Macau’s merchandise imports dropped by 3.7 percent year-on-year to 91.48 billion patacas (US$11.4 billion) in the first three quarters, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced yesterday. Imports accounted for 89.9 percent of Macau’s external merchandise trade, resulting in a trade balance deficit of 81.17 billion patacas.
Total merchandise exports—comprising domestic and re-exports—rose by 2.1 percent to 10.31 billion patacas. Re-exports accounted for 89.6 percent of total exports.
Food and beverage imports—Macau’s top segment of merchandise imports—rose by 4.8 percent to 16.86 billion patacas, accounting for 18.4 percent of all merchandise imports. Beauty, cosmetic, and skincare products—the second largest segment of merchandise imports—dropped by 1.2 percent to 6.94 billion patacas.
Tourists from the Chinese mainland, Macau’s number one source of visitor arrivals, make up a major part of the special administrative region’s shoppers. Most of Macau’s imports from January through September originated from the Chinese mainland (30.6 percent), France (14.5 percent), and Italy (10.2 percent). Approximately 71.3 percent of total exports were shipped to Hong Kong.
The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is a separate customs territory and free port of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The MSAR is a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Customs Organization (WCO).
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