HC Deb 05 February 1998 vol 305 cc782-3W
31. Mr. Spring

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on trade with south-east Asia. [25717]

Mrs. Beckett

In 1997, UK exports of goods to South East Asia were worth £16.7 billion, 2 per cent. higher than a year earlier. The value of imports from the region increased by 4½ per cent. to £29.2 billion. Information on UK trade in services is not available for many of the countries in South East Asia, nor for the region as a whole.

Details of UK trade in goods with each of the countries in the region are given in the following tables.

UK Exports—Goods
£ million, current prices
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 percentage change on 1996
Burma 19 13 15 21 15 -28.3
Thailand 664 749 838 974 862 -11.5
Laos 1 1 3 5 3 -41.7
Vietnam 17 63 60 50 95 91.2
Cambodia 3 2 3 3 2 -26.6
Indonesia 331 366 525 828 701 -15.3
Malaysia 966 1,310 1,197 1,160 1,205 3.9

UK Exports—Goods
£ million, current prices
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 percentage change on 1996
Brunei 324 418 1,254 562 560 -0.4
Singapore 1,431 1,769 2,071 2,145 2,043 -4.7
Philippines 306 355 432 395 600 51.8
S Korea 796 971 1,153 1,304 1,223 -6.2
Taiwan 668 735 962 941 1,034 9.8
Hong Kong 2,170 2,298 2,655 2,923 3,211 9.8
China 739 845 828 739 920 24.6
Japan 2,654 3,001 3,783 4,264 4,178 -2.0
SE Asia 11,090 12,898 14,781 16,315 16,653 2.1

UK Imports—Goods
£ million, current prices
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 percentage change on 1996
Burma 9 14 9 14 19 41.6
Thailand 771 914 1,040 1,188 1,222 2.9
Laos 0 2 14 7 6 -13.7
Vietnam 22 66 107 160 194 21.5
Cambodia 1 2 8 22 25 12.1
Indonesia 701 783 904 981 1,029 4.9
Malaysia 1,397 1,204 1,489 2,380 2,025 -14.9
Brunei 308 294 126 292 337 15.4
Singapore 1,618 1,896 2,206 2,573 2,714 5.5
Philippines 277 244 352 895 761 -15.0
S Korea 1,080 1,095 1,562 2,038 2,239 0.8
Taiwan 1,621 1,582 1,727 2,088 2,342 12.1
Hong Kong 2,998 3,081 3,539 4,073 4,349 6.8
China 1,327 1,642 1,940 2,202 2,495 13.3
Japan 8,532 8,831 9,635 8,994 9,410 4.6
SE Asia 20,661 21,651 24,658 27,907 29,167 4.5

Source:

Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, HM Customs and Excise.