Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for December 2012 amounted to MOP683 million, down by 7.0% year-on-year, the first decline after ten consecutive months of increase; value of re-exports (MOP492 million) and domestic exports (MOP190 million) decreased by 3.3% and 15.4% respectively. Total merchandise import amounted to MOP6.62 billion, up by 2.9% year-on-year. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP5.94 billion for December 2012. In the fourth quarter of 2012, total value of merchandise export (MOP2.01 billion) and merchandise import (MOP18.82 billion) increased by 4.8% and 5.3% respectively year-on-year, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP16.81 billion. For the whole year of 2012, total value of merchandise export increased by 17.1% year-on-year to MOP8.16 billion, attributable to a 28.2% increase in re-exports (MOP5.87 billion), but domestic exports (MOP2.28 billion) decreased by 4.4%; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import increased by 13.9% to MOP70.93 billion. Merchandise trade deficit reached MOP62.77 billion in 2012. In 2012, merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP4.10 billion) and Mainland China (MOP1.37 billion) increased by 31.7% and 24.7% respectively year-on-year, while export to the USA (MOP507 million) and the EU (MOP316 million) decreased by 8.7% and 17.7% respectively. Exports of Non-textiles (MOP7.11 billion) in 2012 expanded by 26.2% year-on-year, of which exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof (MOP1.43 billion) and Travel goods & handbags (MOP211 million) surged by 127.1% and 110.1% respectively; yet, exports of Textiles & garments (MOP1.05 billion) decreased by 21.3%. Domestic exports of Tobacco & wine (MOP528 million) rose by 12.7%, while exports of Knitted or crocheted garments (MOP335 million) declined by 25.3%. Re-exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof (MOP1.42 billion) soared by 129.0%. In 2012, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP23.20 billion) and the EU (MOP16.65 billion) increased by 21.3% and 7.4% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods rose by 12.3% to MOP43.36 billion, with imports of Gold jewellery (MOP7.37 billion), Watches (MOP5.15 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP3.31 billion) increasing by 10.7%, 30.6% and 33.9% respectively; however, imports of Tobacco (MOP508 million) dropped by 39.7%. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP13.16 billion) registered a year-on-year increase of 21.5%. External merchandise trade reached MOP79.09 billion in 2012, up by 14.2% compared with MOP69.26 billion in 2011.
