The export of clothing contributed to the trade figures for August.

Laos records trade deficit of US$166 m in August 
 
Laos registered a record trade deficit of US$166 million in August, up from US$114 million in July, while two-way trade was valued at US$1.02 billion, excluding the export of electricity.
According to the latest figures for August posted on the Lao Trade Portal on September 23, the two-trade for August included exports worth US$427 million and imports worth US$593 million.
The figures reflected a significant increase of US$52 in the trade deficit in August. 
Laos’ main exports during August included gold and gold bullion, paper and paper products, copper ore, wood pulp and paper scraps, rubber, fertilisers, clothing, beverages, sugar and footwear.
 The main imports were diesel, mechanical equipment, land vehicles, wood pulp and paper scraps, gasoline, beverages, plastic utensils, precious or semi-precious stones, live animals and steel and iron and steel products.
The main exports by value were gold and gold bullion (US$63 million), paper and paper products (US$49 million), copper ore (US$32 million), wood pulp and paper scraps (US$30 million), rubber (US$25 million), fertiliser (US$23 million), clothing (US$21 million), beverages (US$21 million), sugar (US$15 million) and footwear (US$14 million).
The main imports by value were diesel (US$89 million), mechanical equipment (US$65 million), land vehicles (US$44 million), wood pulp and paper scraps (US$33 million), gasoline (US$27 million), beverages (US$22 million), plastic utensils (US$17 million), precious or semi-precious stones (US$17 million), live animals (US$16 million), and steel, iron and steel products (US$14 million).
China topped the list of main export destinations in August with a figure of US$ 173 million, while Vietnam was in the second place with US$81 million. Exports to Thailand were valued at US$ 46 million.
Exports to Australia were worth US$28 million, and exports to Hong Kong were valued at US$16 million.
Thailand topped the list of top five importing countries in August, with a figure of US$ 290 million, while China ranked second with US$145 million and Vietnam was in third place with US$ 37 million.
The USA imported goods worth US$25 million while the figure for Japan was US$ 17 million.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update September 27, 2022)