XN000022-1990-04-12 — Page 7

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1990

COMPARING JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 1990 WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1989, A SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH WAS RECORDED FOR THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO TAIWAN BY 53 PER CENT. DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO SINGAPORE ALSO INCREASED BY 17 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS.

HOWEVER, THOSE TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, JAPAN, THE USA AND THE NETHERLANDS DECREASED BY 23 PER CENT, 14 PER CENT, 13 PER CENT, 9 PER CENT, 7 PER CENT, 5 PER CENT AND 3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO CHINA SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE.

IMPORTS IN JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 1990 FROM MANY MAJOR SUPPLIERS DECREASED IN VALUE TERMS COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1989. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS FROM THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA, THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, JAPAN AND THE UNITED KINGDOM DECREASED BY 16 PER CENT, 14 PER CENT, 11 PER CENT AND 9 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

HOWEVER, IMPORTS FROM CHINA, ITALY AND THE USA INCREASED BY 13 PER CENT, 12 PER CENT AND 5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN VALUE TERMS.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, RE-EXPORTS TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, CANADA AND THE USA INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN VALUE TERMS, BY 41 PER CENT, 34 PER CENT AND 26 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. INCREASES WERE ALSO RECORDED FOR THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, TAIWAN, SINGAPORE, JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA, BY 18 PER CENT, 12 PER CENT, 12 PER CENT, 7 PER CENT AND 4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

HOWEVER, THOSE TO CHINA AND THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA DECREASED BY 14 PER CENT AND 4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

EXTENDING THE PERIOD OF COMPARISON TO THE 12 MONTHS ENDING FEBRUARY 1990 WITH THE 12 MONTHS ENDING FEBRUARY 1989, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 2 PER CENT TO $222,749 MILLION, WHILE RE-EXPORTS, AT $350,172 MILLION, WAS UP BY 21 PER CENT.

TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, TOTAL EXPORTS ROSE BY 13 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS. IMPORTS INCREASED BY 8 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS TO $562,739 MILLION. THE VALUE OF TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE INCREASED BY 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 IN FEBRUARY 1990 WILL BE RELEASED IN EARLY MAY 1990.

THE CHANGES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS ΤΟ HONG KONG'S 10 MAJOR MARKETS ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

/COMPARING THE