Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise import fell by 40.1% year-on-year to MOP4.22 billion in March 2020, of which imports of Mobile phones, Gold jewellery and Watches declined by 78.0%, 76.6% and 61.3% respectively. On the other hand, imports of Other textile made-up articles, which comprised mostly face masks, surged by 365.2%. Total merchandise export amounted to MOP1.08 billion, down by 9.0% year-on-year. Value of re-exports (MOP941 million) went down by 12.2%, with that of Machines, apparatus & parts reducing by 46.2%. Meanwhile, value of domestic exports (MOP139 million) rose by 20.6%, with that of Garments jumping by 1,015.5%. Merchandise trade deficit in March totalled MOP3.14 billion.

From January to March this year, total value of merchandise export decreased by 13.7% year-on-year to MOP3.14 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP2.78 billion) dropped by 16.0% but that of domestic exports (MOP363 million) grew by 9.6%. Total value of merchandise import declined by 22.9% year-on-year to MOP16.50 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totalled MOP13.36 billion for the first quarter of 2020, down by MOP4.41 billion from MOP17.77 billion a year earlier.

Analysed by destination, merchandise export to mainland China dropped by 6.9% year-on-year to MOP386 million from January to March 2020, of which exports to the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP370 million) declined by 7.2%. Exports to Hong Kong (MOP2.21 billion) fell by 14.4% year-on-year, whereas exports to the USA (MOP107 million) and the EU (MOP51 million) expanded by 118.6% and 31.2% respectively. Exports to the Belt and Road Countries (MOP90 million) soared by 159.7% year-on-year, while exports to the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP137 thousand) dipped by 46.8%. Exports of Textiles & garments rose by 83.3% year-on-year to MOP438 million while exports of Non-textiles went down by 20.5% to MOP2.70 billion.

By place of origin, merchandise import from mainland China (MOP5.70 billion) and the EU (MOP4.73 billion) decreased by 22.3% and 19.0% respectively year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020. On the other hand, imports from the Belt and Road Countries (MOP3.44 billion) increased by 66.4%, while imports from the Portuguese-speaking Countries (MOP190 million) shrank by 17.1%. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from mainland China slid by 11.4% year-on-year to MOP2.82 billion, of which imports from the Nine Provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP2.77 billion) fell by 10.3%. Imports of Consumer goods went down by 22.9% to MOP11.52 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP1.03 billion) and Gold jewellery (MOP923 million) falling by 36.8% and 38.0% respectively. In addition, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP1.29 billion), Mobile phones (MOP690 million) and Construction materials (MOP333 million) recorded decreases of 18.1%, 57.1% and 0.3% respectively.

External merchandise trade totalled MOP19.64 billion from January to March 2020, down by 21.6% compared with MOP25.05 billion a year earlier.