In order to improve the high-temperature wear resistance of austenitic stainless steel, a wear resistant composite coating reinforced with hard (Cr,Fe)(7)C(3) carbide and toughened by ductile gamma-(Ni,Fe)/(Cr,Fe)(7)C(3) eutectic matrix was fabricated by a novel central hollow laser cladding technique. The constituent phases and microstructure as well as high-temperature tribological behaviors of the Ni-based coating were investigated, respectively, and the corresponding wear mechanisms were discussed. It has been found that the composite coating exhibits superior wear resistance than substrate either at ambient or high temperatures. The coating shows better sliding wear resistance at 600 degrees C than 300 degrees C owing to high-temperature stability of the reinforced carbide and polishing effect as well as formation of continuous lubricious films, which implied it has large potential industrial applications at relatively higher temperatures. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.