HK July exports value up 6.8%; imports up 7.5%

    The values of Hong Kong's total exports and imports of goods both showed year-on-year increases in July, at 6.8% and 7.5% respectively, data from the Census and Statistics Department showed.
  The value of total exports of goods (comprising re-exports and domestic exports) for July rose 6.8% over a year earlier to HK$326.2 billion, after a year-on-year increase of 11.4% in June. Within this total, the value of re-exports grew 6.8% to HK$321 billion in July, while the value of domestic exports rose 7% to HK$5.1 billion. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods rose 7.5% over a year earlier to HK$368.3 billion in July, after a year-on-year increase of 7.6% in June. A visible trade deficit of HK$42.1 billion, equivalent to 11.4% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in July.
  A Government spokesman commented that looking ahead, Hong Kong's export performance will still much hinge on the recovery pace of the global economy. The external environment is at present subject to various downside risks, especially those arising from the US monetary policy normalisation, faltering recovery of the eurozone economy, and intensified geopolitical tensions in various parts of the world.