notices electrical machinery and boilers, surprising elements for the Lao economy, but these are mostly artifacts in the data, probably generated by the big mining facilities sending expensive machinery abroad for repairs or following the completion of large construction projects. Copper amounts to 37 percent of total exports for the period, garments and gold for 12 percent each, while wood takes up around 7 percent (although wood is probably the category that suffers most from underreporting).

**Table 2:** Top products by total dollar value of exports 2005-2010; HS 6 and 2-digit level

|**#**<br>**Product name(HS 6-digit)**|**Total($)**|**Product name(HS 2-digit)**|**Total($)**|
|---|---|---|---|
|1<br>Cathodes of copper|1,057,962,633|Copper and articles thereof|1,547,681,378|
|2<br>Copper ores & concentrates|764,432,422|Ores,slagand ash|780,567,846|
|3<br>Copperplates,sheets & strip,of copper|484,180,639|Articles of apparel and accessories|513,636,860|
|4<br>Gold(incl.goldplated withplatinum)|424,182,631|Pearls andprecious ores|501,238,471|
|5<br>Maize(corn),other than seed|108,141,578|Wood and articles of wood|300,669,608|
|6<br>Coffee,not roasted,not decaffeinated|92,601,372|Cereals|121,872,560|
|7<br>Men's trousers,bib & overalls|89,106,353|Coffee,tea,mate and spices|96,788,256|
|8<br>Wood sliced/peeled|78,479,760|Electrical machineryand equipment|35,518,933|
|9<br>Wood(strips & friezes forparquet)|66,503,849|Inorganic chemicals|32,351,639|
|10<br>Wood sawn/chipped length wise|58,368,114|Sugars and sugar confectionery|30,679,037|
|11<br>Men's/boys' shirts of cotton|53,272,747|Mineral fuels and mineral oils|25,945,920|
|12<br>Men's/boys' trousers synthetic|52,852,007|Manmade staple fibers|23,618,003|
|13<br>Posts & beams of copper|40,585,513|Tobacco and manufactured substitutes|21,543,518|
|14<br>Piezo-electricquartz|39,192,681|Footwear, gaiters and the like|19,271,164|
|15<br>Jerseys, pullovers,cardigans,coats|35,222,709|Nuclear reactors,boilers,machinery|18,269,723|

_Source:_ Authors‟ calculation based on Lao PDR customs data We show in Table 3 the top destination countries for the same period. One sees the traditional trade partners and neighbors (Thailand, Vietnam and China) as well as some of the big economies (Japan, the UK, South Korea) but also Swaziland, whose presence is probably due to data entry errors (the confusion with Switzerland). Table 3 also shows the breakdown of export USD values by checkpoint. Checkpoints have been aggregated at the province level (except for Vientiane) to account for possible shifts in designation. The Lao-Thai Friendship Bridges that cross the Mekong River in Vientiane and Savannakhet account for a very large share of trade.

**Table 3:** Top destinations for Lao exports (left) and checkpoint traffic in USD (right) during 2005-2010

|**#**|**Destination**|**Total($)**|**Checkpoint**|**Total($)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|1|Thailand|2,512,047,832|ATTAPEU|439,699|
|2|Vietnam|519,149,727|BOKEO|33,633,260|
|3|Australia|415,155,991|BOLIKHAMXAY|41,170,137|
|4|China|100,688,303|CHAMPASACK|188,966,327|
|5|Germany|69,124,664|HOUAPHANH|64,897,402|
|6|United Kingdom|67,799,943|KHAMMOUANE|38,936,155|
|7|United States|55,428,832|LUANGNAMTHA|63,102,770|
|8|South Korea|26,835,305|OUDOMXAY|32,808,196|
|9|Japan|26,665,123|PHONGSALY|2,078,975|
|10|Swaziland|25,105,752|SALAVANE|6,491,015|
|11|Switzerland|23,990,556|SAVANNAKHET|1,670,532,715|
|12|France|23,420,803|SAYABOURY|83,694,346|
|13|Netherlands|18,347,112|SEKONG|107,221|
|14|Hong Kong<br>SAR,China|16,254,807|VIENTIANE Friendship Bridge|1,456,287,789|
|15|Poland|16,065,473|VIENTIANE WattayAirport|537,681,230|
|16|Belgium|15,771,328|XIENGKHOUANG|7,559,498|

_Source:_ Authors‟ calculation based on Lao PDR customs data _Exporting from a small landlocked economy_ _8_