XN000022-1990-04-27 — Page 5

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1990

THE TWO SIDES HAD A FURTHER EXCHANGE OF VIEWS ON THE DETAILS FUTURE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SURRENDER OF FUGITIVE OFFENDERS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND RELEVANT COUNTRIES.

OF

THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP DECIDED THAT ITS NEXT MEETING WOULD TAKE PLACE IN LONDON FROM SEPTEMBER 25 TO 28.

IN

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR MARCH RELEASED

*

MARCH 1990, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS SHOWED ONLY A SMALL DECLINE COMPARED WITH MARCH 1989, WHILE THE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATE OF RE-EXPORTS ACCELERATED FROM THOSE IN THE PRECEDING THREE MONTHS. IMPORTS CONTINUED TO SHOW A MODERATE INCREASE.

THESE ARE SHOWN IN THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN MARCH 1990 WAS $16,512 MILLION, $111 MILLION OR 0.7 PER CENT LESS THAN IN MARCH 1989, WHILE THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY $4,260 MILLION OR 16.1 PER CENT TO $30,743 MILLION.

THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS (DOMESTIC EXPORTS PLUS RE-EXPORTS), $47,255 MILLION IN MARCH 1990, WAS THUS $4,149 MILLION OR 9.6 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN MARCH 1989.

AT

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY 5.6 PER CENT OR $2,693 MILLION FROM A YEAR EARLIER, TO $51,117 MILLION IN MARCH 1990.

EXPORTS, CENT

AS THE VALUE OF IMPORTS WAS LARGER THAN THAT OF TOTAL A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $3,862 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 7.6 PER OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN MARCH 1990.

THIS COMPARES WITH A DEFICIT OF $5,318 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 11.0 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN MARCH 1989.

PUTTING THESE FIGURES IN PERSPECTIVE, THE VALUR OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1990 WAS $129,609 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $46,460 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $83,149 MILLION.

COMPARED WITH THE SAME QUARTER LAST YEAR, TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $6,560 MILLION OR 5.3 PER CENT IN VALUR TERMS, WITH DOMESTIC EXPORTS FALLING BY $1,467 MILLION OR 3.1 PER CENT and re-EXPORTS RISING BY $8,027 MILLION OR 10.7 PER CENT.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD, IMPORTS ROSE BY $2,650 MILLION OR BY 2.0 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS, TO $132,681 MILLION.

/A VISIBLE