XN000022-1991-04-13 — Page 2

SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1991

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EXTERNAL TRADE STATISTICS FOR FEBRUARY RELEASED

TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE IN FEBRUARY 1991, AT $90,816 MILLION, GREW BY 16% IN VALUE AS COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1990, ACCORDING TO THE DETAILED FIGURES ON THE VALUE OF TRADE IN FEBRUARY 1991 RELEASED TODAY (SATURDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

OF

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE VALUE

DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 8% TO $14,346 MILLION, WHILE THAT OF RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 29% TO $31,462 MILLION.

THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY 21% TO $45,807 MILLION. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY 11% TO $45,009 MILLION.

CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED IN INTERPRETING THE TRADE FIGURES FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL MONTH IN ISOLATION, IN VIEW OF THE FLUCTUATIONS THAT MAY OCCUR FROM MONTH TO MONTH.

IN PARTICULAR, THE TRADE FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY THIS YEAR ARE AFFECTED BY THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS, WHICH OCCURRED IN LATE JANUARY LAST YEAR, BUT IN MID-FEBRUARY THIS YEAR.

THE VALUE OF TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE IN JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 1991, AT $209,673 MILLION, INCREASED BY 28% AS COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1990.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 12% TO $33,522 MILLION, WHILE THAT OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 34% TO $70,482 MILLION. THUS, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY 26% TO $104,004 MILLION. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY 30% TO $105,669 MILLION.

EXTENDING THE PERIOD OF COMPARISON TO THE 12 MONTHS ENDING FEBRUARY 1991 WITH THE 12 MONTHS ENDING FEBRUARY 1990, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 3% TO $229,449 MILLION WHILE THAT OF RE- EXPORTS WAS UP BY 23% TO $432,075 MILLION.

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TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS ROSE BY 15%. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY 18% $666,636 MILLION. THE VALUE OF TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE, AS A WHOLE, INCREASED BY 17%.

THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO 10 MAJOR MARKETS ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

COMPARING FEBRUARY 1991 WITH FEBRUARY 1990, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS ΤΟ THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE NETHERLANDS, FRANCE, TAIWAN AND SINGAPORE RECORDED SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES OF 68%, 41%, 35%, 33%, 26% AND 24% RESPECTIVELY. DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN ALSO RECORDED AN INCREASE OF 5% IN VALUE.

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