
China, Hong Kong SAR
Global Trade Profile β’ Rank #36 Exporter
$122.92B
Total Exports (2023)
$623.87B
Total Imports (2023)
$500.96B
Trade Deficit
#36
Export Ranking
Trade Flow Visualization
Interactive map showing China, Hong Kong SAR's top trading partners. Green lines represent exports, red lines represent imports.
#36
Export Rank
$122.92B
Total Exports
$623.87B
Total Imports
-$500.96B
Trade Balance
24
Trade Partners
π Top Export Destinations
China
Viet Nam
Rep. of Korea
Netherlands
Switzerland
United Arab Emirates
USA
India
Malaysia
United KingdomTop Export Products
π₯ Top Import Sources
China
Singapore
Japan
Rep. of Korea
USA
Malaysia
Viet Nam
United Kingdom
SwitzerlandTop Import Products
π Historical Trade Trends (1995-2023)
29 Years
Data Coverage
29
Data Points
π
Trend Direction
China, Hong Kong SAR Trade Analysis 2023
π Overview
China, Hong Kong SAR stands as the world's #36 largest exporter and #10 largest importer, demonstrating substantial regional trade importance.
The trade profile reveals a deficit of 500.96 billion, reflecting import dependencies for growth.
The country maintains active trading relationships with 20 major partners, creating a highly diversified trade network.
Monthly trade flows average $62.23B, generating continuous economic activity across logistics, finance, and trade services.
π’ Export Markets
Export Market Concentration
Export concentration shows China as the dominant market at 20.7%. The top three markets control 40.2% of exports.
Regional patterns reveal globally balanced access. Secondary markets (United Arab Emirates, USA, India) provide $20.32B in additional trade.
π¦ Import Sources
Import Source Concentration
China, Hong Kong SAR relies heavily on China for imports (41.4%),creating supply chain concentration risk.
Energy suppliers including United Arab Emirates (14.84B) collectively provide 14.84 billion or 2.4% of imports, highlighting the economy's dependence on imported energy resources.
Manufacturing inputs come primarily from China, Rep. of Korea, Malaysia, Viet Nam, reflecting deep integration into Asian production networks. China's dominant position at 258.54 billion encompasses electronics components, textiles, machinery parts, and consumer goods, creating both efficiency benefits and concentration risks.
The USA provides 25.48 billion (4.1%) in imports, concentrated in agricultural products, aircraft, pharmaceuticals, and advanced technology.The top 10 import sources account for 81.0% of total imports, with the remaining 19% distributed among 10 other suppliers.
Regional sourcing patterns reveal strong ASEAN integration with 5 Southeast Asian nations providing 104.28 billion (16.7%) of imports. European suppliers including Germany (6.84B), France (6.04B), Italy (5.20B) focus on luxury goods, machinery, and specialized chemicals.
Supply chain resilience strategies increasingly emphasize "China Plus One" approaches, with Viet Nam, Thailand, Indiaemerging as alternative manufacturing bases. The geographic proximity of major suppliers reduces transportation costs and lead times but concentrates regional risks.
π¦ Product Composition
π Export Products
Top Export Products
China, Hong Kong SAR's export economy centers on diversified industrial production, with the leading export being gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)at $17.29 billion, accounting for 14.1% of total exports.
Electronics, semiconductors, and machinery contribute 37.98 billion or 30.9% of exports.
The automotive sector's dominance is evident in the export portfolio, with . This automotive specialization reflects decades of manufacturing excellence, continuous innovation in fuel efficiency and hybrid technology, and established global brand recognition.
The transition to electric and hybrid vehicles is captured in export data, with 1 categories specifically related to alternative propulsion systems, totaling $1.23B.
Beyond automotive, China, Hong Kong SAR maintains strong positions in industrial machinery (3 categories totaling 13.54B), electronic components (24.44B), and Metals, Jewellery, Diamonds.
The top 20 export products collectively account for 57.5% of total exports, revealing moderate concentration with room for further diversification.
π Import Products
Top Import Products
Import requirements center on n.e.c. in heading no. 8542 at 73.79 billion (11.8%), indicating technology and machinery requirements.
Beyond energy, critical imports include n.e.c. in heading no. 8542 (73.79B, 11.8%), processors and controllers, whether or n... (63.92B, 10.2%), gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not p... (47.78B, 7.7%), Telephones for cellular networks or for ... (47.49B, 7.6%), memories (35.02B, 5.6%).Electronic components and devices total 266.64 billion (42.7% of imports), supporting domestic manufacturing and assembly operations.
The import product mix reveals structural characteristics of China, Hong Kong SAR's economy: integration into global electronics supply chains, and sophisticated consumption patterns.
The ratio of raw materials to finished goods in imports (1 : 19among top 20 products) indicates balanced import composition. Import substitution potential exists in technology sectors through targeted industrial policies and investment.
Product diversification metrics reveal focused product specializationwith implications for economic resilience and growth potential. The technology ladder progression from 0 primary products to 12 high-tech goods indicates the economy's structural transformation and industrial upgrading trajectory.
