The statistics on foreign commodity trade released by the Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government on the 27th showed that the overall export and import value of Hong Kong increased by 11.9% and 3.7% year-on-year, respectively, in April this year. According to the announcement, the overall export value of Hong Kong goods in April was HKD 378.7 billion, while the import value was HKD 388.9 billion, resulting in a tangible trade deficit of HKD 10.2 billion. From a regional perspective, exports to most Asian economies recorded a year-on-year increase in value, with exports to Malaysia increasing by 38.4%, exports to Thailand increasing by 33.2%, exports to Vietnam increasing by 22.1%, and exports to mainland China increasing by 21.3%. Meanwhile, exports to India, Japan, and Europe recorded year-on-year declines. In addition, among the 10 major export goods listed by the Statistics Department, most of them showed a double-digit year-on-year increase in value. In terms of imports, the value of imported goods from most major supply areas has recorded an increase. In the first four months of this year, the overall export value of Hong Kong's goods increased by 11.9% year-on-year, while the import value increased by 6.9%, recording a tangible trade deficit of 93.9 billion yuan. Zhuang Tailiang, Executive Director of the Liu Zuode Institute for Global Economics and Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, stated that changes in Hong Kong's imports and exports are easily influenced by the mainland, and the upward and downward trends are also similar to changes in mainland imports and exports. Driven by the growth in exports of mainland goods such as new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products, Hong Kong's export performance in April was better than expected. He believes that this trend can continue and there is hope that it will gradually return to pre pandemic levels within the year. A spokesperson for the Special Administrative Region Government stated that the value of commodity exports increased significantly year-on-year in April this year. Exports to the mainland and the United States have significantly increased, while exports to the European Union have declined. The performance of exports to other major Asian markets varies. Looking into the future, although geopolitical tensions and a prolonged tightening of financial conditions may bring uncertainty, if external demand continues to persist, Hong Kong's export performance will continue to improve. The SAR government will closely monitor the relevant situation. (Lai Xin She)