Laos (LAO) and China (CHN) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Laos-China Trade: In 2023, Laos exported $3.41B to China. The main products that Laos exported to China were Potassic Fertilizers ($630M), Other Uncoated Paper ($453M), and Copper Ore ($408M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Laos to China have increased at an annualized rate of 14.9%, from $1.7B in 2018 to $3.41B in 2023.

In 2023, Laos did not export any services to China.

China-Laos Trade: In 2023, China exported $2.9B to Laos. The main products that China exported to Laos were Machinery Having Individual Functions ($150M), Delivery Trucks ($132M), and Insulated Wire ($92.9M). Over the past 5 years the exports of China to Laos have increased at an annualized rate of 12.9%, from $1.58B in 2018 to $2.9B in 2023.

In 2023, China did not export any services to Laos.

Comparison: In 2023, Laos ranked 107 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI -0.89), and 108 in total exports ($8.7B). That same year, China ranked 21 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.16), and 1 in total exports ($3.42T).

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

Value

Trade

Growth

Growth (%)

Year

In 2023, Laos exported $3.41B to China. The main products exported from Laos to China were Potassic Fertilizers ($630M), Other Uncoated Paper ($453M), and Copper Ore ($408M). During the last 5 years the exports of Laos to China have increased at an annualized rate of 14.9%, from $1.7B in 2018 to $3.41B in 2023.

In 2018, China exported $2.9B to Laos. The main products exported from China to Laos were Machinery Having Individual Functions ($150M), Delivery Trucks ($132M), and Insulated Wire ($92.9M). During the last 5 years the exports of China to Laos have increased at an annualized rate of 12.9%, from $1.58B in 2023 to $2.9B in 2018.

Exports from Laos () to China () (2023)

Exports from China () to Laos () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Laos () and China ()

Laos Exports

Date

China Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Laos
Top DestinationChina$3.41B

China
Top DestinationUnited States$436B

This map shows whether countries import more from Laos or China. Each country is colored based on the difference in imports they receive from Laos and China or the difference in the growth in imports.

In 2023, no countries were registered that imported more from Laos than from China.

In 2023, countries that imported more from China than Laos included United States ($436B), Hong Kong ($259B), and Japan ($169B).

Difference in imports from China () and Laos () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Laos - China

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

This chart compares trade between Laos and China by product, considering products traded by both, Laos and China.

During 2023, Laos had a large net trade with China in the exports of Mineral Products ($876M), Chemical Products ($764M), and Paper Goods ($756M).

During 2018, China had a large net trade with Laos in the exports of Machines ($1.13B), Metals ($482M), and Transportation ($407M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Laos China+$209MCopper Ore

Top Product Potential China Laos+$103MComputers

We estimate the export potential of an economy for each product and destination using an extension of the bilateral relatedness model of Jun et al. (2019).This extended gravity model considers similarities among products and geographies and explains more than 50% of the variance in future trade flows.

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Year

This visualization shows the product space at the HS4 level with the flags of Laos and China. This means that a dot/product with the flag of Laos indicates it has a comparative advantage over China. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of China indicates it has a comparative advantage over Laos.

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Exports from Laos () to China () (2023)

Exports from China () to Laos () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Laos () and China ()

Laos Exports

China Exports

Market Competitiveness

Difference in imports from China () and Laos () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Laos - China

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Product Space of Laos () and China () (2023)

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