Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for August 2016 amounted to MOP973 million, up by 8.4% year-on-year; value of domestic exports (MOP224 million) soared by 94.7%, with that of Tobacco rising by 89.4%; meanwhile, value of re-exports (MOP749 million) dropped by 4.3%. Total merchandise import registered an increase for the first time since August 2015, up by 1.8% year-on-year to MOP6.92 billion, as imports of Large passenger cars surged by 722.9% and imports of Watches and Gold jewellery rose by 40.7% and 16.5% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP5.94 billion.
In the first eight months of 2016, total value of merchandise export dropped by 5.4% year-on-year to MOP6.91 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP5.66 billion) decreased by 7.1%, but that of domestic exports (MOP1.25 billion) increased by 2.6%. Total value of merchandise import fell by 18.7% to MOP46.05 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP39.13 billion for the first eight months of 2016.
Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP3.91 billion) decreased by 12.5% year-on-year in the first eight months of 2016. Despite a 1.8% drop in exports to the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.13 billion), exports to Hubei Province (MOP20 million) and Beijing (MOP13 million) surged by 1,260.8% and 60.2% respectively, resulting in a 0.8% rise in exports to Mainland China (MOP1.20 billion). Meanwhile, exports to the EU (MOP122 million) and the USA (MOP97 million) reduced by 23.8% and 28.2% respectively. Exports of Non-textiles declined by 4.8% year-on-year to MOP6.42 billion, of which value of Clocks & watches (MOP674 million) dropped by 29.5% but that of Tobacco & wine (MOP559 million) grew by 51.5%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP492 million, down by 13.0%.
By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP16.54 billion) and the EU (MOP11.35 billion) in the first eight months of 2016 decreased by 21.1% and 11.0% respectively year-on-year. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China declined by 7.3% to MOP7.85 billion, of which imports from the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP7.45 billion) fell by 7.6%. Imports of Consumer goods dropped by 14.3% to MOP28.90 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP2.88 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP814 million) decreasing by 34.3% and 55.3% respectively. Moreover, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP4.08 billion), Mobile phones (MOP2.68 billion) and Construction materials (MOP1.36 billion) declined by 13.5%, 48.0% and 35.9% respectively.
External merchandise trade totalled MOP52.96 billion in the first eight months of 2016, down by 17.1% compared with MOP63.91 billion a year earlier.
