TRADE
If the value of Hong Kong's population cannot be quantified, trade between the territory and the United Kingdom can be expressed in cold hard fact.
Fact:
Britain's direct exports to Hong Kong were worth
that with £408 million to
£1.1 billion in 1989.
Compare
China and £412 million to Taiwan in the same year.
Fact:
In addition to direct exports Britain earns over El billion in invisible earnings every year from such things as dividends, tourism, banking, insurance, financial and professional services, transport and cargo
revenue.
This means Britain earned more than £2 billion
from Hong Kong in 1989.
Fact:
British imports from the territory totalled
£1.9 billion in 1989. So one way or another, Britain and Hong Kong give each other a lot of business every year. Overall, total trade is roughly in balance and amounts to
about £4 billion.
If Hong Kong were to decline as a manufacturing centre, Britain would still have to obtain many of these goods and services from somewhere, possibly at prices far greater than those of efficient Hong Kong.
And Britain would have lost a very valuable
export market.
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