Macao saw growing exports and imports in January-October this year with in a trade surplus of 1. 2 billion patacas (150 million US dollars).

According to the latest figures released by the Macao Statistics and Census Services, the volume of export during the first 10 months of the year reached 14.6 billion patacas (1.825 billion US dollars), an increase of 4.3 percent over the same period of 1998.

The volume of import was 13.4 billion patacas (1.675 billion U. S. dollars a rise of 3.3 percent.

Textiles and garments remained the leading exports of Macao, accounting for 84 percent of all exported goods. Machinery and shoes took up 40 percent in the categories other than textiles and garments.

Exports to the United States and the European Union accounted for 47.9 percent and 28.9 percent of the total respectively. And exports to China's inland areas and Hong Kong totaled 16.3 percent.

Most imports came from the Asia-Pacific region. China's inland areas and Hong Kong supplied 53.6 percent. And goods from the United States and the European Union accounted for 18.7 percent.