Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the total merchandise export for May 2011 amounted to MOP589 million, up by 13.8% year-on-year, of which value of re-exports (MOP393 million) and domestic exports (MOP196 million) increased by 14.6% and 12.3% respectively; exports of Tobacco & wine soared by 94.7% year-on-year. Total merchandise import amounted to MOP4.90 billion, up by 44.9% year-on-year, of which imports of Mobile phones soared by 91.2%. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP4.31 billion in May 2011. In the first five months of 2011, total value of merchandise export decreased by 8.2% year-on-year to MOP2.78 billion, of which value of re-exports declined by 12.7%, but that of domestic exports rose by 2.0%; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import increased by 37.0% to MOP22.88 billion. Merchandise trade deficit for the first five months of 2011 widened by 47.1% year-on-year to MOP20.10 billion; the exports/imports ratio dropped by 5.9 percentage points year-on-year to 12.2%. Merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP1.19 billion), Mainland China (MOP461 million) and the USA (MOP249 million) in the first five months of 2011 decreased by 14.4%, 4.2% and 22.4% respectively year-on-year; however, exports to the EU (MOP166 million) increased by 4.6%. Exports of Jewellery (MOP144 million) and Clocks & watches (MOP137 million) decreased by 69.8% and 22.9% respectively, but that of Tobacco & wine (MOP244 million) grew by 65.3%; meanwhile, exports of Textile & garment declined by 7.5% to MOP584 million. In the first five months of 2011, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP7.04 billion) and the EU (MOP5.59 billion) expanded by 36.1% and 54.8% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods rose by 39.0% to MOP13.87 billion, of which imports of Food & beverages (MOP3.38 billion), Gold jewellery (MOP2.10 billion), Watches (MOP1.43 billion) and Handbags & wallets (MOP1.13 billion) increased by 38.2%, 68.1%, 33.9% and 104.6% respectively. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP4.06 billion) registered year-on-year increase of 69.9%. In the first five months of 2011, total value of merchandise import and export amounted to MOP25.66 billion, up by 30.1% compared with MOP19.73 billion a year earlier.
