XN000022-1992-10-26 — Page 2

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1992

1

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR SEPTEMBER 1992

IN

SEPTEMBER 1992, RE-EXPORTS RECORDED A FURTHER SHARP INCREASE, WHILE DOMESTIC EXPORTS CONTINUED TO REVIVE. IMPORTS

SHOWED A MARKED GROWTH.

ALSO

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

THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY $14,229 MILLION OR 28.4% OVER A YEAR EARLIER TO $64,360 MILLION IN SEPTEMBER 1992.

THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS ALSO INCREASED, BY $603 MILLION OR 2.9% TO $21,129 MILLION.

TOTAL

TAKING RE-EXPORTS AND DOMESTIC EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF EXPORTS IN SEPTEMBER GREW BY $14,832 MILLION OR 21.0% OVER A YEAR EARLIER TO $85,489 MILLION.

MEANWHILE, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY $15,999 MILLION OR 23.9% TO $82,952 MILLION.

AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS LARGER THAN THAT OF TOTAL IMPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE SURPLUS OF $2,537 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 3.1% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN SEPTEMBER 1992.

THIS COMPARED WITH A SURPLUS OF $3,704 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 5.5% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN SEPTEMBER 1991.

IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1992, THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY $116,361 MILLION OR 30.7% OVER A YEAR EARLIER TO $495,317 MILLION.

THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AMOUNTED TO $170,284 MILLION, $3,291 MILLION OR 2.0% HIGHER THAN IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1991.

TAKING RE-EXPORTS AND DOMESTIC EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT $665,601 MILLION IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1992, WAS $119,652 MILLION OR 21.9% HIGHER THAN A YEAR EARLIER.

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY $127,924 MILLION OR 22.8% то $689,935 MILLION.

A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $24,334 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 3.5% THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF

OF 1992.

THIS COMPARED WITH A DEFICIT OF $16,062 MILLION, EQUIVALENT ΤΟ 2.9% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

COMMENTING ON THE SEPTEMBER TRADE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THE DEPRECIATION OF THE HONG KONG DOLLAR IN LINE WITH THE U.S. DOLLAR SINCE MID-APRIL MIGHT HAVE HELPED THE EXPORT PERFORMANCE.

/WHILE RE-EXPORTS