XN000022-1985-08-14 — Page 5

WEDNESDAY, AUG!

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SIX-MONTH EXTERNAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED

TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FOR JANUARY-JUNE 1985, VALUED AT $225 822 MILLION, SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 10 PER CENT COMPARE: WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1984, ACCORDING TO TRADE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

ON

THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, DOMESTIC EXPORTS DECREASED BY FOUR PER CENT TO $60 408 MILLION, WHILE RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 41 PER CENT TO $52 642 MILLION AND IMPORTS BY SEVEN PER CENT TO $112 772 MILLION. DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER INCREASED BY 13 PER CENT.

COMPARING THE FIRST HALF OF 1985 WITH THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE U.S.A. DECREASED BY SIX PER CENT. ANALYSED BY COMMODITY, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $918 MILLION OR 35 PER CENT) AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $658 MILLION OR 28 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND, INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN CLOTHING (BY $314 MILLION OR THREE PER CENT) WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $113 MILLION OR EIGHT PER CENT) AND POWER GENERATING MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT (BY $33 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT).

MOST COMMODITIES EXPORTED TO CHINA INCREASED RAPIDLY IN VALUE, PARTICULARLY OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $832 MILLION OR 861 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $733 MILLION OR 109 PER CENT) AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF (BY $352 MILLION OR 134 PER CENT). HOWEVER, DECREASES WERE REGISTERED FOR TEXTILES (BY $136 MILLION OR 13 PER CENT) AND FEEDING STUFF FOR ANIMALS (BY $29 MILLION OR 64 PER CENT).

DECREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM WERE RECORDED IN CLOTHING (BY $282 MILLION OR 15 PER CENT) AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $115 MILLION OR 41 PER CENT). ON THE OTHER HAND INCREASES WERE REGISTERED FOR METALLIFEROUS ORES AND METAL SCRAP (BY $65 MILLION OR 43 PER CENT).

DECREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY WERE RECORDED IN CLOTHING (BY $573 MILLION OR 22 PER CENT) AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $123 MILLION OR 46 PER CENT). DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF CLOTHING TO JAPAN ALSO FELL (BY $148 MILLION OR 20 PER CENT). HOWEVER, INCREASES WERE REGISTERED IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY OF METALLIFEROUS ORES AND METAL SCRAP (BY $29 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT) AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $15 MILLION OR SIX PER CENT) AND IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN OF OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $10 MILLION OR 19 PSA CENT).

/DEMAND FOR

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