Macao’s merchandise exports and imports in February hit a total of 1.25 billion patacas (US$155 million) and 9.13 billion patacas (US$1.13 billion) respectively, according to the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
When compared to last February, the current export and import figures represent a growth of 29.7 percent and 5.5 percent. Overall, the trade deficit this February amounted to 7.88 billion patacas (US$981 million).
By product, diamonds and jewellery were Macao’s chief exports in February, hitting a value of 310 million patacas (US$38 million), an increase of 42.2 percent over the previous year. This was followed by watches, as well as machines, apparatus and parts whose totals hit 149.5 million patacas (US$18.61 million, up 27.2 percent) and 152.7 million patacas (US$19 million, up 61.5 percent) respectively.
Looking at imports in February, food and beverage products came in first place, with their value hitting 1.66 billion patacas (US$206 million), a jump of 30.4 percent year-on-year. In second place were clothing and shoe products, which had a total of 976 million patacas (US$121 million, down 5.5 percent), and gold and jewellery products, which recorded a figure of 822 million patacas (US$102 million, down 9.8 percent).
Cumulatively speaking, the export level in January and February came to a total of 2.37 billion patacas (US$295 million), an increase of 13.8 percent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, imports in the initial two months of 2025 totalled 19.88 billion patacas (US$2.47 billion), a drop of 5 percent in comparison to the same period last year.
[See more: A high-level delegation travelled to Europe in March]
In terms of destination, much of Macao’s merchandise exports during the first two months of this year went to Hong Kong, with the total value hitting 1.84 billion patacas (US$229 million), an increase of 24.2 percent year-on-year.
Exports to the European Union (EU) also grew by 2.3 percent over the previous year, totalling 40.2 million patacas (US$5 million)
By contrast, mainland China and US export numbers fell by 3.8 percent and 4.8 percent, dipping to 117 million patacas (US$14.5 million) and 33 million patacas (US$4.1 million).
As for the import of goods in January and February, the values for the mainland slipped by 1.1 percent year-on-year to 5.87 billion patacas (US$731 million).
This period also saw imports from Hong Kong, the EU, Switzerland and the US falling to 1.11 billion patacas (US$138 million, down 22.3 percent), 6.26 billion patacas (US$779 million, down 8.4 percent), 1.15 billion patacas (US$143 million, down 7.1 percent) and 992.9 million (US$123 million, down 21 percent) respectively.
Japan was the only key trading partner whose imports did not see a decline in Macao in the first two months of this year, with its cumulative value reaching 1.35 billion patacas (US$168 million), an increase of 10.1 percent year-on-year.
