Hong Kong's gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.5 percent in real terms in the second quarter of 2002 over the same period last year, said the Census and Statistics Department Thursday.
The GDP in the second quarter was estimated at 307.5 billion HK dollars (39.4 billion US dollars) at current market prices.
However, the total factor income inflow into Hong Kong was estimated at 78.1 billion HK dollars (10 billion dollars) in the second quarter, down 25.5 percent from a year earlier.
The total factor income outflow, estimated at 76.0 billion HK dollars (9.7 billion dollars) in the second quarter, also declined significantly by 26.1 percent over a year earlier.
The department said the Chinese mainland remained the leading source of Hong Kong's external factor income inflow in the second quarter, accounting for 24.9 percent of the total inflow.
The Chinese mainland was also the most important destination for Hong Kong's external factor income outflow in the second quarter, accounting for 17.2 percent of the total outflow, it said.
A government spokesman noted the drop of factor income inflows and outflows mainly due to the more modest performance of the major overseas economies and the marked easing in interest rates over the course of last year.
(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2002)