Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for April 2017 amounted to MOP839 million, up by 11.0% year-on-year; value of re-exports (MOP692 million) increased by 15.2%, with that of Diamond & diamond jewellery (MOP60 million) surging by 303.8%; however, value of domestic exports (MOP147 million) dropped by 5.2%, with that of Tobacco (MOP19 million) falling by 52.7%. Total merchandise import declined by 1.1% year-on-year to MOP5.42 billion, of which imports of Mobile phones and Construction materials decreased by 32.8% and 11.1% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP4.58 billion.

From January to April 2017, total value of merchandise export increased by 9.3% year-on-year to MOP3.78 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP3.19 billion) and domestic exports (MOP592 million) rose by 9.2% and 9.5% respectively. Total value of merchandise import grew by 4.4% year-on-year to MOP23.36 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP19.57 billion for the first four months of 2017.

Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Mainland China decreased by 4.2% year-on-year to MOP548 million in the first four months of 2017, of which exports to the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP515 million) fell by 6.0%. On the other hand, exports to Hong Kong (MOP2.43 billion), the EU (MOP71 million) and the USA (MOP62 million) rose by 16.8%, 22.2% and 27.1% respectively. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP0.3 million) dropped by 85.4% year-on-year. Exports of Non-textiles increased by 11.8% year-on-year to MOP3.54 billion, of which value of Diamond & diamond jewellery (MOP373 million) expanded by 46.0%, but that of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP193 million) dropped by 45.2%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP238 million, down by 17.8%.

By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP7.72 billion) decreased by 6.0% year-on-year in the first four months of 2017, whereas imports from the EU (MOP6.05 billion) increased by 14.0%. Meanwhile, imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP195 million) fell by 6.1%. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China rose slightly by 0.1% to MOP3.53 billion, of which imports from the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP3.34 billion) grew by 0.2%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 11.9% to MOP15.59 billion, with imports of Gold jewellery (MOP2.10 billion) and Watches (MOP1.69 billion) rising by 25.5% and 37.4% respectively. However, value of imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP1.75 billion), Mobile phones(MOP1.45 billion) and Construction materials (MOP625 million) dropped by 2.8%, 9.7% and 8.0% respectively.

External merchandise trade totalled MOP27.14 billion in the first four months of 2017, up by 5.0% compared with MOP25.84 billion a year earlier.