China-Thailand cooperation in trade and investment

--China-Thailand trade

Thailand is China's most important trade and investment partner in the sub-region.  
Total trade between China and Thailand was 3.67 billion US dollars in 1998 and rose to 4.22 billion US dollars in 1999 and 6.62 billion US dollars in 2000.
Thailand's key exports to China are rice, natural rubber, sugar and other agricultural products. Industrial products have traditionally made up a small portion of the total trade but in recent years there has been a marked upturn in a number of items such as jewelry, garments, cosmetics, canned fish, furniture and small electrical appliances.

Thailand’s imports from China cover a wide range of industrial products, including petroleum machinery equipment, iron and steel and chemicals. Smaller volumes of imports include construction materials, fertilizer, paraffin, coke, cotton, raw silk and some agricultural products.

Investment

Thailand was an early source of investment in China, particularly from small and medium sized companies. These investments had been concentrated in the eastern coastal regions of China where transport and infrastructure was more developed. But that has been changing with growing investment in the interior in recent years. Large scale investments are almost exclusively from Thailand’s major corporations and they remain focused on the more developed coastal regions. Thai investments in China focus on food, textiles, garments, plastics, electric power, transport equipment, feed, poultry and aquaculture as well as real estate development.

Large projects tend to be joint ventures or cooperative ventures with Chinese companies.

Cooperation projects tend to be for longer terms – 30 to 50 years – whenThai investors have more than 50 pct of the investment stake. Those projects with Thai interests holding less than 50 pct tend to be for periods of 10 to 30 years.

China’s investments in Thailand make up a relatively small proportion of the total foreign investment in that country, and tend to focus on processing of raw materials as well as in petrochemicals and industrial machinery. Most of the investments are made in the form of machinery, technology or labor.

China and Myanmar cooperation on trade and investment

--China-Myanmar trade

Trade between China and Myanmar is about one billion US dollars with China’s exports accounting for about 80 pct of the total. Trade stood at 580 million US dollars in 1998 but fell to 510 million US dollars in 1999 before expanding to 620 million US dollars in 2000. 

--China-Myanmar investment

China's investment in Myanmar as of 1997 was already 900 million US dollars, accounting for about 13 pct of Myanmar’s total foreign investment. Chinese companies have been engaged in developing Myanmar’s forest and water resources as well as in agricultural production such as sugar cane, tobacco and cotton. Construction of roads, bridges and power stations has also been a key area of cooperation as well as in satellite telecommunications.

China and Vietnam cooperation on trade and investment

--China and Vietnam trade

Vietnam is also one of China's most important sub-regional trade partners.
 
China-Vietnam trade volume was 1.25 billion US dollars in 1998 and slipped slightly to 1.22 billion US dollars in 1999 before rising to 2.47 billion US dollars in 2000. China ranks as Vietnam’s sixth largest trading partner and its exports to Vietnam account for about 60 pct of the total bilateral trade.

Vietnam's exports to China are mainly raw materials, agricultural products, aquatic products and consumer goods. China's exports to Vietnam include machinery and transport equipment, raw materials, food and daily consumer goods and pharmaceutical products.

--China and Vietnam investment

China ranks 20th in terms of overall foreign investment in Vietnam. Chinese investment projects in Vietnam include light industrial machinery, chemicals, building materials, sugar, beverages, paper, electric power and transport facilities.

China-Laos cooperation on trade and investment

--China and Laos trade

Trade between China and Laos stood at 25.73 million US dollars in 1998 and rose to 31.72 million US dollars in 1999 and 40.84 million US dollars in 2000. China's exports to Laos account for more than 80 pct of the total.

China's exports to Laos are mainly industrial goods, stationery, textiles, food, Chinese medicines, household appliances, construction materials, transport, agricultural machinery, generators, other types of machinery and spare parts. China's imports from Laos are focused mainly on agricultural products, forestry products, medicinal plants, animal products and natural rubber.
 
--China and Laos investment

China is the 8th largest source of foreign investment in Laos. China is active in engineering construction and is a key source of labor. It is also a large supplier of foreign aid. Major projects included a satellite television ground station as well as power stations and power transmission projects. Yunnan province has also assisted in the construction of a cement plant with an annual capacity of 73,000 tons. The Lao National Cultural Center project is the largest of China's aid projects in Laos.

China and Laos are currently cooperating in the development of potassium near Vientiane.

China and Cambodia cooperation on trade and investment

--China and Cambodia trade

Trade between China and Cambodia was 162 million US dollars in 1999 and slipped to 160 million US dollars in 1999 before climbing to 224 million US dollars in 2000. Cambodia's imports from China mainly consist of light industrial equipment, building materials, processed foods and daily necessities. China's key imports from Cambodia are natural resources such as timber products.

--China and Cambodia investment

China is the third largest investor in Cambodia. There are more than 50 Chinese-funded companies in Cambodia and investments have focused on building materials, rubber processing, plywood production, electric power, road construction, paper, textiles, garments, agriculture and aquaculture.