🌏 ASEAN Trade Balance Interactive Visualization

ASEAN Trade Balance

ASEAN’s trade story is far more dynamic than most people realize. Some partners consistently drive strong surpluses, others pull the balance into deep deficit, and several countries flip positions depending on global shocks. These shifts get buried when we look only at total exports or GDP headlines.

To make things clearer, this interactive map shows ASEAN’s trade balance with every partner country from 2017–2024. Hover over any country to see how much ASEAN exported, imported, and whether the balance was positive or negative (in million USD). You can quickly spot long-term patterns, sudden changes, and unexpected trading relationships.

Why it matters right now

With U.S. tariff policy changing again, everyone is asking the same questions:

• Can ASEAN benefit from trade diversion?
• Will exporters gain new opportunities as global supply chains re-route?
• Which countries already have strong trade links with ASEAN—and which do not?

Before jumping to conclusions, it’s crucial to know where ASEAN actually stands today. Understanding the current trade balance helps us identify which partners matter, which sectors are vulnerable, and where new opportunities could realistically emerge.

This baseline is essential whether you are analyzing policy, adjusting supply chains, or simply trying to make sense of the shifting global environment.

Trade (Fun) Facts: What Happens When Tariffs Change?

Tariffs don’t just change “how much” countries trade — they change who they trade with and why.
Here are the core ideas in the simplest possible terms.

1. Trade Creation — Buying From the Better Partner

Idea:
When tariffs fall, a country starts importing from a partner that is genuinely more efficient or cheaper.

Simple version:
Lower tariffs → better prices → efficient producers win.

Example:
If tariffs on electronics drop, a country may switch from producing phones domestically to buying cheaper, higher-quality ones from Korea or China.

2. Trade Diversion — Switching Partners Because of Tariffs

Idea:
A country shifts imports from the most efficient global supplier to a partner that gets tariff advantages — not because it produces better, but because it’s taxed less.

Simple version:
Tariff change → imports reroute to the tax-favored partner.

Example:
If India removes tariffs only for Vietnam (not Thailand), importers may switch from Thailand to Vietnam even though Thailand still has the cheaper production cost.

3. Trade Re-routing — Using a Middleman Country

Idea:
Goods pass through a third country to take advantage of different tariff rules or re-export channels, even if most production stays in the original country.

Simple version:
Products take a detour → trade stats show the middleman → real production hasn’t moved.

Example:
A Chinese product is shipped to Singapore, relabeled as a re-export, then sent to Japan to avoid higher tariffs on direct China→Japan shipments.

4. Bilateral Trade Balance — The Simple Scoreboard

Formula:
Trade Balance = Exports − Imports

• Surplus: selling more to a partner than buying
• Deficit: buying more than selling

Simple version:
It’s not “good” or “bad” — it simply shows the direction of the relationship.

A country’s trade balance — surplus or deficit — is not a grade. It’s an outcome of deeper economic forces. Economists treat it as descriptive, not moral.

Example:
If Malaysia exports $5B to India but imports only $1B from India, Malaysia shows a $4B bilateral surplus with India.

Explore the data yourself

This interactive map gives you a clean, intuitive, and transparent way to explore ASEAN’s trade structure. It’s built for anyone—policymakers, researchers, students, or anyone curious about how trade really works beneath the surface.

Use it to:

• Compare ASEAN’s position across years
• Detect emerging trends
• Understand who ASEAN trades with the most
• Connect the dots between geopolitics, tariffs, and real trade flows

The map lets you explore the data in seconds—no spreadsheets required.

Data

The dataset is sourced from UN Comtrade and extracted using my own Trade Research API, then compiled at the HS2 level.
For clarity, products are grouped into three broad sectors commonly used in international trade analysis: