Abstract: By adopting HS (1992) six-digit export data and taking U.S.A as a benchmark country, this paper makes a comparison between the structure transformation capability and the evolution of specialization patterns of BRIC countries, so as to empirically test the impact of the structure transformation capability on the specialization patterns. The result shows that, compared with the U.S.A, the existing levels of their specialization patterns are relatively lower and their structure transformation capabilities are relatively weaker. China and India have many similarities in the specialization patterns and the evolution process. China’s capability of structure transformation is relatively stronger, followed by India, but the capabilities of Brazil and Russia are declining. In the future, BRIC countries will have more “products with potential advantages” in the sectors with higher level of technical sophistication. At present, however, their capabilities of structure transformation are not consistent with the transformation space.

Key words: BRIC; comparative advantage; structural transformation; technical sophistication; products with potential advantages