HONG KONG – The value of Hong Kong’s goods exports recorded a year-on-year increase of 42.9 percent in April on the back of robust global demand for artificial intelligence-related electronics products, official data show.

The total value of exports of goods reached HK$620.9 billion ($79.2 billion) in April, after a year-on-year increase of 35.8 percent in the previous month, according to external merchandise statistics released by the Census and Statistics Department on Thursday.

In April, the value of imports of goods recorded a year-on-year rise of 44.4 percent to HK$650.4 billion, following a 41.2 percent year-on-year increase in March.

A visible trade deficit of HK$29.5 billion, equivalent to 4.5 percent of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in April, the data showed.

For the first four months of this year as a whole, the value of total exports of goods rose by 35.0 percent over the same period in 2025, while the value of imports of goods increased by 38.9 percent.

A spokesman for the special administrative region’s government said in addition to the particularly strong export growth to Asian markets such as the Chinese mainland and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, exports to the United States and the European Union also recorded very notable gains.

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Comparing April 2026 with April 2025, total exports to Asia as a whole grew by 43.7 percent, the data showed. Increases were registered in the values of exports to most major destinations, in particular Singapore (+126.3 percent), Thailand (+84.7 percent), China’s Taiwan region (+72.7 percent), Vietnam (+69.3 percent), Malaysia (+45.0 percent) and Chinese mainland (+40.7 percent).

Elsewhere, increases were registered in the values of exports to most major destinations in other regions, in particular Switzerland (+153.7 percent), the United Kingdom (+88.8 percent) and the United States (+37.5 percent).

Meanwhile, increases were seen in the values of imports from most major suppliers during the same period of comparison, in particular Korea (+117.4 percent), India (+104.1 percent), Vietnam (+86.0 percent), the United Kingdom (+80.5 percent), Malaysia (+64.7 percent) and the Chinese mainland (+46.8 percent).

Tommy Chung Ki-fung, a Hong Kong lawmaker representing the import-and-export sector, expressed his optimism over the external merchandise data, noting that the city’s trade is on a strong recovery track.

By category, exports of “electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof” jumped 49.5 percent, “telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment” 54.6 percent, and “office machines and automatic data processing machines” 41.5 percent.

“These figures demonstrate that artificial intelligence and high-tech products have become the core drivers of Hong Kong’s export growth,” said Chung.

“Re-export demand, fueled by the accelerating advance of the country’s AI and tech sectors, remains the key factor behind the Hong Kong SAR’s standout trade performance,” he added.

However, Chung warned that challenges remain. The negative impacts of geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East have gradually been absorbed, but whether the rising costs of shipping lanes and oil will be passed to consumers is still up in the air.

He said the third quarter will be a critical turning point when the situation in the Middle East is expected to be clearer.

The government spokesman also said heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East could pose a salient risk in the near term by disrupting supply chains, driving up transport costs and undermining global demand.

Resilient global demand for AI-related electronic products should provide continued support to Hong Kong's merchandise trade performance, the spokesman added.