Competitiveness analysis of labor-intensive product foreign trade of E7 countries

The foreign trade positions of the E7 countries, including China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil and Turkey, which are expected to lead the future with high growth potential and have common interests and similar structures, are very important. In addition, the competitive power of the countries is important for sustainable growth and development, as well as ensuring their existence in the international market. In the study, the competitive power of the E7 countries was measured in the labor-intensive sector between 1993-2022. Balassa's Theory of Revealed Comparative Advantages was used to measure the competitive power. The SITC Rev.3 2-digit labor-intensive product group was used in the analysis. According to the index results, China has a large competitive advantage in the labor-intensive sector among the E7 countries. There is no product group in which Russia has a competitive advantage in the labor-intensive sector. India is one of the countries with a relative competitive advantage in the labor-intensive field. Turkey and Indonesia have a competitive advantage in 7 product groups out of 13 product groups. In summary; It is important for growth that countries continuously increase their exports. However, for sustainable growth and development, it is more important which product groups have increased exports.