XN000022-1987-10-09 — Page 7

6

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1987

REDUCTION IN HONG NOTING THAT THERE WERE NO PROSPECTS OF A

OR KONG'S REFUGEE POPULATION EITHER THROUGH A SLOW-DOWN IN ARRIVALS

MR FRENCH SAID THIS IN ANY INCREASE IN RESETTLEMENT OFFTAKE,

DISQUIET AND A PUBLIC SITUATION WAS GIVING

ΤΟ RISE

CONSIDERABLE

GROWING SENSE OF FRUSTRATION IN HONG KONG.

MR FRENCH SAID HONG KONG HAD ADHERED, AND CONTINUED SCRUPULOUSLY, TO THE AGREEMENT REACHED AT THE 1979 GENEVA AND HAD NEVER TURNED A VIETNAMESE BOAT AWAY FROM HONG KONG.

TO ADHERE CONFERENCE

LAND IN HONG "WE HAVE OFFERED AID TO ALL THOSE WHO WANTED TO

THAN 14,500 INDO-CHINESE KONG AND HAVE RESETTLED IN HONG KONG

INCLUDING NEARLY 1975,

AND

DISPLACED

REFUGEES MORE THIS YEAR," HE SAID.

PERSONS SINCE

100

HONG KONG WAS

MR FRENCH SAID IT WAS AN HONOURABLE RECORD AND JUSTLY PROUD OF IT. "BUT IF WE ARE TO CONVINCE PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG

KONG THAT THIS CONTINUES TO BE THE RIGHT COURSE FOR US TO FOLLOW,

A CONCRETE DEMONSTRATION NEED FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

ᅡ THIS PROBLEM, HE SAID. THEIR CONCERN ABOUT

WE

OF

AUGUST EXTERNAL TRADE STATISTICS PUBLISHED

TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE IN AUGUST GREW BY 36 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS WHEN ACCORDING TO THE AUGUST CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (FRIDAY).

VALUE TRADE

1987, AT $66,639 MILLION, COMPARED WITH AUGUST 1986,

RELEASED

THE STATISTICS

BY

TERMS BY 25 PER CENT TO RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 52 PER CENT EXPORTS IN AUGUST 1987 TO $34,706 HIGHER THAN IN AUGUST 1986.

COMPARED WITH AUGUST 1986, DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED IN

IN AUGUST MILLION $18,556

TO

MILLION, $16,149

WAS WHICH MILLION,

VALUE

1987

WHILE

BRINGING TOTAL 36 PER CENT

IMPORTS

INCREASED IN

VALUE

ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, TERMS BY 36 PER CENT TO $31,933 MILLION IN AUGUST 1987.

TERMS

WAS RECORDED (+55 PER CENT), PER CENT)

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO ALL MAJOR MARKETS INCREASED IN VALUE BETWEEN AUGUST 1986 AND AUGUST 1987. SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO FRANCE (+58 PER CENT), JAPAN CHINA ( +50 PER CENT), THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (+33 AND SINGAPORE (+30 PER CENT).

/ON THE