MACAO, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Macao's external merchandise trade recorded strong year-on-year growth in January 2026, with total exports and imports rising 29.2 percent and 24.6 percent, respectively, official data showed Thursday.

According to the Special Administrative Region (SAR)'s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), merchandise exports totaled 1.46 billion patacas (181.35 million U.S. dollars), while imports reached 13.16 billion patacas. The SAR's total external merchandise trade amounted to 14.62 billion patacas, with a trade deficit of 11.71 billion patacas.

The DSEC noted that re-exports climbed 29.8 percent to 1.30 billion patacas, driven by sharp increases in watches and diamond jewellery, while domestic exports rose 24.2 percent to 158 million patacas despite a steep drop in garments. Imports were boosted by strong growth in mobile phones and gold jewellery. (1 pataca equals 0.12 U.S. dollars)