XN000022-1986-09-25 — Page 7

TATE OR 25, 1986

+ IN THESE DAYS OF RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCE, IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS NO LIMIT TO IMPROVEMENTS THAT CAN BE MADE AND IT IS THEREFORE VITAL FOR DOCTORS AND OTHER ACTIVE IN THE MEDICAL FIELD TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH LATEST DEVELOPMENTS.

+FOR ALL THESE REASONS IT IS MOST APPROPRIATE THAT THIS EXHIBITION IS BEING HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FIRST HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDICAL ADVANCES. THESE TWO EVENTS CLEARLY COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER.

+WHILE THE CONGRESS ACQUAINTS OUR PRACTITIONERS WITH THE LATEST CLINICAL DEVELOPMENTS, THIS EXHIBITION DISPLAYS THE ADVANCED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND PATIENT CARE SYSTEMS WHICH ARE NOW AVAILABLE,+ HE SAID.

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR AUGUST *****

THE GROWTH IN ALL THE TRADE AGGREGATES CONTINUED TO BE STRONG IN AUGUST 1986. THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN AUGUST 1986, AT $14 798 MILLION, GREW BY 23.5 PER CENT OR $2 816 MILLION COMPARED WITH AUGUST 1985, WHILE THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 20.7 PER CENT OR $1 823 MILLION TO $10 630 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

TAK ING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT $25 428 MILLION, WAS 22.3 PER CENT OR $4 639 MILLION HIGHER THAN IN AUGUST 1985. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY 22.0 PER CENT OR $4 379 MILLION OVER AUGUST 1985 TO REACH $23 495 MILLION.

AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS GREATER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE ACCOUNT RECORDED A SURPLUS OF $1 933 MILLION, WHICH WAS EQUIVALENT TO 8.2 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, AGAINST A SURPLUS OF 8.8 PER CENT IN AUGUST 1985.

PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 1986 WAS $168 668 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $94 442 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $74 226 MILLION.

COMPARED WITH THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $14 340 MILLION OR 9.3 EXPORTS BY $10 476 MILLION OR 12.5 PER CENT, BY $3 864 MILLION OR 5.5 PER CENT.

1985, THE VALUE OF PER CENT, OF DOMESTIC AND OF RE-EXPORTS

/OVER THIL