MACAO, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The total merchandise export for August in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) amounted to 1.02 billion patacas (about 12.65 million U.S. dollars), up by 26.7 percent year-on-year, the SAR's statistics bureau said on Thursday.

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) also indicated that the value of reexports increased by 30.9 percent to 907 million patacas, with that of diamond and diamond jewellery, as well as watches surging by 191.3 percent and 145.4 percent respectively.

The total merchandise import rose by 22.5 percent year-on-year to 7.58 billion patacas, of which imports of motor cars and motorcycles, as well as beauty, cosmetic and skincare products expanded by 86.6 percent and 66.7 percent respectively. Merchandise trade deficit in August amounted to 6.56 billion patacas.

From January to August 2018, the total value of merchandise export increased by 7.9 percent year-on-year to 8.13 billion patacas. The total value of merchandise import went up by 24.0 percent year-on-year to 58.39 billion patacas. Merchandise trade deficit widened to 50.25 billion patacas for the first eight months of 2018.

External merchandise trade totalled 66.52 billion patacas from January to August 2018, up by 21.7 percent compared with 54.64 billion patacas a year earlier. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 8.06 patacas)