Mainland-Macau trade down 21.3 pct in first half of 2016

Trade between the Chinese mainland and Macau dropped by 21.3 percent year-on-year to USD1.68 billion during the first half of 2016, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce.
The mainland’s exports to Macau decreased by 21.3 percent year-on-year to USD1.6 billion over the six-month period. Macau’s exports to the mainland dropped to USD80 million, a decrease of 22 percent year-on-year.
Guo Wanda, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, told Xinhua yesterday that the decreasing number of travellers to Macau and the ongoing downturn in the gaming industry had caused the decline in mainland-Macau trade.
Mainland authorities approved 169 investment projects from Macau entities during the period under review. The amount of Macau capital in actual use reached USD540 million, up 5.4 percent from the same period last year.