Likewise, developing countries overall have moved into high- and medium-technology exports,
which are also the categories showing the highest growth rates. Resource-based exports showed the slowest
growth rates, falling from 23 per cent of manufacturing exports in 1981 to 13 per cent in 2000. As put by
Lall, Albaladejo, and Moreira (2004: 15), “Given the general rise in the share of HT (high tech) in trade, export success is now increasingly associated with the ability of countries to move into these products. This
is as true of developing and industrialized countries, and the most competitive countries in the developing
world are shifting rapidly into HT exports.” In contrast, the structure of Latin America’s exports reflects that
of manufacturing more generally. The medium-tech automotive industry was the largest category, followed
by natural resource processing industries, foodstuffs and primary commodities. High-tech exports followed.