External Merchandise Trade Statistics for May 2008

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the value of total exports of goods amounted to MOP1.66 billion in May 2008, down by 7.1% year-on-year; the value of domestic exports decreased by 10.0% to MOP975 million, and that of re-exports dropped by 2.5% to MOP687 million. The value of total imports of goods amounted to MOP3.59 billion, down by 2.7% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP1.92 billion was recorded for May 2008. From January to May 2008, the total exports of goods fell by 8.6% year-on-year to MOP7.02 billion, of which the value of domestic exports and re-exports declined by 8.8% and 8.3% respectively. Meanwhile, total imports of goods grew by 7.9% to MOP17.76 billion, bringing about a trade deficit of MOP10.74 billion in the first five months of 2008. The exports/imports ratio decreased from 46.7% in the first five months of 2007 to 39.5% in the same period of 2008. The value of Textile & garment exports, accounting for 59.1% of the total exports of goods in the first five months of 2008, declined by 13.2% over the same period of 2007; moreover, the value of Non-textile exports fell slightly by 1.0%, of which exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear dropped by 48.4% and 51.0% respectively, while exports of Image & sound appliances rose by 70.9%. In the first five months of 2008, the value of exports to the USA, Mainland China and the EU decreased by 4.0%, 39.9% and 37.8% respectively year-on-year, while that to Hong Kong rose by 26.1%. The main suppliers of imported goods to Macao concentrated in the Asian region. The value of imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong, comprising 51.3% of the total imports in the first five months of 2008, rose by 3.4% and 14.7% respectively year-on-year. In terms of broad economic categories, the value of imports of Fuels & lubricants and Consumer goods in the first five months of 2008 expanded by 27.0% and 25.8% respectively year-on-year, but that of Raw materials & semi-manufactures and Capital goods decreased by 13.0% and 3.5% respectively.