XN000022-1990-04-27 — Page 6

5

FIRDAY, APRIL 27, 1990

PER

TO 2.3 QUARTER EQUIVALENT

A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $3,072 MILLION, EQUIVALENT CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED FOR THE FIRST OF 1990. THIS COMPARES WITH A DEFICIT OF $6,982 MILLION, TO 5.4 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1989.

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT ALTHOUGH SLUGGISH, THE RATE OF

THE SAME

THIS

AT SIGNIFICANTLY.

STILL

THE PERFORMANCE OF DOMESTIC DECLINE HAD MODERATED IN MARCH.

EXPORTS WAS

RE-EXPORTS OF

PICKED UP CHINA ORIGIN, STILL

TIME, THE GROWTH RATE OF

WAS SUPPORTED BY RE-EXPORTS WHICH CONTINUED TO RISE MARKEDLY WHILE RE-EXPORTS TO CHINA WERE ON THE DECLINE.

RETAINED IMPORTS, HOWEVER, REMAINED WEAK IN MARCH COMPARED WITH A YEAR EARLIER.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE PRESENTS THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES MARCH 1990.

FOR

MERCHANDISE:

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

RE-EXPORTS

:

TOTAL EXPORTS

IMPORTS

TRADE BALANCE

$16,512 MILLION $30,743 MILLION $47,255 MILLION $51,117 MILLION $ 3,862 MILLION

[IN DEFICIT]

COMPARATIVE FIGURES

LATEST 3 MONTHS

JAN 90 TO MAR 90

HK$ MN.

JAN 89 TO MAR 89 HK$ MN.

INCREASE HK$ MN.

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

46,460

47,927

-1,467

-3.1

(% OF TOTAL EXPORTS}

(35.8%)

(38.9%)

RE-EXPORTS

83,149

75,122

8,027

10.7

TOTAL EXPORTS

129,609

123,049

6,560

5.3

IMPORTS

132,681

130,031

2,650

2.0

TRADE BALANCE

-3,072

-6,982

3,910

SAME MONTH LAST YEAR

MARCH 1990

MARCH

HK$ MN.

1989 HK$ MN.

INCREASE

HK$ MN.

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

16,512

16,623

-111

0.7

(% OF TOTAL EXPORTS)

(34.9%)

(38.6%)

RE-EXPORTS

30,743

26,483

4,260

16.1

TOTAL EXPORTS

47,255

43,106

4,149

9.6

IMPORTS

51,117

48,424

2.693

5.6

TRADE BALANCE

-3,862

-5,318

1,456

/LAST MONTH