XN000022-1994-02-28 — Page 5

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1994

PROVISIONAL FIGURES OF EXTERNAL TRADE FOR JANUARY 1994

RE-EXPORTS SHOWED A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN JANUARY THIS YEAR OVER THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR, WHILE DOMESTIC EXPORTS ALSO REGISTERED A MODERATE INCREASE. IMPORTS ROSE MARKEDLY.

FOR

THRSE ARE SHOWN IN THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES OF

RELEASED JANUARY

TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS

DEPARTMENT.

EXTERNAL TRADE STATISTICS AND

WAS

THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS, AT $66,771 MILLION IN $17,606 MILLION OR 36% HIGHER THAN A YEAR EARLIER.

JANUARY 1994,

THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY $781 MILLION OR 5.4% OVER A YEAR EARLIER TO $15,340 MILLION IN JANUARY.

TOTAL

TAKING RE-EXPORTS AND DOMESTIC EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE

OVER EXPORTS IN JANUARY 1994 GREW BY $18,387 MILLION OR 29% YEAR EARLIER TO $82,111 MILLION.

OF

A

OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY $17,027 MILLION OR 27% TO $80,378 MILLION.

AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS LARGER THAN THAT OF TOTAL IMPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE SURPLUS OF $1,734 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 2.2%

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN JANUARY 1994.

OF

THIS COMPARED WITH A SURPLUS OF $374 MILLION, 0.6% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN JANUARY 1993.

EQUIVALENT

ΤΟ

REFLECTING A CONTINUING RAPID CHANGE IN THE COMPOSITION OF HONG

EXPORT KONG'S

TRADE, THE SHARE OF RE-EXPORTS IN THE VALUE EXPORTS ROSE TO 81% IN JANUARY 1994, FROM 77% IN JANUARY 1993.

OF

TOTAL

COMMENTING ON THE JANUARY TRADE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID AFTER EXPERIENCING A RELATIVELY LESS RAPID GROWTH IN THE PREVIOUS MONTHS. RE-EXPORTS PICKED UP SUBSTANTIALLY IN JANUARY.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS ALSO REBOUNDED TO POSITIVE GROWTH DECLINES IN THE EARLIER PERIODS, HE SAID.

AFTER THE

TO

DISTORTED YEAR

HOWEVER, HE SAID THESE GROWTH RATES COULD HAVE BEEN SOMF EXTENT BY THE DIFFERENCE IN TIMING OF THE

NEW LUNAR HOLIDAYS, WHICH WAS IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR BUT WAS IN JANUARY LAST YEAR.

"COMPARISON OF FIGURES COVERING THE FIRST QUARTER AS A WHOLE SHOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE, HE SAID.

י

THE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATE OF RETAINED IMPORTS IN JANUARY 1994 WAS 12.4%, COMPARED WITH A FALL. OF 4.5% IN DECEMBER 1993.

FOR

A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS OF HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE JANUARY 1994, RY COMMODITY AND COUNTRY, WILL BE RELEASED IN MID-MARCH.

/THE FOLLOWING

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