Hong Kong 2000: Country Commercial Guide

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Country Commercial Guides for FY 2000:
Hong Kong

Report prepared by U.S. Embassy
Hong Kong, released July 1999

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CHAPTER X: ECONOMIC AND TRADE STATISTICS
APPENDIX A: COUNTRY DATA
a.    Population			6.8 million (early-1999)

b.    Population Growth Rate		2.8%

c.    Religion(s)			Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, small
					numbers of Moslems, Hindus, Jews, 
					and Sikhs.

d.    Government System			Reverted to Chinese sovereignty and
					became a Special Administrative 
					Region of China on July 1, 1997 with
					a high degree of autonomy until 2047.


e.    Language(s)			English and Cantonese are the 
					languages of administration and 
					commerce.  Mandarin Chinese is 
					becoming increasingly common.
APPENDIX B: DOMESTIC ECONOMY
(US$ Millions, unless otherwise noted)

					1997	    1998	1999 (est)

a.   GDP (current prices)		171,451	   165,281	164,438

b.   Real GDP Growth (%)		 5.3	    -5.1	 0.5

c.   GDP Per Capita (US$)		 26,302	    24,716	 24,270
     (current prices)

d.   Government Spending as % of	18.3	    19.2	21.1
     GDP (FY)

e.   Inflation (%)			 5.7	     2.8	-2.5

f.   Unemployment (%)			 2.2	     4.7	 6.7

g.   Foreign Exchange Reserves		 92,800	    89,620	 90,068

h.   Average Exchange Rate for 		 7.746	     7.745	 7.746
     US$1.00

i.   Debt Service Ratio*		 N/A	     N/A	 N/A

j.   U.S. Military/Economic 		 N/A	     N/A	 N/A
     Assistance
Sources:   Hong Kong Government; forecasts for 1999 are U.S. Consulate General unofficial projections.
Note:   Beginning July 1, 1997, the Land Fund, estimated to be US$ 19.2 billion, has been included in the Foreign Exchange Reserves.
*   The Hong Kong government has no foreign debt.
APPENDIX C:   MERCHANDISE TRADE
(US$ Millions, unless otherwise noted)

					  1997		  1998	        1999
a.    Total Country Exports

      Total Exports
      (including re-exports)		186,660		172,776	      163,022

      of which: Domestic Exports	 27,104		 24,161	       22,503

b.    Total Country Imports

      Total Imports			207,063		183,217	      175,515

      of which:  Retained Imports	 75,671		60,600	       59,675

c.    U.S. Exports

      U.S. Exports to Hong Kong 	 17,076		14,239	       14,041

d.    U.S. Imports

      Hong Kong Exports to the U.S.
      (domestic exports)		  7,061		 7,031	        6,751
      (re-exports)			 33,509		33,315	       33,290
Note:   The above statistics are based on Hong Kong Government trade statistics. U.S. Department of Commerce statistics show U.S. exports to Hong Kong in 1998 of $12.9 billion, and imports from Hong Kong of $10.5 billion.
The 1999 numbers are based on U.S. Consulate General unofficial projections.
Sources:   Hong Kong Government

APPENDIX D:   INVESTMENT STATISTICS
(See Section VII. Investment Climate, Part P, Foreign Direct Investment Statistics)

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Country Commercial Guides for FY 2000:Hong Kong

Country Commercial Guides for FY 2000:
Hong Kong