XN000022-1991-02-11 — Page 2

- 1

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1991

HK'S EXTERNAL TRADE PERFORMANCE IN DECEMBER AND IN 1990

TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE IN DECEMBER 1990, AT $116,335 MILLION, GREW BY 20 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AS COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1989, ACCORDING TO THE DETAILED FIGURES ON THE VALUE OF TRADE IN DECEMBER AND THE WHOLE YEAR OF 1990 RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

OVER THE SAMB PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 1 PER CENT TO $20,212 MILLION, WHILE THAT OF RE- EXPORTS ROSE BY 24 PER CENT TO $36,761 MILLION.

THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY 15 PER CENT TO $56,973 MILLION. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY 25 PER CENT

TO $59,362 MILLION.

THE VALUE OF TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE IN THE YEAR 1990, AT $1,282,405 MILLION, INCREASED BY 13 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH THE YEAR 1989.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 1 PER CENT TO $225,875 MILLION, WHILE THAT OF RE- EXPORTS INCREASED BY 20 PER CENT TO $413,999 MILLION.

THUS,

THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY 12 PER CENT TO $639,874 MILLION. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY 14 PER CENT TO $642,530 MILLION.

THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO MARKETS ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

10 MAJOR

COMPARING DECEMBER 1990 WITH DECEMBER

1989, THE VALUB OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO SINGAPORE AND THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY RECORDED SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES OF 44 PER CENT AND 24 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO CHINA, FRANCE AND THE UNITED KINGDOM ALSO INCREASED, BY 13 PER CENT, 7 PER CENT AND 3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

USA,

11

PER

HOWEVER, THE VALUB OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN, THE CANADA, THE NETHERLANDS AND TAIWAN DECREASED BY 12 PER CENT, CENT, 8 PER CENT, 3 PER CENT AND 2 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

COMPARING THE YEAR 1990 WITH THE YEAR 1989, SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO SINGAPORE AND TAIWAN, BY 34 PER CENT AND 28 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, CHINA AND THE NETHERLANDS INCREASED BY 14 PER CENT, 10 PER CENT AND 4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

HOWEVER, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO CANADA, THE USA, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND JAPAN DECREASED IN VALUE TERMS, BY 15 PER CENT, PER CENT, 8 PER CENT AND 7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

TABLE 2 SHOWS THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF THE MAJOR COMMODITY DIVISIONS.

/COMPARING THE