XN000022-1992-01-27 — Page 7

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1992

6

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR DECEMBER 1991 ANNOUNCED

WHILE

IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR, RE-EXPORTS CONTINUED TO SURGE, DOMESTIC EXPORTS ROSE SIGNIFICANTLY. IMPORTS ALSO REGISTERED A MARKED INCREASE.

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

THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS IN DECEMBER 1991 ROSE $15,726 MILLION OR 42.8% OVER A YEAR EARLIER TO $52,487 MILLION.

10.3% VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS ALSO ROSE, BY $2,087 MILLION OR $22,299 MILLION.

RE-EXPORTS AND DOMESTIC EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $17,813 MILLION OR 31.3% OVER A YEAR EARLIER $74,786 MILLION IN DECEMBER 1991. OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE VALUE IMPORTS ROSE BY $17,616 MILLION OR 29.7% TO $76,974 MILLION,

BY

THE

TO

OF

ΤΟ OF

AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS SMALLER THAN THAT OF TOTAL IMPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $2,188 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 2.8% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN DECEMBER 1991. THE DEFICIT 4.0% OF RECORDED IN DECEMBER 1990 WAS $2,385 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO THE VALUE OF IMPORTS.

FOR 1991 AS A WHOLE, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS $765,886 MILLION, MADE UP OF RE-EXPORTS OF $534,841 DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $231,045 MILLION.

AMOUNTED MILLION

TO

AND

OR

OR

SAME

21.2%

TO

COMPARED WITH 1990, TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $126,012 MILLION MILLION IN VALUE TERMS, WITH RE-EXPORTS RISING BY $120,842 AND DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY $5,170 MILLION OR 2.3%. OVER THE

VALUE OF IMPORTS ROSE BY $136,452 MILLION THE

OR $778,982 MILLION.

19.7%

29.2% PERIOD,

FOR 1991 AS A WHOLE, THERE WAS A TRADE DEFICIT OF $13,096 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 1.7% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS. THE DEFICIT RECORDED IN 1990 WAS $2,656 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 0.4% OF THE VALUE

OF IMPORTS.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTED THAT THE LARGE INCREASE IN EXPORTS IN DECEMBER 1991 WAS DUE IN PART TO A RUSH FOR SHIPMENT TOWARDS THE YEAR END ΤΟ MEET THE SEASONAL

THE DEMAND. ALSO, UNCERTAINTIES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE POSSIBLE U.S. SPECIAL 301 ACTION ON CHINA

OF OVER THE LAST MONTH OR SO MIGHT HAVE LED TO THE ADVANCEMENT SOME OF THE RE-EXPORT SHIPMENTS TO THE U.S. MARKET.

COMMENTING ON THE TRADE PERFORMANCE FOR THE WHOLE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE ROBUST RE-EXPORT GROWTH WAS MAINLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE CONTINUED RAPID INCREASE IN RE-EXPORTS CHINA IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.

YEAR,

THE

INVOLVING

/WHILE DOMESTIC