The figures released yesterday by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) show that trade exports on merchandise have risen by 26 percent year-on-year as of November this year, reaching a total amount of MOP1 billion.
Topping the list of the major increases were casino-related items that surged by 651.6 percent.
Total merchandise imports rose by 11.3 percent year-on-year to MOP7.5 billion, leaving the trade deficit in November at MOP6.57 billion.
Leading the growth in imports were construction materials rising by 44.7 percent, and handbags and wallets increasing by 35.9 percent.
In the first eleven months of 2017, the total value of merchandise exports increased by 11.7 percent year-on-year to MOP10.38 billion, of which the value of re-exports (MOP8.75 billion) grew by 16.9 percent, but that of domestic exports (MOP1.63 billion) declined by 10 percent.
The total value of merchandise imports went up by 5.3 percent year-on-year to MOP67.98 billion, leaving the merchandise trade deficit at MOP57.6 billion during this period from January to November.
In terms of the destinations of the merchandise exports, those to mainland China increased by 21.5 percent year-on-year to MOP1.96 billion, of which exports to the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta grew by 14.8 percent to a total of MOP1.75 billion.
Exports to Hong Kong (MOP6.07 billion), the EU (MOP175 million) and the U.S. (MOP174 million) rose by 17.9 percent, 5.9 percent and 17.8 percent respectively.
In contrast, exports to the Portuguese-speaking countries (MOP0.7 million) dropped by 88.2 percent year-on-year.
Regarding the place of origin of the merchandise imports, mainland China continues to lead (MOP22.74 billion) although it has registered a drop, followed by the Portuguese-speaking countries (MOP589 million).
The imports from the EU grew by 12.9 percent to MOP17.27 billion.
External merchandise trade totaled MOP78.36 billion in the first eleven months of 2017, up by 6.1 percent compared with MOP73.86 billion a year earlier. RM
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