OREANDA-NEWS. The volume of retail sales in Hong Kong, swept by mass protests, in September fell by 18.3% year on year to $ 3.8 billion, the government statistics service of this special administrative region of China said on Friday.

At the same time, this figure was slightly better than the August figure, when the decline reached a record 23%. Experts attribute the situation to the ongoing unrest in Hong Kong since the beginning of summer, a sharp decrease in tourist flow, as well as a drop in consumer demand amid a trade war between China and the United States. In particular, jewelry, watches and luxury goods fell by more than 40%.

Five months ago, mass protests began in Hong Kong against attempts by the authorities to pass an extradition bill allowing extradition to mainland China. Despite the decision of the head of administration, Carrie Lam, to abandon this initiative, many opposition supporters among the youth express their willingness to continue anti-government actions.

They intensify on weekends and are periodically accompanied by riots, clashes with the police and acts of vandalism. Many large shopping malls and shops remain closed during the rally days and incur losses.