XN000022-1985-09-25 — Page 9

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1985

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY FOUR PER CENT TO $150 749 MILLION.

A VISIBLE TRADE SURPLUS, EQUIVALENT TO 2.4 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED FOR THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, COMPARED WITH A VISIBLE TRADE GAP OF 2.5 PER CENT IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES. A GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE CONTINUED DECLINE IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS (YEAR-ON-YEAR) WAS LARGELY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE RELATIVELY LOW GROWTH RATES OF THE ECONOMIES OF HONG KONG'S EXPORT MARKETS, IN PARTICULAR THE UNITED STATES, IN THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS OF 1985. RE-EXPORTS, ON THE OTHER HAND, CONTINUED TO EXPAND.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE PRESENTS THE PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR AUGUST 1985 -

MERCHANDISE:

TRADE FIGURES FOR AUGUST, 1985

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

RE-EXPORTS

: $11 982 MILLION

:$ 8 818 MILLION

TOTAL EXPORTS

IMPORTS

:$20 800 MILLION

:$19 116 MILLION

TRADE BALANCE

:$ 1 684 MILLION

(IN SURPLUS)

COMPARATIVE FIGURES

LATEST 3 MONTHS

JUNE - AUGUST

1985

JUNE - AUGUST

1984

$ MN.

$ MN.

$ MN.

INCREASE OR

DECREASE

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

34 515

39 200

4 685

-

12.0

RE-EXPORTS

26 071

20 970

+ 5 101

+ 24.3

TOTAL EXPORTS

60 586

60 170

416

0.7

IMPORTS

57 734

58 306

572

-

1.0

TRADE BALANCE

+ 2 852

+ 1 964

988

/SAME MONTH