Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for June 2011 amounted to MOP623 million, up by 3.3% year-on-year, with value of re-exports (MOP403 million) and domestic exports (MOP220 million) rising by 2.2% and 5.5% respectively; exports of Tobacco & wine soared by 142.0% year-on-year. Total merchandise import amounted to MOP5.10 billion, up by 40.0% year-on-year, of which imports of Buses (MOP125 million) registered an increase of more than 20-fold on account of the coming operation of a new bus company. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP4.48 billion in June 2011. In the second quarter of 2011, total value of merchandise export (MOP1.78 billion) dropped by 1.5% year-on-year, but that of merchandise import (MOP14.79 billion) rose by 40.6%, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP13.01 billion. In the first half year of 2011, total value of merchandise export decreased by 6.3% year-on-year to MOP3.40 billion, of which value of re-exports declined by 10.4%, but that of domestic exports rose by 2.7%; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import increased by 37.3% to MOP27.94 billion. Merchandise trade deficit for the first half year of 2011 widened by 46.8% year-on-year to MOP24.54 billion; the exports/imports ratio dropped by 5.7 percentage points year-on-year to 12.2%. Merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP1.43 billion), Mainland China (MOP582 million) and the USA (MOP303 million) in the first half year of 2011 decreased by 12.7%, 0.4% and 21.2% respectively year-on-year; however, exports to the EU (MOP206 million) increased by 2.7%. Exports of Tobacco & wine (MOP315 million) grew by 78.0%, but that of Jewellery (MOP168 million) and Clocks & watches (MOP145 million) decreased by 68.7% and 37.7% respectively; meanwhile, exports of Textile & garment declined by 8.6% to MOP709 million. In the first half year of 2011, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP8.65 billion) and the EU (MOP6.84 billion) expanded by 37.7% and 54.4% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods rose by 39.6% to MOP16.91 billion, with imports of Food & beverages (MOP4.04 billion), Gold jewellery (MOP2.64 billion) and Handbags & wallets (MOP1.40 billion) increasing by 35.4%, 77.8% and 111.1% respectively. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP4.99 billion) registered year-on-year increase of 69.0%. In the first half year of 2011, total value of merchandise import and export amounted to MOP31.35 billion, up by 30.7% compared with MOP23.98 billion a year earlier.
