XN000022-1993-02-11 — Page 2

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1993

GAZETTE PLAN REMAINS ON COURSE

THE PLAN

TO

ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE

GAZETTE THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS ON ELECTION THE END OF THE MONTH REMAINS ON COURSE, THE DEPUTY TO THE GOVERNO, SIR DAVID FORD,SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE CGO BUILDING, SIR DAVID SAID "WE HAVE SAID THAT OUR PLANS ARE THAT WE WILL GAZETTE THEM BEFORE THE END OF THE MONTH.

"WE REMAIN ON COURSE TO PROCEED IN THAT WAY.

"WE HAVE BEEN TOTALLY CONSISTENT.'

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EXTERNAL TRADE STATISTICS FOR DECEMBER AND 1992 RELEASED

BY

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (THURSDAY) RELEASED THE DETAILED STATISTICS OF EXTERNAL TRADE WITH BREAKDOWN COUNTRY AND COMMODITY FOR DECEMBER AND THE WHOLE YEAR OF 1992.

LAST YEAR,

THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA REMAINED THE TWO LARGEST COUNTRIES OF DESTINATION FOR HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS, WITH SHARES OF 27.6% AND 26.5% RESPECTIVELY, THE VALUES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THESE TWO COUNTRIES GREW BY 2.8% AND 13.9% RESPECTIVELY 1992 OVER 1991.

IN

OTHER MAJOR COUNTRIES OF DESTINATION THAT RECORDED INCREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORT VALUE INCLUDED SINGAPORE (+17.8%) AND TAIWAN (+7.2%).

HOWEVER, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO GERMANY, FRANCE, THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE NETHERLANDS AND JAPAN DECREASED IN 1992, BY 17.4%, 14.7%, 8.5%, 6.9% AND 5.7% RESPECTIVELY OVER 1991.

FOR DECEMBER 1992, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO SINGAPORE, CHINA, THE NETHERLANDS, TAIWAN AND GERMANY RECORDED INCREASES OVER DECEMBER 1991, BY 29.7%, 8.3%, 8.3%, 3. 9% AND 3.4% RESPECTIVELY.

HOWEVER, DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE VALUR OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO CANADA (-16.1%), THE UNITED STATES (-15.6%), JAPAN (-10.4%) AND FRANCE (-7.4%).

THE CHANGES IN THE VALUR OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE 10 MAJOR COUNTRIES OF DESTINATION ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

FOR ALL COUNTRIES OF DESTINATION TAKEN TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS FOR THE WHOLE YEAR OF 1992 WAS $234 BILLION, 1.3% OVER THAT OF 1991. FOR DECEMBER 1992, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS WAS $21,658 MILLION, 2.9% BELOW THAT IN DECEMBER 1991.

TABLE 2 SHOWS THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF THE 10 MAJOR COMMODITY DIVISIONS.

/COMPARING 1992