XN000022-1984-04-17 — Page 13

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1984

TODAY.

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1983 TRADE REVIEW ON SALE ***

THE HONG KONG REVIEW OF OVERSEAS TRADE IN 1983+ IS ON SALE

PREPARED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, THE REVIEW CONTAINS A BRIEF TEXT ON HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE PERFORMANCE, 18 GRAPHS AND 35 STATISTICAL APPENDICES WITH COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR THE PREVIOUS YEARS.

IT PRESENTS A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE DIRECTION AND COMPOSITION OF HONG KONG'S OVERSEAS TRADE IN 1983, INCLUDING A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF TRADE BY MAJOR TRADING PARTNERS AND BY COMMODITY CATEGORIES, AS WELL AS STATISTICS ON HONG KONG'S PERFORMANCE IN WORLD TRADE AND IN PRINCIPAL OVERSEAS MARKETS, COMPARED WITH THOSE OF MAJOR COMPETITORS.

ALSO INCLUDED IN THE PUBLICATION ARE STATISTICS ON EXCHANGE RATES OF PRINCIPAL FOREIGN CURRENCIES AND THE EFFECTIVE (TRADE-WEIGHTED) EXCHANGE RATE INDEX FOR THE HONG KONG DOLLAR AS AGAINST THE CURRENCIES OF 15 PRINCIPAL TRADING PARTNERS.

AS FROM JANUARY 1983, A REVISED WEIGHTING SYSTEM DERIVED FROM THE TRADE PATTERN IN 1981 WAS USED IN COMPILING THE EFFECTIVE EXCHANGE RATE INDEX.

ACCORDING TO THE REVIEW, SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES IN VALUE WERE NOTED IN IMPORTS FROM CHINA (BY $9 886 MILLION OR 30%) AND FROM JAPAN (BY $8 793 MILLION OR 28%).

AMONG THE OVERSEAS MARKETS WITH THE HIGHEST GROWTH IN VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE THE U.S. (BY $12 578 MILLION OR 40%)

HOWEVER, DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND CHINA (BY $2 417 MILLION OR 63%). TO PANAMA AND THE NIGERIA DROPPED CONSIDERABLY IN VALUE (BY $303 MILLION OR 39%, AND BY $474 MILLION OR 53%, RESPECTIVELY).

FOR COMMODITY CATEGORIES, SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN VALUE WAS REGISTERED IN IMPORTS OF TEXTILES (BY $5 864 MILLION OR 32%) AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS, APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF (BY $5 830 MILLION OR 56%), WHEREAS THE COMMODITIES WITH THE HIGHEST GROWTH IN VALUE IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE CLOTHING (BY $5 541 MILLION OR 19%) AND OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $2 874 MILLION OR 127%).

/THE VALUE