Merchandise exports from Portuguese-speaking countries to Macau rose 46.9% last year compared to 2021, official data released yesterday indicated.

Last year, the value exported by Portuguese-speaking countries to the semi-autonomous Chinese region was 1.06 billion patacas (121 million euros), according to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) and quoted by Lusa.

The amount of goods imported from Macau by the Portuguese-speaking bloc fell 73.4%, in annual terms, to two million patacas (228 thousand euros).

In 2022, the exported value of goods rose by 4.3% year-on-year to MOP13.52 billion (€1.54 billion), while the imported value was MOP139.8 billion (€16.01 billion), down 9.1% year-on-year.

Macau's trade deficit last year was MOP126.29 billion (EUR14.4 billion), down MOP14.62 billion (EUR1.67 billion) compared to 2021 (MOP140.9 billion, EUR16.1 million).

The total value of external merchandise trade in 2022 was MOP153.3 billion (EUR17.5 billion) and down 8.1% from MOP166.8 billion (EUR19.1 billion) in 2021, the DSEC added.