XN000022-1987-02-12 — Page 12

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1987

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RE-EXPORTS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, TAIWAN, THE U.S.,

THE U.S., THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY AND THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY 115 PER CENT, 63 PER CENT, 55 PER CENT, 47 PER CENT AND 43 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE IN THE YEAR OF 1986, VALUED AT $552 484 MILLION, INCREASED BY 18 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 1985. ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 19 PER CENT TO $153 983 MILLION WHILE RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 16 PER CENT TO $122 546 MILLION SO THAT, FOR TOTAL EXPORTS, THE TRADE VALUE INCREASED BY 18 PER CENT.

WITH

IMPORTS INCREASED BY 19 PER CENT TO $275 955 MILLION. IMPORTS INCREASING SLIGHTLY MORE RAPIDLY THAN TOTAL EXPORTS, A SMALLER MERCHANDISE TRADE SURPLUS OF $575 MILLION WAS RECORDED IN 1986 AS COMPARED TO THE SURPLUS OF $3 733 MILLION IN 1985.

COMPARING 1986 WITH 1985, DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO ALL PRINCIPAL MARKETS INCREASED IN VALUE TERMS. THE MARKETS WITH RAPID GROWTH IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCLUDED FRANCE (45 PER CENT), JAPAN (39 PER CENT), THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (38 PER CENT), THE NETHERLANDS (35 PER CENT) AND SINGAPORE (25 PER CENT). DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO HONG KONG'S TWO LARGEST MARKETS, THE U.S. AND CHINA, HOWEVER, GREW LESS RAPIDLY, BY 11 PER CENT AND 19 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

IMPORTS FROM MAJOR SUPPLIERS GENERALLY INCREASED BETWEEN 1985 AND 1986, PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM SWITZERLAND (52 PER CENT), CHINA (38 PER CENT), THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (32 PER CENT), ITALY (23 PER CENT) AND THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (21 PER CENT). A DECREASE WAS, HOWEVER, RECORDED IN IMPORTS FROM SINGAPORE (-4 PER CENT),

ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, RE-EXPORTS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, THE U.S., THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA AND TAIWAN INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY 102 PER CENT, 73 PER CENT, 52 PER CENT, 51 PER CENT AND 37 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. ON THE OTHER HAND, RE-EXPORTS TO CHINA RECORDED A DECLINE (-11 PER CENT).

ALL TRADE STATISTICS PRESENTED HERE ARE MEASURED AT CURRENT PRICES AND NO ACCOUNT HAS BEEN TAKEN OF THE CHANGES IN PRICES BETWEEN THE PERIODS OF COMPARISON. A SEPARATE ANALYSIS OF THE PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE FOR 1986 WILL BE RELEASED IN EARLY MARCH 1987.

THE CHANGES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO HONG KONG'S TEN MAJOR MARKETS ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

IKE