Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for July 2018 amounted to MOP918 million, down by 17.6% year-on-year; value of re-exports (MOP791 million) decreased by 17.4%, with that of Garments falling by 77.8%; moreover, value of domestic exports (MOP127 million) slid by 18.7%, with that of Tobacco decreasing by 38.4%. Total merchandise import rose by 23.6% year-on-year to MOP7.54 billion, of which imports of Mobile phones, Watches and Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products expanded by 59.9%, 56.3% and 41.7% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in July amounted to MOP6.63 billion.
From January to July 2018, total value of merchandise export increased by 5.6% year-on-year to MOP7.11 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP6.18 billion) grew by 8.6%, but that of domestic exports (MOP930 million) declined by 10.9%. Total value of merchandise import went up by 24.4% year-on-year to MOP50.90 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP43.79 billion for the first seven months of 2018.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.15 billion) increased by 3.5% year-on-year in the first seven months of 2018, but exports to Shanghai (MOP16 million) dropped by 82.6%, resulting in a 3.9% decrease in exports to Mainland China (MOP1.18 billion). In addition, exports to Hong Kong (MOP4.43 billion) and the EU (MOP120 million) rose by 8.3% and 4.2% respectively, but exports to the USA (MOP86 million) declined by 16.8%. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP24 million) increased notably by 3,610.3% year-on-year, and exports to the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP196 million) grew by 58.8%. Exports of Non-textiles went up by 8.5% year-on-year to MOP6.73 billion, of which value of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP1.43 billion) soared by 114.2%, but that of Electronic components (MOP291 million) declined by 44.8%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP387 million, down by 28.3%.
By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP17.45 billion) and the EU (MOP12.81 billion) increased by 29.4% and 21.2% respectively year-on-year in the first seven months of 2018. Moreover, imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP458 million) and the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP4.42 billion) increased by 28.5% and 20.4% respectively. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China expanded by 14.2% year-on-year to MOP7.59 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP7.34 billion) rose by 16.4%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 20.2% to MOP32.67 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP3.88 billion) and Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products (MOP2.56 billion) rising by 34.6% and 50.9% respectively; in addition, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP4.11 billion), Mobile phones (MOP4.08 billion) and Construction materials (MOP1.26 billion) grew by 16.3%, 93.1% and 23.6% respectively.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP58.01 billion from January to July 2018, up by 21.7% compared with MOP47.65 billion a year earlier.