Results of the External Trade Statistics for June 2005

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that, in June 2005, Macao’s total value of exports amounted to MOP1.46 billion, down 38.6% over the same month of 2004. Among this, the value of domestic exports decreased 44.6% to MOP1.01 billion, and the value of re-exports also went down 18.6% to MOP445 million. Value of imports amounted to MOP2.56 billion, up 4.0% over the same period of 2004. A trade deficit of MOP1.10 billion was recorded this month. During the period of January – June 2005, the value of total exports recorded a year-on-year decrease of 27.0% to MOP7.39 billion. Among this, the value of domestic exports decreased 35.8% and the value of re-exports fell 1.1%. Meanwhile, the value of imports amounted to MOP13.38 billion, up 3.8% over the same period of 2004. In the first six months of 2005, Macao’s trade balance registered a deficit of MOP5.99 billion. During this period, the exports/imports ratio decreased from 78.5% in the corresponding period of 2004 to 55.2%. In the first six months of 2005, the value of Textile & garment exports, which accounted for 72.5% of the total exports, decreased 32.9% over the same period of 2004. Moreover, the value of Non-textile exports also dropped 4.9%. As the major components of non-textile exports, Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof expanded 2.1%, whereas Footwear fell 90.1% year-on-year. In the first six months of 2005, the USA and the EU remained as Macao’s major export markets, together making up 57.0% of the total value of exports. Among this, exports to the USA, which made up 45.9% of the total value of exports, decreased 26.5% over the same period of 2004; exports to the EU, which made up 11.1% of the total value of exports, also decreased 64.6% over the same period of 2004. During the period of January – June 2005, Macao’s total value of imports increased 3.8% year-on-year. In terms of broad economic categories, Fuels & lubricants, Capital goods and Consumer goods rose 37.6%, 24.5% and 3.5% respectively, whereas Raw materials & semi-manufactures registered a year-on-year decrease of 10.2%. Meanwhile, Macao’s main suppliers of imported goods still concentrated in the Asian region. Imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong together constituted 50.6% of the total value of imports. Compared with the same period of 2004, the value of imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong fell 3.2% and 2.4% respectively.