THE Far East has become the fastest-growing market for Swedish products over the past few years, with Hong Kong and China accounting for an increasingly significant share.
The value of goods exported to the territory has grown by almost 70 per cent since 1990, rising from 1.31 billion Swedish kroner (HK$1.44 billion) that year to SEK2.21 billion in 1993, according to Statistics Sweden.
Heading the list of Swedish products in terms of value were Volvo and Saab cars, worth $459 million in 1993 and up 43 per cent on the previous year.
The automotive industry is Sweden's most important sub-sector of engineering, with 72 per cent of production destined for overseas markets.
Telecommunications, audio and video equipment ranked second, at $368 million, a rise of 48 per cent over 1992.
Paper and paperboard was next at $193 million, almost the same value as a year earlier.