Results of the External Trade Statistics for August 2006

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that, in August 2006, Macao’s total value of exports amounted to MOP1.79 billion, down 13.2% over the same month of 2005. Among this, the value of domestic exports dropped 24.4% to MOP1.24 billion and the value of re-exports rose 30.5% to MOP551 million. Value of imports amounted to MOP3.18 billion, up 8.6% over the same period of 2005. A trade deficit of MOP1.39 billion was recorded this month. During the period of January – August 2006, the value of total exports increased 25.2% year-on-year to MOP14.13 billion. Both the values of domestic exports and re-exports increased 30.9% and 12.1% respectively. Moreover, the value of imports amounted to MOP23.73 billion, up 23.2% over the same period of 2005. In the first eight months of 2006, Macao’s trade balance registered a deficit of MOP9.60 billion. The exports/imports ratio increased from 58.6% in the corresponding period of 2005 to 59.5%. In the first eight months of 2006, the value of Textile & garment exports, which accounted for 74.2% of the total exports, grew 22.9% over the same period of 2005, while the value of Non-textile exports rose 32.1%. As the major components of non-textile exports, Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear both expanded 11.3% and 347.3% respectively year-on-year. The USA and the EU remained as Macao’s major export markets, together making up 66.5% of the total value of exports. Among this, exports to the USA, which made up 46.9% of the total value of exports, increased 21.2%, while exports to the EU, which took up 19.6% of the total, increased 86.4% over the same period of 2005. During the period of January – August 2006, Macao’s total value of imports grew 23.2% year-on-year, mainly due to the increase in the value of imports by broad economic categories, namely Fuels & lubricants (40.5%), Consumer goods (26.2%), Raw materials & semi-manufactures (20.0%) and Capital goods (13.9%). Meanwhile, Macao’s main suppliers of imported goods still concentrated in the Asian region. Imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong, which together constituted 55.6% of the total value of imports, rose 33.1% and 26.9% respectively compared with the same period of 2005.