Macao recorded a trade deficit of 5.06 billion patacas (600 million U.S. dollars) in January 2012, as merchandise import increased by 16.3 percent year-on-year, according to the figures released on Wednesday by the city's Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

Total merchandise export for January stood at 622 million patacas (77.75 million dollars), with value of domestic exports down by 18.4 percent to 203 million patacas and that of re-exports up by 3.8 percent to 419 million patacas, the figures indicated.

Meanwhile, the value of total merchandise import went up by 16.3 percent year-on-year to 5.68 billion patacas during the period.

Analyzed by destination, value of merchandise export to Hong Kong and the United States decreased by 5.1 percent and 29.6 percent year-on-year in January 2012, while that to the Chinese mainland increased by 14.6 percent, the DSEC said.

Regarding the country of origin of imported goods, value of merchandise import from the Chinese mainland and the EU expanded by 23.9 percent and 9.4 percent year-on-year, the figures showed.

Imports of consumer goods rose by 16 percent from a year earlier to 3.61 billion, with that of watches, handbags and wallets, as well as motor cars and motorcycles rising by 36.1 percent, 44.2 percent and 25.8 percent, respectively, the DSEC said.