Macau's exports rose but its imports dropped in the first three quarters of the year, resulting in an external merchandise trade deficit to 85.2 billion patacas, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) has announced.
According to a DSEC statement earlier this week, total exports rose by 5.0 percent to 9.98 billion patacas, of which re-exports accounted for 88.7 percent.
Imports fell by 9.6 percent to 95.21 billion patacas. Food and beverage imports - Macau's top import items - decreased by 11.5 percent to 16.07 billion patacas. Construction material imports fell by 29.3 percent to 1.58 billion patacas, mobile phone imports dropped by 28.9 percent to 2.59 billion patacas, and gold jewellery import declined by 27.2 percent to 7.69 billion patacas.
Most imports originated from the Chinese mainland (29.8 percent), France (13.1 percent) and Italy (12.1 percent). Some 70. 1 percent of Macau exports went to Hong Kong.
Macau, which is a founder member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), is a free port and separate customs territory of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Caption: May 2009 file photo of Macau's Inner Harbour - Photo courtesy of Keiziro/Wikimedia Commons
