Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise import fell by 39.1% year-on-year to MOP4.35 billion in May 2020, of which imports of Gold jewellery, Watches and Mobile phones declined by 87.8%, 82.8% and 55.1% respectively. Total merchandise export amounted to MOP687 million, down by 24.2% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP566 million) went down by 27.9%, with that of Diamond & diamond jewellery falling by 76.5%. Value of domestic exports (MOP121 million) dropped by 0.6%, with that of Copper & articles thereof reducing by 18.0%. Merchandise trade deficit in May totalled MOP3.66 billion.

From January to May this year, total value of merchandise export decreased by 17.3% year-on-year to MOP4.54 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP3.98 billion) dropped by 19.5% but that of domestic exports (MOP569 million) grew by 1.6%. Total value of merchandise import declined by 30.3% year-on-year to MOP24.66 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP20.11 billion for the first five months of 2020, down by MOP9.79 billion from MOP29.90 billion a year earlier.

Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP2.99 billion) fell by 19.5% year-on-year from January to May 2020. Meanwhile, exports to mainland China rose by 21.5% to MOP808 million, of which exports to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP767 million) grew by 20.0%. Exports to the USA (MOP169 million) and the EU (MOP82 million) expanded by 111.4% and 9.0% respectively year-on-year, and exports to the Belt and Road Countries (MOP143 million) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP8 million) soared by 125.8% and 800.4% respectively. Exports of Textiles & garments rose by 69.9% year-on-year to MOP660 million, while exports of Non-textiles went down by 24.0% to MOP3.88 billion.

By place of origin, merchandise import from mainland China (MOP9.13 billion) and the EU (MOP6.55 billion) decreased by 23.4% and 32.1% respectively year-on-year in the first five months of 2020. Besides, imports from the Belt and Road Countries (MOP4.86 billion) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP285 million) shrank by 1.9% and 22.6% respectively. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from mainland China slid by 14.2% year-on-year to MOP4.69 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP4.61 billion) fell by 13.0%. Imports of Consumer goods went down by 33.6% to MOP16.32 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP1.27 billion) and Gold jewellery (MOP1.01 billion) falling by 53.2% and 58.7% respectively. Imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP2.09 billion) and Mobile phones (MOP960 million) declined by 25.0% and 56.7% respectively, whereas imports of Construction materials (MOP665 million) rose by 8.6%.

External merchandise trade totalled MOP29.20 billion from January to May 2020, down by 28.6% compared with MOP40.90 billion a year earlier.