MORE evidence of Hong Kong's transition from a manufacturing to a services-based economy is revealed in government trade figures released yesterday.
According to the Census and Statistics Department, the re-exports during the first seven months of the year were 13 per cent higher than for the same period last year.
During the same period, the volume of domestic exports shrank 5.8 per cent.
But the 8.9 per cent rise in the volume of total exports - domestic and re-exports - was outweighed by an 11 per cent rise in imports for the period.
Prices for exports and re-exports rose 0.7 per cent and 1.2 per cent, respectively. Import prices increased 1.8 per cent.
Comparing July with the same month last year reveals the volume of re-exports increased 0.9 per cent while the volume of domestic exports fell 6.1 per cent. The volume of imports grew 8.8 per cent.