Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for August 2018 amounted to MOP1.02 billion, up by 26.7% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP907 million) increased by 30.9%, with that of Diamond & diamond jewellery and Watches surging by 191.3% and 145.4% respectively; moreover, value of domestic exports (MOP112 million) grew by 0.7%, with that of Tobacco increasing by 62.5%. Total merchandise import rose by 22.5% year-on-year to MOP7.58 billion, of which imports of Motor cars & motorcycles and Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products expanded by 86.6% and 66.7% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in August amounted to MOP6.56 billion.
From January to August 2018, total value of merchandise export increased by 7.9% year-on-year to MOP8.13 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP7.09 billion) grew by 11.1%, but that of domestic exports (MOP1.04 billion) declined by 9.8%. Total value of merchandise import went up by 24.0% year-on-year to MOP58.39 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP50.25 billion for the first eight months of 2018.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.33 billion) increased by 5.5% year-on-year in the first eight months of 2018, but exports to Shanghai (MOP20 million) dropped notably by 84.8%, resulting in a 3.6% decrease in exports to Mainland China (MOP1.37 billion). In addition, exports to Hong Kong (MOP5.06 billion) and the EU (MOP132 million) rose by 12.9% and 8.4% respectively, whereas exports to the USA (MOP90 million) declined by 19.4%. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP24 million) surged by 3,519.0% year-on-year, with that of Pharmaceutical products & organic chemicals jumping by 4,708.7%; exports to the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP225 million) grew by 34.3%. Exports of Non-textiles went up by 11.0% year-on-year to MOP7.67 billion, of which value of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP1.59 billion) soared by 105.1%, but that of Electronic components (MOP339 million) declined by 40.2%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP466 million, down by 26.4%.
By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP19.80 billion) and the EU (MOP14.87 billion) increased by 27.8% and 21.3% respectively year-on-year in the first eight months of 2018. Moreover, imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP525 million) and the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP5.16 billion) rose by 25.6% and 21.3% respectively. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China expanded by 13.9% year-on-year to MOP8.75 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP8.47 billion) rose by 15.9%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 21.2% to MOP37.98 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP4.38 billion) and Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products (MOP3.01 billion) rising by 32.0% and 53.1% respectively; in addition, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP4.78 billion), Mobile phones (MOP4.28 billion) and Construction materials (MOP1.45 billion) grew by 15.6%, 82.5% and 25.4% respectively.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP66.52 billion from January to August 2018, up by 21.7% compared with MOP54.64 billion a year earlier.