Results of the External Trade Statistics / February 2005

Due to the long Chinese New Year holidays in February 2005, Macao’s total export value amounted to MOP793 million, down 36.5% over the same month of 2004. Among this, the value of domestic exports decreased 42.0% to MOP529 million, and the value of re-exports also went down 21.6% to MOP264 million. Value of imports amounted to MOP1.47 billion, down 18.6% over the same period of 2004. A trade deficit of MOP672 million was recorded this month. During the period of January – February 2005, the value of total exports recorded a year-on-year decrease of 13.3% to MOP2.27 billion. Among this, the value of domestic exports decreased 19.8% whereas the value of re-exports rose 9.6%. Meanwhile, the value of imports amounted to MOP3.71 billion, up 10.0% over the same period of 2004. In the first two months of 2005, Macao’s trade balance registered a deficit of MOP1.44 billion. During this period, the exports/imports ratio decreased from 77.7% in the corresponding period of 2004 to 61.2%. In the first two months of 2005, the value of Textile & garment exports, which accounted for 73.8% of total exports, decreased 16.1% over the same period of 2004. Moreover, the value of Non-textile exports also went down 4.3%. As the major components of non-textile exports, Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof grew 13.6%, whereas exports of Footwear dropped 87.9% year on year. The USA and the EU remained as Macao’s major export markets, together making up 62.0% of the total export value. Among this, exports to the USA, which made up 46.5% of the total export value, decreased 4.9% in value over the same period of 2004; exports to the EU, which made up 15.5% of the total exports, also decreased 51.5% in value over the same period of 2004. In the period of January – February 2005, Macao’s total import value increased 10.0% year on year. In terms of broad economic categories, Fuels & lubricants, Consumer goods and Capital goods rose 19.8%, 16.5% and 14.4% respectively, whereas Raw materials & semi-manufactures registered a year-on-year decrease of 1.9%. Meanwhile, Macao’s main suppliers of imported goods still concentrated in the Asian region. Imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong together constituted 47.6% of the total import value. Compared with the same period of 2004, the value of imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong rose 7.5% and 1.7% respectively.