XN000022-1992-09-03 — Page 4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1992

THE CHIEF SECRETARY THEN MOVED ON TO THE FACTORY OF A S WATSON INDUSTRIES LIMITED AT TAI PO INDUSTRIAL ESTATE.

EMPLOYING ABOUT 900 STAFF MEMBERS AT ITS PLANT IN TAI PO, THE COMPANY IS A MAJOR PRODUCER OF DISTILLED DRINKING WATER IN HONG KONG.

AT THE QUALITY CONTROL LABORATORY, SIR DAVID WAS BRIEFED ON THE STRINGENT QUALITY CONTROL AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYED THROUGHOUT THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS.

HALF-YEAR FIGURES ON MERCHANDISE TRADE BY AIR

THE VALUE OF TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE BY AIR IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR AMOUNTED TO $149,923 MILLION, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 14% OVER THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

THIS IS ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1992, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY AIR SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WHILE THAT OF IMPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS BY AIR INCREASED BY 15% AND 23% RESPECTIVELY OVER THE SAME PERIOD IN 1991.

OF TOTAL

IN VALUE TERMS, AIRBORNE TRADE ACCOUNTED FOR 17% MERCHANDISE TRADE. THE SHARES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS, IMPORTS AND RE- EXPORTS WERE 29%, 18% AND 13% RESPECTIVELY,

DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY AIR ΤΟ THE 10 MAJOR COUNTRIES OF DESTINATION ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

COMPARING THE FIRST HALF OF 1992 WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1991, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY AIR TO SINGAPORE ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY, BY 32%. THAT TO TAIWAN AND THE U.S. INCREASED BY 8% AND 5% RESPECTIVELY.

HOWEVER, THE VALUE

OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY

AIR TO GERMANY,

FRANCE, SWITZERLAND AND THE NETHERLANDS DECREASED BY 30%, 17%, 11% AND 10% RESPECTIVELY.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY AIR IN RESPECT OF THE 10 MAJOR COMMODITY DIVISIONS ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 2.

ANALYSED BY COMMODITY, SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY AIR WERE RECORDED FOR OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING MACHINES (+26%); ELECTRICAL NACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF (+15%); AND MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES, INCLUDING MAINLY JEWELLERY, GOLDSMITHS' AND SILVERSMITHS' WARES, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF PRECIOUS OR SEMI-PRECIOUS MATERIALS (+5%).

/HOWEVER, DECREASES