XN000022-1994-06-28 — Page 2

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1994

PROVISIONAL FIGURES ON EXTERNAL TRADE FOR MAY

IN

BOTH RE-EXPORTS AND IMPORTS RECORDED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES

IN DOMESTIC MAY 1994 OVER THE SAME MONTH IN 1993, WHILE THE DECLINE EXPORTS MODERATED.

AND

TRADE STATISTICS

THESE ARE SHOWN IN THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES ON EXTERNAL MAY RELEASED

(TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS DEPARTMENT.

FOR

TODAY

THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS, AT $75.9 BILLION IN MAY 1994, WAS $9.0 BILLION OR 13% HIGHER THAN A YEAR EARLIER.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS FELL BY MILLION OR 2.4% OVER A YEAR EARLIER TO $17.7 BILLION IN MAY,

$444

OF TAKING RE-EXPORTS AND DOMESTIC EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY $8.5 BILLION OR 10% TO $93.6 BILLION IN MAY 1994.

MEANWHILE, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY $13.6 BILLION 15% TO $104.3 BILLION.

OR

AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS IN MAY 1994 WAS SMALLER THAN THAT OF TOTAL IMPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $10.7 BILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 10% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED.

THIS COMPARED WITH A DEFICIT OF $5.6 BILLION, EQUIVALENT 6.2% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, IN MAY 1993.

IN THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1994, THE VALUE OF GREW BY 8.5% OVER THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

TO

TOTAL EXPORTS

AMONGST THIS, THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 13%, WHILE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS FELL BY 6.6%.

EXPANSION IN HONG

SUPPORTED LARGELY BY THE CONTINUED RE-EXPORT TRADE, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 11%.

THAT

KONG'S

$35.1 RECORDED.

IN THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1994, A VISIBLE TRADE

OF TO 7.6% OF THE VALUE BILLION, EQUIVALENT

IMPORTS,

DEFICIT OF WAS

5.8% 1993.

THIS COMPARED WITH A DEFICIT OF $24.0 BILLION, OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN THE FIRST FIVE

EQUIVALENT

MONTHS OF

TO

SAID

MAY,

IN

COMMENTING ON THE TRADE FIGURES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT COMPARED WITH APRIL, THE GROWTH RATE OF RE-EXPORTS PICKED UP WHILST THE RATE OF DECLINE IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS MODERATED

SOMEWHAT.

/MEANWHILE, FOLLOWING