Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for December 2017 amounted to MOP905 million, up by 20.1% year-on-year; value of re-exports (MOP746 million) increased by 24.9%, with that of Diamond & diamond jewellery rising by 138.0%; meanwhile, value of domestic exports (MOP159 million) rose by 1.8%. Total merchandise import grew by 17.2% year-on-year to MOP7.95 billion, of which imports of Mobile phones, Motor cars & motorcycles and Construction materials expanded by 137.0%, 32.3% and 31.6% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in December amounted to MOP7.04 billion.
In the fourth quarter of 2017, total value of merchandise export (MOP2.72 billion) and merchandise import (MOP21.69 billion) grew by 17.8% and 10.6% respectively year-on-year, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP18.97 billion.
For the whole year of 2017, total value of merchandise export increased by 12.3% year-on-year to MOP11.28 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP9.50 billion) grew by 17.5%, but that of domestic exports (MOP1.79 billion) declined by 9.0%. Owing to the increase in demand for products, such as Handbags & wallets (+33.3%), Motor cars & motorcycles (+27.8%) and Gold jewellery (+16.3%), total value of merchandise import grew by 6.3% year-on-year to MOP75.85 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP64.57 billion in 2017.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Mainland China increased by 21.1% year-on-year to MOP2.12 billion in 2017, of which exports to the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.90 billion) grew by 15.8%. Furthermore, exports to Hong Kong (MOP6.60 billion), the EU (MOP190 million) and the USA (MOP186 million) rose by 18.7%, 8.6% and 18.9% respectively. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP0.8 million) dropped by 85.9% year-on-year. Exports of Non-textiles went up by 11.4% year-on-year to MOP10.42 billion, of which value of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP1.33 billion) expanded by 59.8%, but that of Electronic components (MOP741 million) declined by 35.6%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP859 million, up by 24.3%.
By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP25.70 billion) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP648 million) decreased by 0.6% and 2.7% respectively year-on-year in 2017, whereas imports from the EU (MOP19.09 billion) increased by 12.0%. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China rose by 0.7% to MOP12.11 billion, of which imports from the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP11.53 billion) grew by 1.6%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 10.6% to MOP49.50 billion, with imports of Handbags & wallets (MOP3.48 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP1.69 billion) rising by 33.3% and 27.8% respectively. However, value of imports of Construction materials (MOP1.85 billion) declined by 5.6%.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP87.13 billion in 2017, up by 7.0% compared with MOP81.40 billion in 2016.