Band 7+: The three charts below show the value in Australian dollars of Australian trade with three different countries from 2004 to 2009. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.

The three line graphs illustrate Australia’s imports from and exports to China, Japan, and the United States between 2004 and 2009.

Overall, trade with China increased steadily in both imports and exports, whereas exports to Japan fluctuated and imports were constant. Trade with the United States was relatively stable, with imports remaining higher than exports throughout the period.

In 2004, goods bought from China started at approximately A$18 billion, higher than goods sold to China at about A$12 billion. In addition, the line graphs rose drastically over the period until 2008. Australia’s inbound goods remained stable at A$30 billion after 2008, whereas outbound goods surpassed and peaked at A$35 billion in 2009.

Exports to Japan started at about A$21 billion, which was A$2 billion higher than buying goods from Japan. Afterwards, the figures were constant. However, exports fluctuated, reaching the highest peak in 2008 with over A$40 billion, then fell to A$30 billion in 2009.

In terms of Australia’s trade with the United States, inbound goods and outbound goods were relatively stable over the period, with a slight increase in 2008 and a slight decrease in 2009. The imports were approximately A$10 billion higher than exports.