANGES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE TEN 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 $1 098 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $443 MILLION OR 65 PER CENT), AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $436 MILLION OR 70 PER CENT).

ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN PLASTIC TOYS AND DOLLS (BY $319 MILLION OR 28 PER CENT) AND FOOTWEAR (BY $30 MILLION OR 22 PER CENT).

DECREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE UK WERE REGISTERED FOR CLOTHING (BY $190 MILLION OR 15 PER CENT) AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $58 MILLION OR 33 PER CENT).

/HOWEVER,