Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for January 2019 amounted to MOP1.53 billion, up by 24.6% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP1.39 billion) increased by 28.3%, with that of Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products and Diamond & diamond jewellery surging by 274.5% and 175.0%. However, value of domestic exports (MOP140 million) dropped by 3.4%, with that of Tobacco falling by 24.1%. Total merchandise import rose by 7.2% year-on-year to MOP8.97 billion, of which imports of Motor cars & motorcycles and Garments & footwear expanded by 72.2% and 57.5% respectively, but that of Construction materials and Mobile phones fell by 45.5% and 32.8% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in January amounted to MOP7.44 billion.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Mainland China decreased by 21.9% year-on-year to MOP167 million in January 2019, of which exports to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP161 million) declined by 23.8%. Meanwhile, exports to Hong Kong (MOP1.12 billion), the USA (MOP27 million) and the EU (MOP16 million) grew by 38.6%, 74.9% and 27.9% respectively. Moreover, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP0.12 million) and the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP21 million) rose by 670.6% and 13.5% respectively. Exports of Non-textiles went up by 25.7% year-on-year to MOP1.46 billion, of which value of Diamond & diamond jewellery (MOP346 million) soared by 175.0%, but that of Milk powder (MOP21 million) declined by 82.9%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP71 million, up by 5.1%.
By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP3.17 billion) and the EU (MOP2.49 billion) increased by 3.6% and 30.7% respectively year-on-year in January 2019. Moreover, imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP95 million) and the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP843 million) rose by 31.3% and 24.0% respectively. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China expanded by 11.8% year-on-year to MOP1.24 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.20 billion) grew by 12.0%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 26.4% to MOP6.35 billion, with imports of Garments & footwear (MOP1.01 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP263 million) rising by 57.5% and 72.2% respectively; in addition, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP590 million) grew by 13.2%, whereas imports of Mobile phones (MOP668 million) and Construction materials (MOP136 million) dropped by 32.8% and 45.5% respectively.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP10.50 billion in January 2019, up by 9.4% compared with MOP9.59 billion a year earlier.