The line graph compares the proportion of exports to imports between Australia and four countries — Japan, the USA, China, and India — from 1990 to 2012.
Overall, while the percentage of Australian exports to Japan experienced an overall decline over the given period, the figure for China and India increased considerably, especially in the former. Notably, Japan dominated in terms of imports from Australia for the most of the period before being overtaken by China at the end of the period.
Focusing on decreasing trends, Japan had the highest import rates from Australia at the beginning of the period, which was surpassed by China in the following years, starting at almost 25%. The figures then witnessed a marked decline despite mild fluctuations, reaching merely 18% in 2012. A similar downward trend was observed in the USA, starting at more than 10%. The figure decreased markedly to approximately 8% in 1990. Despite a slight growth from 1996 to 1990, the rate experienced a gradual decrease, reaching roughly 5%.
By contrast, the percentage of Australian exports to China and India was lower, at about 2% and 3% respectively in 1995. The figure for both countries went up, with the former experiencing a dramatic rise throughout the period, surpassing Japan in around 2007 and reaching the peak of approximately 8% of the period, while the latter increased from almost 2% to 5% during 22 years, despite a decrease in the final years