External Merchandise Trade Statistics for July 2012

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for July 2012 amounted to MOP639 million, up by 10.8% year-on-year, of which value of re-exports (MOP423 million) and domestic exports (MOP216 million) increased by 15.6% and 2.3% respectively. Total merchandise import amounted to MOP5.91 billion, up by 7.8% year-on-year. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP5.27 billion for July 2012. In the first seven months of 2012, total value of merchandise export increased by 15.3% year-on-year to MOP4.58 billion, attributable to a 22.6% increase in re-exports (MOP3.19 billion) when domestic exports (MOP1.39 billion) rose by 1.4%; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import increased by 22.3% to MOP40.61 billion. Merchandise trade deficit for the first seven months of 2012 amounted to MOP36.02 billion. Merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP2.26 billion) and Mainland China (MOP741 million) in the first seven months of 2012 was principally re-exports, up by 34.8% and 10.3% year-on-year respectively; meanwhile, merchandise export to the USA (MOP302 million) and the EU (MOP210 million) was primarily domestic exports, down by 13.4% and 14.9% respectively. Exports of Non-textile (MOP3.93 billion) in the first seven months of 2012 expanded by 25.5%, of which exports of Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof (MOP738 million) and Tobacco & wine (MOP465 million) surged by 121.6% and 29.4% respectively year-on-year; however, exports of Textile & garment (MOP650 million) registered a decrease of 22.8%. Domestic exports of Tobacco & wine (MOP329 million) rose by 37.0% year-on-year, while that of Knitted or crocheted garment (MOP218 million) declined by 24.0%. In the first seven months of 2012, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP12.90 billion) and the EU (MOP9.54 billion) expanded by 25.9% and 15.0% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods rose by 24.9% to MOP25.00 billion, with imports of Gold jewellery (MOP4.35 billion), Watches (MOP3.06 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP1.90 billion) increasing by 39.7%, 51.7% and 55.7% respectively. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP7.41 billion) registered a year-on-year increase of 21.0%. In the first seven months of 2012, total value of external merchandise trade amounted to MOP45.19 billion, up by 21.5% compared with MOP37.19 billion a year earlier.