Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export amounted to MOP1.16 billion in September 2023, up by 16.5% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP1.01 billion) grew by 17.8%, of which re-exports of Diamond & diamond jewellery and Perfumes jumped by 357.8% and 292.0% respectively, while those of Machines, apparatus & parts and Wine declined by 55.2% and 53.5% respectively. Value of domestic exports (MOP150 million) increased by 8.1%, of which domestic exports of Pharmaceutical products & organic chemicals and Garments expanded by 64.5% and 56.6% respectively, while those of Copper & articles thereof dropped by 48.7%. Meanwhile, total merchandise import went down by 6.9% year-on-year to MOP11.86 billion; imports of Perfumes, Mobile phones and Beauty, cosmetic & skincare products reduced by 52.8%, 42.6% and 38.5% respectively, whereas imports of Articles for casino and Gold jewellery showed respective growth of 546.7% and 30.1%. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP10.70 billion in September.

In the third quarter of 2023, total value of merchandise export (MOP3.15 billion) and merchandise import (MOP34.29 billion) rose by 6.4% and 20.3% respectively year-on-year, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP31.14 billion.

From January to September this year, total value of merchandise export dropped by 6.1% year-on-year to MOP9.51 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP8.35 billion) and domestic exports (MOP1.17 billion) fell by 3.1% and 23.4% respectively. Total value of merchandise import grew by 3.5% year-on-year to MOP105.80 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP96.28 billion in the first nine months, up by MOP4.18 billion from MOP92.10 billion a year earlier.

Analysed by destination, merchandise export to mainland China (MOP688 million), Hong Kong (MOP6.98 billion), the USA (MOP360 million) and the EU (MOP119 million) declined by 28.7%, 10.4%, 27.7% and 16.7% respectively year-on-year in the first nine months of 2023. Meanwhile, exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP662 thousand) slid by 51.1%, while exports to the Belt and Road Countries (MOP361 million) rose by 20.8%. Exports of Textiles & garments went down by 28.0% year-on-year to MOP1.03 billion, and exports of Non-textiles dipped by 2.5% to MOP8.48 billion.

By place of origin, merchandise import from the EU (MOP33.93 billion) and mainland China (MOP29.30 billion) reduced by 1.1% and 4.7% respectively year-on-year in the first nine months, while those from the Belt and Road Countries (MOP23.48 billion) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP1.08 billion) rose by 25.0% and 42.7% respectively. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Hong Kong (MOP85.92 billion) fell by 0.3% year-on-year, whereas imports from mainland China (MOP15.18 billion) grew by 20.9%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 7.5% to MOP80.61 billion, of which imports of Food & beverages (MOP18.17 billion) and Gold jewellery (MOP10.83 billion) expanded by 32.9% and 55.2% respectively; meanwhile, imports of Beauty, cosmetic & skincare products (MOP9.83 billion) shrank by 34.1%. Imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP5.31 billion) and Construction materials (MOP2.25 billion) grew by 12.2% and 6.0% respectively, whereas imports of Mobile phones (MOP3.65 billion) slid by 56.1%.

External merchandise trade totalled MOP115.31 billion from January to September 2023, up by 2.6% compared with MOP112.37 billion a year earlier.