The bar chart illustrates the value of Australia’s trading links with five countries – China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam – over the years 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Overall, China was by far Australia’s largest trading partner, with trade values rising steadily across the three years. Japan maintained the second position, though its figures showed a slight decline in 2014. Korea and Thailand remained stable at moderate levels, while Vietnam recorded the lowest values but experienced gradual growth.
In detail, trade with China increased significantly from approximately A$120,000 million in 2012 to nearly A$160,000 million in 2014, showing strong upward momentum. Japan’s trade values hovered around A$80,000 million in 2012 and 2013, before dipping slightly in 2014. Korea’s figures remained consistent at about A$40,000 million throughout the period. Thailand also displayed stability, with values close to A$20,000 million. By contrast, Vietnam’s trade was below A$10,000 million in 2012 but showed modest growth over the following years, indicating a small yet positive trend.
In summary, while China strengthened its dominance as Australia’s primary trading partner, Japan’s role weakened slightly, and the other three countries maintained relatively stable but much lower trade values, with Vietnam showing the most noticeable upward movement among the smaller partners.