The line graph illustrates the volume of Australian exports to four countries, particularly Japan, the United States, China and India, between 1990 and 2012.
In overall terms, the share of exports to China and India increased during this period, while the share of exports to Japan and the United States shrank. Furthermore, China experienced the most significant growth, becoming the largest importer at the end of the period, at the same time as Japan was the largest importer for most of the period.
In the case of India and China, in 1990, among the four destination countries, these two countries were Australia’s smallest exporters, with marginal shares of 1% and 2%, accordingly. In the years that followed, China’s importance expanded, as the share of exports to that country rose steadily to 5% by 2000, and then grew fivefold to just under 30% over the next 12 years. India’s share also exhibited similar changes, however to a much lesser extent, stabilizing at around 1% by 2000, then steadily rising to a peak of around 7% in 2009, before a slight drop of 2% at the end of the period.
Meanwhile, Japan was originally the leading exporter of Australian goods, receiving over one quarter of total exports, which is double the figure for the United States (11%). During the following years, the share of exports to Japan fell to 17% and has remained relatively static at this level through the rest of the period, while the share of shipments to the US fluctuated sharply, reaching a baseline of 5% in 2010 and then recovering slightly to 7% in the last year.