The charts illustrate the value of goods imported to and exported from Australia to China over a period of seven years (1998-2004), as well as the value of five different types of goods for the years 2003 and 2004. The values are measured in billions of dollars.
Overall, it is evident that the worth of both imports and exports steadily increased throughout this seven-year period, with the value of imports consistently higher than that of exports. Furthermore, most goods displayed an increase in their value, particularly the telecommunications sector, which recorded the highest value in 2004.
Examining the first chart, the value of exports to China in 1998 was 9 billion dollars, while imports were nearly double at 20 billion dollars. From 1999 to 2004, both figures experienced a steady increase, with imports reaching 40 billion dollars and exports reaching 30 billion dollars by the final year.
Looking at the second chart, the value of clothing remained constant at 4 billion dollars in both 2003 and 2004. In contrast, the values for toys and sports equipment surged from 2 billion to 7 billion dollars, while telecommunications increased from 3 billion to 8 billion dollars during the same period. The values for computers and furniture followed a similar trend, increasing from 5 to 6 billion dollars.
