More than 60 per cent of Hong Kong's export manufacturers believe conditions are either going to remain the same or get worse during the next 12 months, a survey has found.
The survey by DHL Worldwide Express, the international delivery company, showed only about one-in-10 believed conditions would be excellent with about 26 per cent expecting a good trading environment.
The company's inaugural survey was an attempt to measure the level of business confidence among manufacturing export industries in 15 Asian countries.
It involved 1,125 interviews among senior executives from large exporting companies.
The majority of respondents in 11 of the 15 countries - particularly those in Australia and Vietnam - were optimistic about export orders in the next five years.
Fewer than half of the respondents in China, Taiwan, Thailand and Sri Lanka were bullish about future prospects.
For Hong Kong exporters, the major factors affecting sales during the next 12 months would be economic conditions followed by the trade atmosphere and cost.
