XN000022-1984-03-12 — Page 5

MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1984

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THE EXHIBITION, HE SAID, WAS ONE INDICATION THAT HONG KONG REMAINED AT THE FOREFRONT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY.

IT IS SPONSORED BY THE HONG KONG AND KOWLOON ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS' ASSOCIATION. BESIDES HONG KONG, THERE ARE PARTICIPANTS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE, WEST GERMANY, DENMARK AND BULGARIA.

JANUARY MERCHANDISE TRADE RISES SHARPLY

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY 1984. VALUED AT $32 666 MILLION, INCREASED BY 51 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1983, ACCORDING TO SUMMARY TRADE FIGURES RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE BY 68 PER CENT TO $10 791 MILLION, IMPORTS BY 38 PER CENT TO $15 899 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS BY 61 PER CENT TO $5 976 MILLION. DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER INCREASED BY 65 PER CENT.

COMMENTING ON THESE COMPARATIVE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMEN SAID THAT TRADE STATISTICS FOR THE BEGINNING MONTHS OF THE YEAR ARE, AS USUAL, INFLUENCED BY THE TIMING OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.

+ IT IS EXPECTED THAT SOME OF THE INCREASE IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN JANUARY 1984 REFLECTED INCREASED SHIPMENTS PRIOR TO THE CHINESE NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS.

+THIS POINT SHOULD BE BORNE IN MIND IN INTERPRETING SUCH STATISTICS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

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 UNITED STATES ROSE BY 87 PER CENT IN VALUE. SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN CLOTHING (BY $976 MILLION OR 98 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $232 MILLION OR 121 PER CENT) AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF (BY $226 MILLION OR 80 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN TRANSISTORS AND DIODES (BY $15 MILLION OR 71 PER CENT) AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $8 MILLION OR FOUR PER CENT).

MOST COMMODITIES EXPORTED TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY INCREASED IN VALUE, INCLUDING CLOTHING (BY $229 MILLION OR 67 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $24 MILLION OR 66 PER CENT) AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $22 MILLION OR 226 PER CENT).

/INCREASES IN