Macau imported gold jewellery worth 4.63 billion patacas in the first five months of this year, up 51 percent year-on-year, ranking first among the city’s imports, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) has announced.
Gold jewellery accounted for 12.6 billion of the total value of imports between January and May.
Food and beverage imports came in second, at 4.59 billion patacas, up 18 percent on the same period a year earlier.
Watch imports rose 75 percent to 3.59 billion patacas. Mobile phone imports grew 12 percent to 2.77 billion patacas. Imports of handbags and wallets remained unchanged at 1.6 billion patacas. Motorcar and motorcycle imports increased 23 percent o 1.6 billion patacas. Beauty, cosmetic and skin-care imports jumped 33 percent to 1.25 billion patacas.
Merchandise imports rose 15 percent to 36.62 billion patacas, resulting in a trade balance deficit of 32.62 billion patacas.
Total merchandise exports increased 10 percent to 4.24 billion patacas. Re-exports accounted for 81.1 percent of all exports.
Most of the city’s imports originated from the mainland (32 percent), Hong Kong (11 percent), Switzerland (10 percent), France (9 percent), and Italy (7 percent).
Some 76 percent of Macau’s exports were shipped to the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
(macaunews/macaupost)
