XN000022-1986-07-23 — Page 43

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1986

I HAD A SERIES OF MOST USEFUL DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFICIALS AT ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE WHO ARE THE OPERATORS OF THE PLANT AND WHO ARE PROVIDING TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND OTHER SERVICES TO THE JOINT VENTURE COMPANY IN SHENZHEN. AS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM THE TALKS CENTRED AROUND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DESIGN SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PLANNING, BOTH ON AND OFF SITE.

AS YOU WILL APPRECIATE, AND AS I TOLD YOU BEFORE I LEFT, 1 HAVE NOT COME BACK WITH A DETAILED PLAN FOR DEALING IN HONG KONG WITH THE EFFECTS OF AN INCIDENT AT DAYA BAY. I HAVE, HOWEVER, COLLECTED A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION WHICH WILL, FOLLOWING FURTHER ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION WITH OUR CONSULTANTS, ENABLE US TO DEVELOP SUITABLE PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE COUNTERMEASURES TO BE TAKEN BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AS PART OF ITS OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CIVIL CONTINGENCY PLANNING.

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PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JUNE

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THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN JUNE 1986, AT $12 546 MILLION, GREW BY 14.5 PER CENT OR $1 590 MILLION COMPARED WITH JUNE 1985, WHILE THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 15.1 PER CENT OR $1 257 MILLION TO $9 598 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT $22 144 MILLION, WAS 14.8 PER CENT OR #2 847 MILLION HIGHER THAN IN JUNE 1985.

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY 15.6 PER CENT OR $3 078 MILLION OVER JUNE 1985 TO REACH $22 836 MILLION.

AS THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW AT A FASTER RATE THAN THAT OF TOTAL EXPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE GAP (THAT IS THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THAT OF TOTAL EXPORTS) OF 3.0 PER CENT WAS RECORDED IN JUNE 1986, COMPARED WITH 2.3 PER CENT IN JUNE 1985.

PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 1986 WAS $118 407 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $65 374 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $53 033 MILLION.

COMPARED WITH THE FIRST HALF OF 1985, THE VALUES OF TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $5 357 MILLION OR 4.7 PER CENT, OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY $4 966 MILLION OR 8.2 PER CENT, AND OF RE-EXPORTS BY $391 MILLION OR 0.7 PER CENT. OVER THIS PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY $10 563 MILLION OR 9.4 PER CENT, TO $123 335 MILLION.

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