XN000022-1988-09-11 — Page 3

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1988

COMPARING JANUARY TO JULY 1988 WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1987, DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO MOST MAJOR MARKETS INCREASED IN VALUE TERMS.

THE MARKETS WITH MORE SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCLUDED SINGAPORE (+38 PER CENT), CHINA +30 PER CENT), FRANCE (+22 PER CENT), THE UNITED KINGDOM (+21 PER CENT), THE NETHERLANDS (+19 PER CENT), JAPAN (+14 PER CENT) AND THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (+ 13 PER CENT).

ON THE OTHER HAND, DOMESTIC EXPORTS ΤΟ HONG KONG'S LARGEST MARKET, THE U.S.A., DECREASED BY 3 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS.

IMPORTS IN JANUARY ΤΟ JULY 1988 FROM ALL MAJOR SUPPLIERS INCREASED IN VALUE TERMS WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1987.

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN IMPORTS FROM THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (+49 PER CENT), SWITZERLAND (+34 PER CENT), THE U.S.A. (+34 PER CENT) AND TAIWAN (+31 PER CENT). THE VALUE OF IMPORTS FROM CHINA AND JAPAN ALSO INCREASED, BY 28 PER CENT AND 23 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

DURING THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, RE-EXPORTS TO JAPAN, THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, CHINA, TAIWAN, AUSTRALIA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN VALUE TERMS BY 89 PER CENT, 61 PER CENT, 50 PER CENT, 48 PER CENT, 47 PER CENT AND 45 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS TO THE U.S.A. AND THE REPUBLIC KOREA ALSO INCREASED, BY 39 PER CENT AND 33 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

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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 IN JULY WILL BE RELEASED IN EARLY OCTOBER.

THE CHANGES IN DOMESTIC MARKETS ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

EXPORTS ΤΟ HONG

KONG'S 10 MAJOR

COMPARING JANUARY TO JULY 1988 WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1987, INCREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN VALUE TERMS WERE RECORDED IN MOST MAJOR COMMODITY DIVISIONS.

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THE MORE NOTABLE ONES WERE OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $2,547 MILLION OR 53 PER CENT); PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES AND OPTICAL GOODS WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $1,993 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT); ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF (BY $1,763 MILLION OR 22 PER CENT); AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT (BY $966 MILLION OR 12 PEP CENT).

/DOMESTIC EXPORTS