Hong Kong's exports, imports of goods continue to fall in July

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's total exports and imports of goods both fell in July, as radical protests and violence continued to weigh on its economy since early June amid softening global economic growth, the latest trade data showed on Monday.

The value of total exports of goods dropped 5.7 percent over a year earlier to 338.6 billion HK dollars (about $43.16 billion), after falling 9.0 percent year-on-year in June, according to the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong.

The value of total imports of goods declined 8.7 percent over a year earlier to 370.8 billion HK dollars (about $47.27 billion) in July, after a year-on-year decline of 7.5 percent in June, resulting in a trade deficit of 32.2 billion HK dollars (about $4.1 billion).

For the first seven months of 2019, the value of total exports of goods dropped by 3.9 percent year on year, while imports of goods weakened by 5.1 percent.

Trade deficit reached 276.8 billion HK dollars in the January-July period.