Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for September 2011 amounted to MOP526 million, up by 6.6% year-on-year; value of re-exports (MOP346 million) increased by 10.7%, but that of domestic exports (MOP180 million) decreased by 0.6%. Total merchandise import grew by 47.4% year-on-year to MOP5.68 billion. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP5.16 billion in September 2011.

In the third quarter of 2011, total value of merchandise export (MOP1.66 billion) rose slightly by 0.1% year-on-year upon favourable exports in September; total value of merchandise import (MOP16.84 billion) increased by 47.5%, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP15.18 billion.

In the first nine months of 2011, total value of merchandise export decreased by 4.3% year-on-year to MOP5.06 billion, of which value of re-exports declined by 6.3%; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import increased by 40.5% to MOP44.63 billion. Merchandise trade deficit for the first nine months of 2011 widened by 49.5% year-on-year to MOP39.57 billion; the exports/imports ratio dropped by 5.3 percentage points year-on-year to 11.3%.

Merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP2.17 billion), Mainland China (MOP814 million) and the USA (MOP425 million) in the first nine months of 2011 decreased by 4.0%, 3.3% and 32.1% respectively year-on-year. Exports of Textile & garment declined by 15.5% to MOP1.05 billion; meanwhile, exports of Jewellery (MOP221 million) and Clocks & watches (MOP197 million) decreased by 63.8% and 34.4% respectively, but that of Tobacco & wine (MOP472 million) grew by 62.5%.

In the first nine months of 2011, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP13.70 billion) and the EU (MOP11.02 billion) expanded by 38.3% and 58.2% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods rose by 44.2% to MOP27.13 billion, with imports of Food & beverages (MOP6.26 billion), Gold jewellery (MOP4.46 billion) and Handbags & wallets (MOP2.34 billion) increasing by 36.8%, 92.2% and 114.0% respectively. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP7.99 billion) registered year-on-year increase of 65.5%.

In the first nine months of 2011, total value of external merchandise trade amounted to MOP49.69 billion, up by 34.1% compared with MOP37.05 billion a year earlier.