KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 7): Malaysia's exports fell 5.3% to RM59.9 billion in July, from a year earlier, on lower sales of crucial products like electrical and electronic (E&E) items to major destinations like China and Japan.

In a statement today, the Statistics Department said Malaysia also exported less crucial items like oil palm-based products and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The department said sales of E&E products, which constituted 36.3% of total exports, fell 6%.

Exports of oil palm-based products, including palm oil, decreased 1.4%. These items accounted for 9.5% of exports.

LNG exports, which made up 3.9% of the country's external sales, declined 25%.
 
Malaysian imports also fell from a year earlier. The department said imports declined 4.8% to RM57.9 billion, as the country purchased less intermediate and consumption goods.

In June, the country's exports and imports rose 3.4% and 8.3%, respectively.