Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for September 2018 amounted to MOP935 million, down by 8.5% year-on-year. Value of domestic exports (MOP120 million) declined by 36.3%, with that of Pharmaceutical products & organic chemicals decreasing by 66.5%; moreover, value of re-exports (MOP815 million) decreased by 2.3%, with that of Diamond & diamond jewellery and Garments falling by 51.2% and 36.4% respectively. Total merchandise import rose by 7.6% year-on-year to MOP7.60 billion, of which imports of Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products, Watches and Garments & footwear expanded by 59.8%, 15.4% and 13.8% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in September amounted to MOP6.67 billion.
In the third quarter of 2018, total value of merchandise export (MOP2.87 billion) dropped by 2.3% year-on-year, but that of merchandise import (MOP22.67 billion) rose by 17.1%, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP19.80 billion.
From January to September 2018, total value of merchandise export increased by 5.9% year-on-year to MOP9.07 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP7.91 billion) grew by 9.6%, but that of domestic exports (MOP1.16 billion) declined by 13.5%. Total value of merchandise import went up by 21.7% year-on-year to MOP65.94 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP56.87 billion for the first nine months of 2018.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.51 billion) increased by 5.1% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2018, but exports to Shanghai (MOP21 million) dropped notably by 87.4%, resulting in a 5.1% decrease in exports to Mainland China (MOP1.54 billion). In addition, exports to Hong Kong (MOP5.63 billion) and the EU (MOP148 million) rose by 11.9% and 3.3% respectively, whereas exports to the USA (MOP97 million) declined by 27.9%. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP24 million) surged by 3,524.7% year-on-year, with that of Pharmaceutical products & organic chemicals jumping by 4,716.6%; exports to the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP257 million) fell by 4.9%. Exports of Non-textiles went up by 9.2% year-on-year to MOP8.54 billion, of which value of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP1.70 billion) grew by 86.1%, but that of Electronic components (MOP384 million) declined by 37.1%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP526 million, down by 28.4%.
By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP22.51 billion) and the EU (MOP16.52 billion) increased by 26.1% and 18.0% respectively year-on-year in the first nine months of 2018. Moreover, imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP582 million) and the Belt & Road Countries outside of Greater China (MOP5.81 billion) rose by 22.0% and 18.0% respectively. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China expanded by 15.5% year-on-year to MOP10.14 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP9.82 billion) rose by 17.5%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 19.0% to MOP42.72 billion, with imports of Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products (MOP3.44 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP1.52 billion) rising by 53.9% and 32.8% respectively; in addition, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP5.48 billion), Mobile phones (MOP4.68 billion) and Construction materials (MOP1.59 billion) grew by 14.6%, 72.4% and 17.4% respectively.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP75.01 billion from January to September 2018, up by 19.6% compared with MOP62.72 billion a year earlier.