XN000022-1988-09-24 — Page 6

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1988

RE-EXPORTS),

MILLION OR 32.8

THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS (DOMESTIC EXPORTS PLUS AT $46,100 MILLION IN AUGUST 1988, WAS THUS $11,394 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN AUGUST 1987.

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY 37.3 PER CENT OR OVER A YEAR EARLIER, TO $43,829 MILLION IN AUGUST 1988.

$11,896 MILLION

THE VISIBLE TRADE BALANCE IN AUGUST 1988 RECORDED A SURPLUS $2,271 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 5.2 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS.

EQUIVALENT

THIS COMPARES WITH A SURPLUS OF $2,773 MILLION, 8.7 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN AUGUST 1987.

OF

то

THE VALUE $303.149 AND

PUTTING THE TRADE FIGURES FOR AUGUST IN PERSPECTIVE,

EIGHT MONTHS FIRST OF TOTAL EXPORTS IN THE MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS RE-EXPORTS OF $166,726 MILLION.

OF

01.

WAS 1988

MILLION $136,423

'COMPARED WITH THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 1987,

TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $67,278 EXPORTS BY $13,127

он MILLION

PER 10.6

IN VALUE TERMS 28.5 PER CENT, DOMESTIC CENT, AND

RE-EXPORTS

BY

MILLION OR $54,151 MILLION OR 48.1 PER CENT.

OF

THE VALUE OVER THE SAME PERIOD, MILLION OR 30.6 PER CENT, TO $309,913 MILLION.

IMPORTS GREW BY

$72,529

A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $6,764 MILLION,

RECORDED WAS PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, MONTHS OF 1988.

EQUIVALENT ΤΟ 2.2 IN THE FIRST EIGHT

THIS COMPARES WITH A DEFICIT OF $1,513 MILLION,

ONLY 0.6 PER CENT OF THE

VALUK OF

IMPORTS,

RECORDED

EQUIVALENT ΤΟ IN THE SAME

PERIOD LAST YEAR.

ON COMMENTING

THESE

FIGURES,

A

GOVERNMENT

SECRETARIAT

IN

SPOKESMAN SAID THE HIGHER GROWTH RATE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS RECORDED

IN THE GROWTH RATE OF RETAINED AUGUST WAS IN LINE WITH A PICK-UP

OVER THE PAST SEMI-MANUFACTURES

FEW IMPORTS OF RAW MATERIALS MONTHS.

AND

EXPORTS FOR AS

HOWEVER, THE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATE OF DOMESTIC JULY AND AUGUST COMBINED, AT 8.8 PER CENT, WAS JUST ABOUT THE SAME

WHEN THE CORRESPONDING FIGURE WAS IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 8.9 PER CENT.

1988.

UPSURGE IN RE-EXPORTS

CHINA

THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT THE CONTINUED REFLECTED THE RE-EMERGENCE OF HONG KONG AS A MAJOR ENTREPOT FOR AND FOR THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION AS A WHOLE.

"THE FOLLOWING