Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the demand for imported goods dropped owing to a decline in economic activity in Macao in February 2020 amid the epidemic of novel coronavirus pneumonia. Therefore, total merchandise import fell by 30.3% year-on-year to MOP3.87 billion in February, the lowest single-month figure since March 2011. Imports of Gold jewellery, Mobile phones and Watches plunged by 73.9%, 68.3% and 57.9% respectively; meanwhile, imports of Other textile made-up articles, which comprised mostly face masks, jumped by 854.6% and imports of Pharmaceutical products increased by 57.6%. Total merchandise export amounted to MOP911 million, down by 1.4% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP841 million) went down by 0.8%, with that of Diamond & diamond jewellery reducing by 48.0%. Value of domestic exports (MOP70 million) fell by 8.0%, with that of Tobacco dropping by 41.9%. Merchandise trade deficit in February totalled MOP2.96 billion.
From January to February this year, total value of merchandise export dipped by 16.0% year-on-year to MOP2.06 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP1.84 billion) dropped by 17.8% but that of domestic exports (MOP223 million) grew by 3.7%. Total value of merchandise import declined by 14.1% year-on-year to MOP12.32 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP10.26 billion for the first two months of 2020, a decrease of MOP1.64 billion from MOP11.90 billion a year earlier.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to mainland China dropped by 15.2% year-on-year to MOP224 million from January to February 2020, of which exports to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP212 million) declined by 16.5%. Exports to Hong Kong (MOP1.43 billion) fell by 18.8% year-on-year, whereas exports to the USA (MOP59 million) and the EU (MOP29 million) expanded by 68.0% and 29.3% respectively. Exports to the Belt and Road Countries (MOP61 million) soared by 141.3% year-on-year, while exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP43 thousand) tumbled by 83.0%. Exports of Textiles & garments surged by 91.0% year-on-year to MOP246 million while exports of Non-textiles dropped by 21.9% to MOP1.81 billion.
By place of origin, merchandise import from mainland China (MOP4.05 billion) and the EU (MOP3.71 billion) decreased by 17.2% and 8.9% respectively year-on-year in the first two months of 2020. On the other hand, imports from the Belt and Road Countries (MOP2.59 billion) leapt by 95.1%, while imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP130 million) shrank by 19.2%. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from mainland China slid by 4.1% year-on-year to MOP1.93 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.89 billion) fell by 2.6%. Imports of Consumer goods went down by 13.3% to MOP8.80 billion, with imports of Garments & footwear (MOP1.23 billion) and Watches (MOP829 million) falling by 25.7% and 24.9% respectively; in addition, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP949 million), Mobile phones (MOP569 million) and Construction materials (MOP202 million) recorded decreases of 9.1%, 46.2% and 0.7% respectively.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP14.38 billion from January to February 2020, down by 14.4% compared with MOP16.81 billion a year earlier.