Results of External Trade Statistics for November 2006

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that, in November 2006, Macao’s total value of exports amounted to MOP1.45 billion, down 33.2% over the same month of 2005. Among this, the value of domestic exports dropped 42.0% to MOP908 million, and the value of re-exports decreased 10.5% to MOP544 million. Total value of imports amounted to MOP3.25 billion, up 9.8% over the same period of 2005. A trade deficit of MOP1.80 billion was recorded. During the period of January – November 2006, the value of total exports expanded 6.8% year-on-year to MOP18.88 billion. Both the values of domestic exports and re-exports registered increases, up by 5.5% and 10.0% respectively. Moreover, the value of imports grew 17.1% to MOP33.13 billion. In the first eleven months of 2006, Macao’s trade balance registered a deficit of MOP14.25 billion. The exports/imports ratio decreased from 62.5% in the corresponding period of 2005 to 57.0%. During these eleven months, the value of Textile & garment exports, which accounted for 72.3% of the total exports, grew 0.4% over the same period of 2005, while the value of Non-textile exports rose 27.8%. As the major components of non-textile exports, Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear expanded 3.8% and 425.0% respectively year-on-year. The USA and the EU remained as Macao’s major export markets, together making up 64.1% of the total value of exports. Among this, exports to the USA, which made up 44.8% of the total value of exports, decreased 1.8%, while exports to the EU, which took up 19.3% of the total, increased 28.7% over the same period of 2005. During the period of January – November 2006, Macao’s total value of imports grew 17.1% year-on-year, mainly due to increases in import values of, by broad economic categories, Fuels & lubricants (+33.8%), Consumer goods (+19.7%), Raw materials & semi-manufactures (+14.8%) and Capital goods (+7.5%). Meanwhile, Macao’s main suppliers of imported goods still concentrated in the Asian region. Imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong, which together constituted 55.4% of the total import value, rose 23.5% and 22.1% respectively compared with the same period of 2005.