XN000022-1983-09-01 — Page 7

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1983

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AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY JUNE

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE BY AIR FOR JANUARY - JUNE 1983 WAS VALUED AT $34 564 MILLION, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 23 PER CENT OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1982, ACCORDING TO SUMMARY TRADE STATISTICS FOR THE PERIOD RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE VALUED AT $12 223 MILLION (UP 33 PER CENT), AIRBORNE IMPORTS AT $16 427 MILLION (UP 17 PER CENT) AND RE-EXPORTS AT $5 913 MILLION (UP 22 PER CENT).

FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 1983, BY VALUE, 28 PER CENT OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 22 PER CENT OF IMPORTS AND 25 PER CENT OF RE-EXPORTS WERE CARRIED BY AIR.

IN TERMS OF WEIGHT, AIRBORNE IMPORTS AMOUNTED TO 71 406 TONNES, REPRESENTING 0.4 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL IMPORT TONNAGE, AND TOTAL AIRBORNE EXPORTS AMOUNTED TO 93 014 TONNES OR 1.6 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL EXPORT TONNAGE.

THE CHANGES IN 10 MAJOR MARKETS FOR HONG KONG'S AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS ARE GIVEN IN TABLE 1.

BY COMMODITY, INCREASES IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE REGISTERED MAINLY IN CLOTHING (BY $890 MILLION OR 30 PER CENT) PARTS AND ACCESSORIES OF OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING MACHINES (BY $597 MILLION OR 93 PER CENT); ORES AND CONCENTRATES OF PRECIOUS METALS PLUS WASTE, SCRAPS AND SWEEPINGS OF PRECIOUS METALS (OTHER THAN OF GOLD) (BỶ $441 MILLION OR 1 076 PER CENT); AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $306 MILLION OR 12 PER CENT).

DECREASES IN VALUE WERE RECORDED FOR RADIO-BROADCAST RECEIVERS (BY $27 MILLION OR 26 PER CENT), PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES (BY $25 MILLION OR 24 PER CENT); AND GRAMOPHONES, DICTATING MACHINES AND OTHER SOUND RECORDERS OR REPRODUCERS (BY $23 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT),

FURTHER ANALYSIS OF COMMODITY BY COUNTRY REVEALED GROWTH IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF CLOTHING TO THE U.S. (BY $815 MILLION OR 62 PER CENT) AND CANADA (BY $52 MILLION OR 43 PER CENT); IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF PARTS AND ACCESSORIES OF OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING MACHINES TO THE U.S. (BY $462 MILLION OR 80 PER CENT) AND F.R. OF GERMANY (BY $57 MILLION OR 1 560 PER CENT); AND IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF ORES AND CONCENTRATES OF PRECIOUS METALS PLUS WASTE, SCRAPS AND SWEEPINGS OF PRECIOUS METALS (OTHER THAN OF GOLD) TO THE U.K. (BY $379 MILLION OR 1 394 PER CENT); AND F.R. OF GERMANY (BY $34 MILLION OR 536 PER CENT).

HOWEVER, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF RADIO-BROADCAST RECEIVERS (BY $28 MILLION OR 40 PER CENT) AND PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES (BY $18 MILLION OR 36 PER CENT) TO THE U.S.

/THIR CHANGE