Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for August 2012 amounted to MOP816 million, up by 49.6% year-on-year, attributable to a 83.5% surge in re-exports (MOP632 million), but domestic exports (MOP184 million) decreased by 8.6%. Total merchandise import amounted to MOP6.05 billion, up by 7.1% year-on-year. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP5.24 billion for August 2012. In the first eight months of 2012, total value of merchandise export increased by 19.4% year-on-year to MOP5.40 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP3.82 billion) and domestic exports (MOP1.58 billion) increased by 29.7% and 0.1% respectively; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import increased by 19.6% to MOP46.50 billion. Merchandise trade deficit for the first eight months of 2012 amounted to MOP41.10 billion. From January to August 2012, merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP2.74 billion) and Mainland China (MOP875 million) increased by 41.9% and 18.5% year-on-year respectively, while export to the USA (MOP344 million) and the EU (MOP226 million) decreased by 12.5% and 17.0% respectively. Exports of Non-textiles (MOP4.66 billion) in the first eight months of 2012 expanded by 30.7% year-on-year, of which exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof (MOP989 million) and Tobacco & wine (MOP519 million) surged by 163.4% and 23.7% respectively, yet exports of Textiles & garments (MOP739 million) decreased by 22.7%. Domestic exports of Tobacco & wine (MOP361 million) rose by 28.7%, while that of Knitted or crocheted garments (MOP239 million) declined by 25.1%. Re-exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof (MOP984 million) increased by 166.7%. In the first eight months of 2012, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP14.99 billion) and the EU (MOP10.89 billion) increased by 25.1% and 12.4% respectively. Imports of Consumer goods rose by 21.0% to MOP28.40 billion, with imports of Gold jewellery (MOP4.92 billion), Watches (MOP3.47 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP2.14 billion) increasing by 33.7%, 46.7% and 49.2% respectively. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP8.53 billion) registered a year-on-year increase of 20.6%. External merchandise trade reached MOP51.90 billion in the first eight months of 2012, up by 19.6% compared with MOP43.39 billion a year earlier.
