Macau : Footwear exports surge by 14.8% in September

Macao's total value of exports amounted to MOP1.81 billion in September 2007, up by 6.1% over the same month of 2006. Among this, the value of domestic exports went up by 2.3% to MOP1.16 billion, and the value of re-exports increased by 13.4% to MOP657 million.
Total value of imports amounted to MOP3.65 billion, up by 14.4% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP1.84 billion was recorded for September 2007.
During the period of January-September 2007, the value of total exports dropped by 5.1% year-on-year to MOP15.04 billion, of which the value of domestic exports fell by 14.8% whereas the value of re-exports rose by 20.1%.
Meanwhile, the value of imports grew by 17.3% to MOP31.60 billion, bringing about a trade deficit of MOP16.56 billion. The exports/imports ratio decreased from 58.8% in the first nine months of 2006 to 47.6% in the same period of 2007.
In the first nine months of 2007, the value of Textile & garment exports, which accounted for 64.8% of the total exports, decreased by 16.4% over the same period of 2006; nevertheless, the value of Non-textile exports rose by 26.7%, of which Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof and Footwear surged by 84.4% and 14.8% respectively.
The USA and the EU remained the major destinations of Macao's exports, together making up 57.7% of the total value of exports. In the first nine months of 2007, the value of exports to the USA and the EU decreased by 17.0% and 15.0% respectively year-on-year.

In the first nine months of 2007, Macao's total value of imports grew by 17.3% year-on-year. In terms of broad economic categories, the value of imports of Capital goods, Consumer goods and Fuels & lubricants rose by 40.7%, 20.6% and 19.9% respectively, whereas the value of imports of Raw materials & semi-manufactures registered a slight decrease of 0.3% year-on-year.
Moreover, Macao's main suppliers of imported goods still concentrated in the Asian region. The value of imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong, comprising 52.7% of the total, rose by 10.3% and 16.7% respectively year-on-year.