External Merchandise Trade Statistics for February 2008

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the total value of exports of goods amounted to MOP905 million in February 2008, down by 27.6% year-on-year, of which domestic exports dropped by 40.4% to MOP524 million, while re-exports increased by 2.7% to MOP381 million. Total value of imports of goods amounted to MOP2.81 billion, up by 16.4% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP1.91 billion was recorded for February 2008. During the period of January-February 2008, the value of total exports fell by 10.0% year-on-year to MOP2.66 billion, of which domestic exports and re-exports declined by 11.0% and 7.9% respectively. Meanwhile, the value of imports grew by 14.7% to MOP6.51 billion, bringing about a trade deficit of MOP3.85 billion. The exports/imports ratio decreased from 52.1% in the first two months of 2007 to 40.9% in the same period of 2008. As regards exports of goods, the exports of Textile & garment, accounting for 62.3% of the total value of exports in the first two months of 2008, declined by 13.9% over the same period of 2007; moreover, exports of Non-textile fell by 2.6%, of which Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear dropped by 47.4% and 34.3% respectively. The USA and the EU were the major destinations of Macao’s exports, together making up 58.5% of the total value of exports in the first two months of 2008. Compared with the same period of 2007, the value of exports to the USA and the EU decreased by 7.2% and 26.8% respectively. The main suppliers of imported goods to Macao concentrated in the Asian region. Imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong, comprising 50.2% of the total value of imports in the first two months of 2008, rose by 8.5% and 12.5% respectively year-on-year. In terms of broad economic categories, imports of Consumer goods, Fuels & lubricants and Capital goods in the first two months of 2008 expanded by 31.8%, 21.7% and 14.1% respectively year-on-year, but imports of Raw materials & semi-manufactures decreased by 12.3%.