Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for August 2019 amounted to MOP925 million, down by 8.8% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP795 million) decreased by 11.9%, with that of Machines, apparatus & parts, Diamond & diamond jewellery and Watches falling by 41.6%, 34.7% and 32.0% respectively. However, value of domestic exports (MOP130 million) rose by 16.3%, with that of Garments surging by 604.9%. Total merchandise import fell by 0.6% year-on-year to MOP7.49 billion, of which imports of Gold jewellery and Construction materials dropped by 26.1% and 25.2% respectively; meanwhile, imports of Handbags & wallets and Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products increased by 28.0% and 15.2% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in August totalled MOP6.57 billion.

From January to August 2019, total value of merchandise export increased by 3.0% year-on-year to MOP8.37 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP7.44 billion) grew by 5.0% but that of domestic exports (MOP928 million) declined by 10.9%. Total value of merchandise import fell by 2.5% year-on-year to MOP56.67 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP48.30 billion for the first eight months of 2019, a decrease of MOP1.71 billion from MOP50.01 billion a year earlier.

Analysed by destination, merchandise export to mainland China dropped by 22.5% year-on-year to MOP1.06 billion from January to August 2019, of which exports to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP1.02 billion) declined by 23.7%. Exports to Hong Kong (MOP5.44 billion), the USA (MOP141 million) and the EU (MOP137 million) grew by 7.5%, 58.5% and 3.5% respectively. Meanwhile, exports to the Belt and Road Countries (MOP147 million) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP4 million) showed respective decreases of 11.1% and 83.7%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP648 million, up by 39.2%. Exports of Non-textiles went up by 0.8% year-on-year to MOP7.72 billion, of which value of Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products (MOP398 million) soared by 225.5%, but that of Articles for casino (MOP164 million) went down by 42.2%.

By place of origin, merchandise import from mainland China (MOP18.94 billion) decreased by 4.3% year-on-year in the first eight months of 2019. On the other hand, imports from the EU (MOP15.56 billion), the Belt and Road Countries (MOP9.38 billion) and the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP576 million) increased by 5.4%, 103.2% and 9.5% respectively. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from mainland China grew by 5.5% year-on-year to MOP9.25 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP8.98 billion) rose by 6.0%. Imports of Consumer goods went up by 4.8% to MOP39.59 billion, with imports of Beauty, cosmetic & skin-care products (MOP4.00 billion) and Footwear (MOP1.73 billion) rising by 32.8% and 23.6% respectively. In addition, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP4.81 billion) grew by 0.7%, whereas imports of Mobile phones (MOP2.73 billion) and Construction materials (MOP978 million) dropped by 36.1% and 32.2% respectively.

External merchandise trade totalled MOP65.04 billion from January to August 2019, down by 1.8% compared with MOP66.27 billion a year earlier.