Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for April 2018 amounted to MOP1.09 billion, up by 30.2% year-on-year; value of re-exports (MOP955 million) increased by 38.0%, with that of Articles for casino rising by 370.4%; meanwhile, value of domestic exports (MOP137 million) slid by 6.6%, with that of Copper & articles thereof decreasing by 22.4%. Total merchandise import rose by 25.9% year-on-year to MOP6.75 billion, of which imports of Mobile phones, Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products and Handbags & wallets expanded by 172.4%, 60.1% and 50.5% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in April amounted to MOP5.66 billion.
From January to April 2018, total value of merchandise export increased by 7.3% year-on-year to MOP4.06 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP3.53 billion) grew by 10.5%, but that of domestic exports (MOP534 million) declined by 9.8%. Total value of merchandise import went up by 26.4% year-on-year to MOP29.25 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP25.19 billion for the first four months of 2018.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Mainland China increased by 22.0% year-on-year to MOP668 million from January to April 2018, of which exports to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP651 million) grew by 26.3%. Exports to Hong Kong (MOP2.54 billion) rose by 4.4% year-on-year, whereas exports to the EU (MOP53 million) and the USA (MOP44 million) declined by 25.8% and 29.4% respectively. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP0.5 million) and the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP145 million) increased by 78.8% and 144.4% respectively year-on-year. Exports of Non-textiles went up by 7.9% year-on-year to MOP3.82 billion, of which value of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP724 million) grew by 276.2%, but that of Electronic components (MOP141 million) declined by 60.9%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP241 million, down by 0.6%.
By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP10.07 billion) and the EU (MOP7.59 billion) increased by 30.8% and 26.5% respectively year-on-year in the first four months of 2018. Moreover, imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP256 million) and the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP2.53 billion) increased by 30.5% and 24.5% respectively year-on-year. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China expanded by 14.5% to MOP4.05 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP3.89 billion) rose by 16.3%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 23.0% to MOP18.93 billion, with imports of Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products (MOP1.53 billion) and Handbags & wallets (MOP1.42 billion) rising by 54.6% and 41.0% respectively. In addition, value of imports of Mobile phones (MOP2.73 billion), Fuels & lubricants (MOP2.10 billion) and Construction materials (MOP802 million) grew by 87.9%, 19.7% and 28.4% respectively.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP33.31 billion from January to April 2018, up by 23.7% compared with MOP26.93 billion a year earlier.