XN000022-1989-04-14 — Page 12

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FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1989

THE REVIEW PRESENTS A SUMMARY ACCOUNT OF THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE DIRECTION AND COMPOSITION OF HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE IN 1988.

A CONCISE AND COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF TRADE BY MAJOR TRADING PARTNERS AND BY PRINCIPAL COMMODITY CATEGORIES, .AND STATISTICS ON HONG KONG'S EXPORTS PERFORMANCE IN WORLD TRADE AND IN PRINCIPAL OVERSEAS MARKETS AS COMPARED WITH OUR MAJOR COMPETITORS, ARE INCLUDED IN THE PUBLICATION.

STATISTICS ON EXCHANGE RATES OF THE HONG HONG DOLLAR AGAINST PRINCIPAL FOREIGN CURRENCIES AND THE EFFECTIVE (TRADE-WEIGHTED) EXCHANGE RATE INDEX ARE ALSO PROVIDED.

ACCORDING TO THE REVIEW, IMPORTS ROSE BY 32 PER CENT IN VALUE IN 1988 OVER 1987, WHICH WAS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE 37 PER CENT INCREASE RECORDED IN 1987 OVER 1986.

SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE VALUE OF IMPORTS FROM CHINA (BY $38,277 MILLION OR 33 PER CENT) AND JAPAN

(BY MILLION OR 29 PER CENT), WHILE DECREASES WERE RECORDED FROM MACAU (BY $73 MILLION OR 3 PER CENT) AND SUDAN (BY .$68 OR 80 PER CENT).

$21,103.

IN

IMPORTS

MILLION

DOMESTIC EXPORTS CREW BY 11 PER CENT IN VALUE IN 1988, AFTER AN INCREASE OF 27 PER CENT RECORDED IN 1987.

BY $10,172

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO CHINA INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY MILLION OR 36 PER CENT WHILE THOSE TO THE UNITED KINGDOM BY $2,620 MILLION OR 20 PER CENT. HOWEVER, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO BANGLADESH DECREASED BY $205 MILLION OR 32 PER CENT.

WAS

AND

ANALYSED BY COMMODITY, SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN IMPORT VALUE REGISTERED FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF (BY $17,529 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT); AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING EQUIPMENT (BY $11,159 MILLION OR 51 PER CENT).

HOWEVER, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN TRANSPORT THAN ROAD VEHICLES (BY $614 MILLION OR 18 PER CENT); SKINS AND FURSKINS (BY $251 MILLION OR 10 PER CENT).

APPARATUS

AND

EQUIPMENT OTHER AND RAW HIDES,

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, INCREASES IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE RECORDED IN OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $4,524 MILLION OR 48 PER CENT); AND PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES AND OPTICAL GOODS (BY $3,671 MILLION OR 23 FER CENT).

HOWEVER, DECREASES WERE

REGISTERED

POR DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF TEXTILE YARN, FABRICS, MADE-UP ARTICLES AND RELATED PRODUCTS (BY $454 MILLION OR 3 PER CENT); AND TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR CONTAINERS (BY $190 MILLION OR 11 PER CENT).

/RE-EXPORTS GREW