Dec 20, 2004

CHINA has overtaken the US as Australia's biggest source of imports

Trade deficit made in China

December 11, 2004

CHINA has overtaken the US as Australia's biggest source of imports, as our appetite for its cut-price clothes, furniture, electrical goods and machinery continues to fuel the growing trade deficit.

Imports from China totaled $1.8billion in October, moving ahead of the US for the first time. Our imports from the US totaled $1.6 billion.

In October, we sold goods worth more than $1billion to China, compared with $846million to the US and $2 billion to Japan. Our biggest exports to China are iron ore, wool and crude oil.

Australia has been running monthly trade deficits of about $2 billion since April last year.

http://finance.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11656823%255E462,00.html