Trade between the Chinese mainland and Macao dropped by 16.3 percent year on year to 615 million U.S. dollars during the first three months of 2017, according to figures from the Ministry of Commerce.
The mainland's exports to Macao decreased by 14.84 percent year on year to 593 million U.S. dollars during the January-March period. Imports from Macao were at 22 million U.S. dollars, a sharp drop of 42.79 percent year on year, according to the ministry.
The mainland approved 156 investment projects from Macao during the period, with the actual use of Macao capital reaching 309 million U.S. dollars, up 67.77 percent from the same period last year.
As of the end of March, the mainland had approved 15,230 Macao-invested projects, with the actual use of Macao capital reaching 13.91 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 0.77 percent of the total overseas investment in the mainland.