Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export amounted to MOP986 million in August 2023, down by 27.9% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP845 million) dropped by 27.4%, of which re-exports of Garments and Diamond & diamond jewellery declined by 56.8% and 47.9% respectively, while those of Articles for casino and Machines, apparatus & parts surged by 113.8% and 35.6% respectively. Value of domestic exports (MOP141 million) decreased by 30.4%, of which domestic exports of Copper & articles thereof and Garments fell by 52.1% and 46.7% respectively. Meanwhile, total merchandise import went down by 0.4% year-on-year to MOP11.32 billion; imports of Mobile phones and Beauty, cosmetic & skincare products reduced by 57.4% and 43.0% respectively, whereas imports of Articles for casino and Gold jewellery showed respective growth of 493.6% and 82.9%. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP10.33 billion in August.
From January to August this year, total value of merchandise export dropped by 8.6% year-on-year to MOP8.35 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP7.33 billion) and domestic exports (MOP1.02 billion) fell by 5.4% and 26.6% respectively. Total value of merchandise import grew by 5.1% year-on-year to MOP94.07 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP85.72 billion in the first eight months, up by MOP5.37 billion from MOP80.36 billion a year earlier.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to mainland China (MOP593 million), Hong Kong (MOP6.18 billion), the USA (MOP309 million) and the EU (MOP101 million) declined by 31.5%, 11.7%, 34.0% and 24.4% respectively year-on-year in the first eight months of 2023. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP490 thousand) slid by 59.7%, while exports to the Belt and Road Countries (MOP281 million) rose by 7.0%. Exports of Textiles & garments went down by 31.2% year-on-year to MOP889 million, and exports of Non-textiles dipped by 4.9% to MOP7.46 billion.
By place of origin, merchandise import from the EU (MOP30.64 billion), the Belt and Road Countries (MOP21.09 billion) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP975 million) increased by 0.4%, 29.5% and 57.3% respectively year-on-year in the first eight months of 2023. On the other hand, imports from mainland China (MOP25.71 billion) dropped by 5.0%. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Hong Kong (MOP76.53 billion) and mainland China (MOP13.38 billion) increased by 1.7% and 20.6% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 9.8% to MOP71.89 billion, of which imports of Food & beverages (MOP16.28 billion) and Gold jewellery (MOP9.49 billion) expanded by 40.0% and 61.5% respectively; meanwhile, imports of Beauty, cosmetic & skincare products (MOP8.77 billion) shrank by 33.6%. Imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP4.61 billion) and Construction materials (MOP2.10 billion) grew by 10.9% and 12.4% respectively, whereas imports of Mobile phones (MOP3.23 billion) slid by 57.3%.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP102.42 billion from January to August 2023, up by 3.9% compared with MOP98.63 billion a year earlier.