Value addition opportunities exist in transitioning from raw material exports to processed goods, from components to finished products, and from standard to customized offerings. The product space connectivity, measuring relatedness between current exports and potential new products, suggests strong potential for diversification into adjacent sophisticated products.
βοΈ Trade Balance Dynamics
| Partner | Exports | Imports | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | $25.46B | $258.54B | $-233.08B |
| Other Asia, nes | $2.70B | $50.25B | $-47.54B |
| Singapore | $2.29B | $43.98B | $-41.69B |
| Rep. of Korea | $9.50B | $28.84B | $-19.35B |
| Japan | $2.49B | $29.44B | $-26.95B |
Export-to-import ratio of 0.197 means exports cover 19.7% of import costs.
π Key Relationships
Major Trading Partners
| Partner | Exports | Imports | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | $25.46B | $258.54B | $-233.08B |
| Other Asia, nes | $2.70B | $50.25B | $-47.54B |
| Singapore | $2.29B | $43.98B | $-41.69B |
| Rep. of Korea | $9.50B | $28.84B | $-19.35B |
| Japan | $2.49B | $29.44B | $-26.95B |
| Viet Nam | $14.42B | $17.11B | $-2.69B |
| USA | $4.61B | $25.48B | $-20.87B |
| Malaysia | $3.56B | $19.74B | $-16.18B |
| Total | $65.03B | $473.38B | $-408.35B |
The China, Hong Kong SAR-China relationship leads at 284.00 billion in bilateral trade.View detailed analysis β
Additional major partnerships include Singapore (46.27B total trade), Rep. of Korea (38.34B total trade), Japan (31.93B total trade). Regional integration through Asian supply chains facilitates technology transfer, market access, and production efficiency. The diversity of trading relationshipsβ579.00B across top 10 partnersβprovides resilience against bilateral tensions and regional disruptions.
π Competitive Position
Global rankings position China, Hong Kong SAR as the #36 exporter worldwide,as a significant regional trader. The country's share of global exports at approximately 1.229%offers opportunities for market share expansion.
Export sophistication, measured by the dominance of technology-intensive products, indicates advanced industrial capabilities. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index shows strongest competitiveness in sectors where China, Hong Kong SAR's global market share exceeds its overall trade share by factors of 2 or more.
Competitive advantages emerge in sectors where export concentration exceeds import share, particularly ingold, non-monetary, unwro, of a thrust exceeding 25k, processors and controller. The revealed comparative advantage is strongest in product categories representing25.7% of exports. Market positioning against regional competitors shows niche specialization opportunities.
Trade complementarity with major partners suggests deep integration into global supply chains. The export quality ladder, comparing unit values to world averages, indicates competitive pricing strategies.
Competitive dynamics are shaped by factor endowments including cost advantages and resource availability, infrastructure quality, and business environment. The export survival rate, measuring the persistence of export relationships over time, suggests need for relationship strengthening.
Innovation capacity, reflected in the technology content of exports and R&D intensity, determines long-term competitiveness trajectories. The competitive threat from emerging exporters in similar product categories requires continuous upgrading and differentiation strategies to maintain market position. Regional integration through trade agreements provides preferential access to0 markets, creating competitive advantages over non-member competitors.
π― Strategic Outlook
Strategic Priority
The trade profile presents both opportunities and challenges for economic development strategy. Key strengths include strong import capacity enabling technology transfer and consumption growth,diversified market access reducing concentration risk, and competitive positions in high-value manufacturing.
Vulnerabilities include concentrated import dependencies. The intersection of these factors creates a complex strategic landscape requiring careful navigation to maximize opportunities while mitigating risks.
Strategic priorities should focus on export promotion and import substitution to enhance trade competitiveness. Opportunities exist in expanding trade with China, Macao SAR, Other Asia, nes, Russian Federation, developing new product capabilities in adjacent product categories, and strengthening regional integration through new partnership frameworks.
The digital transformation of trade, including e-commerce, digital services, and blockchain-based trade finance, offers new avenues for market access and efficiency gains. Green trade opportunities in renewable energy, sustainable products, and carbon markets represent growing segments aligned with global sustainability goals.
The evolving global trade environment, characterized by technological disruption, geopolitical realignment, and sustainability imperatives, will fundamentally reshape China, Hong Kong SAR's trade prospects. Success requires balanced policies addressing both improving export capacity while ensuring sustainable import financing.
Investment in infrastructure, education, and innovation ecosystems will determine the ability to climb value chains and capture larger shares of global value addition. The resilience agenda, emphasizing supply chain robustness, strategic autonomy in critical sectors, and economic security considerations, must be balanced with efficiency and openness principles.
As global trade patterns continue evolving, China, Hong Kong SAR's position as the world's #36 exporter provides a platform for continued growth, requiring adaptive strategies, institutional strengthening, and sustained commitment to competitiveness enhancement in an increasingly complex and interconnected global economy.
Data Notes
Data from CEPII BACI database, harmonized using UN Comtrade methodology. All values in current USD at 2023 exchange rates. Trade statistics cover merchandise goods only, excluding services. Mirror statistics reconciliation applied for data consistency. 2024 data available January 2026. HS6 product classification follows 2017 revision.
Data source: CEPII BACI | Last updated: January 2025 | Next update: January 2026