Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for June 2016 amounted to MOP821 million, down by 11.5% year-on-year; value of re-exports (MOP673 million) dropped by 14.9%, with that of Clocks & watches (MOP62 million) falling by 39.4%; value of domestic exports (MOP148 million) expanded by 8.2%, with that of Tobacco (MOP52 million) soaring by 116.2%. Total merchandise import decreased by 14.6% year-on-year to MOP5.71 billion, of which imports of Motor cars and Watches declined by 68.5% and 31.1% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP4.89 billion.

In the second quarter of 2016, total value of merchandise export (MOP2.41 billion) and merchandise import (MOP16.60 billion) fell by 12.7% and 18.5% respectively year-on-year, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP14.19 billion.

In the first half year of 2016, total value of merchandise export declined by 6.5% year-on-year to MOP5.11 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP4.27 billion) and domestic exports (MOP836 million) decreased by 5.7% and 10.4% respectively. Total value of merchandise import fell by 21.1% to MOP33.61 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP28.50 billion for the first half year of 2016.

Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Mainland China increased by 4.1% year-on-year to MOP890 million in the first half year of 2016, of which exports to the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP844 million) rose by 2.4%; exports to Hong Kong (MOP3.00 billion) decreased by 11.1%. Meanwhile, exports to the EU (MOP92 million) and the USA (MOP75 million) reduced by 29.4% and 22.7% respectively. Exports of Non-textiles declined by 6.5% year-on-year to MOP4.75 billion, of which value of Clocks & watches (MOP534 million) and Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP482 million) dropped by 32.5% and 21.7% respectively, but that of Electronic components (MOP577 million) grew by 46.2%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP354 million, down by 6.4%.

By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP12.38 billion) and the EU (MOP7.99 billion) in the first half year of 2016 decreased by 21.6% and 17.8% respectively year-on-year. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China declined by 9.2% to MOP5.58 billion, of which imports from the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP5.31 billion) fell by 9.2%. Imports of Consumer goods dropped by 16.9% to MOP20.85 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP1.96 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP593 million) decreasing by 41.6% and 56.7% respectively. Moreover, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP2.88 billion), Mobile phones (MOP2.30 billion) and Construction materials (MOP1.06 billion) declined by 16.9%, 47.6% and 32.3% respectively.

External merchandise trade totalled MOP38.71 billion in the first half year of 2016, down by 19.4% compared with MOP48.04 billion a year earlier.