TNAG-1154-FCO40-1434-Visits-by-Members-of-Parliament-(MPs)-to-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 228

The principal markets were:

United States

EC

of which:

UK

FRG

Japan

China

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5

36.3%

24.8%

(9.6%)

(8.8%)

3.7%

3.6%

3.3%

Australia

2.9 Hong Kong's imports of goods in 1981 totalled HK$138,375 million (approx.£12,580 million).

Raw Materials

Consumer Goods

Capital Goods

Food Stuffs

The principal imports were:

40.4%

26.7%

14.6%

10.6%

The principal suppliers were:

Japan

China

EC

of which:

UK

FRG

United States

Taiwan

Singapore

23.2%

21.3%

11.5%

(4.5%)

(2.4%)

10.4%

7.8%

7.7%

2.10

Trade in invisibles makes an important contribution to Hong Kong's balance of payments. In 1980 Hong Kong's surplus on invisibles was,

according to preliminary estimates, HK$8,850 million.

2.11

UK trade with Hong Kong is in substantial deficit. The British

share of the Hong Kong market declined from over 11% in 1967 to only 4.2% in 1976, rose to 5.1% in 1979, and in 1981 stood at 4.5%. Hong

Kong remains Britain's second largest market in the Far East after Japan. British exports to Hong Kong in 1980 totalled £559 million, and that put

Hong Kong well ahead of China (£213 million) as a market for British

goods. British imports from Hong Kong in 1980 totalled £850 million.

A substantial proportion of British imports from Hong Kong in recent years have consisted of textiles and clothing.

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