Hong Kong exports jump nearly 65% in September, highest growth in over 40 yearsHong Kong’s exports jumped by 64.9 per cent year on year in September, the highest growth in more than 40 years, with artificial intelligence-related (AI) products further fuelling the momentum of recent months.Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Wednesday showed the total value of exports rose to HK$762.6 billion (US$97.8 billion) last month, after a 53 per cent surge in August.A government spokesman said September marked the 20th consecutive month of double-digit growth and the fastest monthly year-on-year increase in more than four decades.A check by the South China Morning Post found that September’s growth was the highest since January 1984, when it stood at 65.1 per cent.“Looking ahead, Hong Kong’s merchandise trade performance will continue to benefit from the prevailing wave of robust AI-related investment and the resilient global economic growth,” the spokesman said.“Nonetheless, external uncertainties warrant close monitoring, including the Middle East conflict, trade protectionist measures by major economies, and risks associated with the rapid expansion of global investment in AI.”Total exports to Asia surged 67.5 per cent year on year in September, with increases to most major destinations, particularly a 159.3 per cent rise to Taiwan, 131.5 per cent to Malaysia and 118 per cent to Thailand.South Korea continued to lead the growth in imports last month, with the value skyrocketing 231.1 per cent from a year earlier, followed by increases of 118.7 per cent from Vietnam and 73.9 per cent from Malaysia.lion, leaving a trade deficit of HK$46.3 billion, equivalent to 5.7 per cent of the value of goods imports in September.In the first nine months of 2026, total exports rose by 45.2 per cent from a year earlier, while imports rose by 45 per cent, producing a trade deficit of HK$417.7 billion.In terms of commodities, the global scramble for AI-related products drove the streak, with the value of exports in electrical machinery and parts soaring by 66.2 per cent to HK$390.8 billion, while the office machines and automatic data processing machines category expanded by 183.7 per cent to HK$135.4 billion.Lee Shu-kam, director of the Business, Economic and Public Policy Research Centre at the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, attributed the surge to the front-loading of AI products, as they were highly exposed to US tariff policy.“Before the policy becomes clear, everyone will rush to buy [AI products],” he said. “So with all the snap-ups, Hong Kong will probably bring in a lot of goods and export them as well as acting as a middleman.”He estimated that the recent strength in exports would continue until the tariff policy became clear later next year, although it might not be as high as in September for the following months.Strong exports have underpinned Hong Kong’s economic growth this year, with gross domestic product rising by 4.3 per cent year on year in the second quarter. In August the government raised its full-year growth forecast to 3.5 to 4.5 per cent from 2.5 to 3.5 per cent.https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3372427/hong-kong-exports-jump-nearly-65-september-highest-growth-over-40-years?pgtype=live (ICE HONG KONG)

Fonte notizia: South China Morning Post