Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise import expanded by 34.2% year-on-year to MOP12.01 billion in December 2020, of which imports of Mobile phones, Beauty, cosmetic & skincare products and Handbags & wallets surged by 241.5%, 96.3% and 95.0% respectively, but those of Articles for casino and Fuels & lubricants declined by 73.6% and 30.0% respectively. Total merchandise export amounted to MOP1.21 billion, up by 10.3% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP1.04 billion) grew by 11.3%, with that of Diamond & diamond jewellery soaring by 610.5%. Meanwhile, value of domestic exports (MOP167 million) went up by 4.5%, with that of Garments increasing by 14.3%. Merchandise trade deficit in December 2020 totalled MOP10.80 billion.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, total value of merchandise import (MOP36.76 billion) rose by 40.2% year-on-year, but that of merchandise export (MOP2.96 billion) dropped by 13.1%, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP33.80 billion.

For the whole year of 2020, total value of merchandise export decreased by 15.5% year-on-year to MOP10.81 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP9.25 billion) dropped by 18.0% but that of domestic exports (MOP1.56 billion) grew by 3.4%. Total value of merchandise import rose by 2.7% year-on-year to MOP92.56 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP81.75 billion in 2020, up by MOP4.42 billion from MOP77.33 billion in 2019.

Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP7.46 billion) and the EU (MOP178 million) in 2020 fell by 8.6% and 9.7% respectively year-on-year. On the other hand, exports to mainland China increased by 2.5% to MOP1.62 billion, of which exports to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.50 billion) grew by 0.3%. Exports to the USA (MOP554 million) swelled by 88.4% year-on-year, whereas exports to the Belt and Road Countries (MOP303 million) decreased by 14.5%. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP12 million) leapt by 867.4%. Exports of Textiles & garments expanded by 52.6% year-on-year to MOP1.62 billion, while exports of Non-textiles slid by 21.7% to MOP9.19 billion.

By place of origin, merchandise import from the EU (MOP28.54 billion) increased by 14.5% year-on-year in 2020, while imports from mainland China (MOP27.61 billion) decreased by 9.9%. Imports from the Belt and Road Countries (MOP15.01 billion) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP698 million) reduced by 6.0% and 17.3% respectively. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Hong Kong (MOP76.38 billion) showed a year-on-year growth of 8.2%. On the other hand, imports from mainland China slid by 13.2% to MOP12.42 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP12.16 billion) fell by 12.6%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 8.0% to MOP67.90 billion, with imports of Beauty, cosmetic & skincare products (MOP18.85 billion) surging by 168.6%; meanwhile, imports of Watches (MOP5.01 billion) and Gold jewellery (MOP3.47 billion) went down by 23.3% and 48.5% respectively. Imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP5.09 billion) and Mobile phones (MOP4.16 billion) declined by 28.6% and 19.7% respectively, whereas imports of Construction materials (MOP2.05 billion) grew by 20.1%.

External merchandise trade totalled MOP103.37 billion in 2020, up by 0.4% compared with MOP102.92 billion in 2019.