Current Issues in Asean‑Australian Trade Relations

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In aggregate, Australia is a minor market for exports from the Association of South east Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and a minor supplier of goods to ASEAN coun tries. In 1975, Australia absorbed 2.4% of exports from ASEAN countries. The main export markets for the ASEAN countries are Japan, the U.S., the European Economic Community (EEC) and other Asian countries. Australia supplied 4.6% of imports purchased by ASEAN countries in 1975, a figure dwarfed by Japan, the EEC, the U.S. and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). While in total Australia's trade with the ASEAN countries is small, the importance of Australia as a trading partner varies amongst the ASEAN countries. Table 1 shows the share of total exports from the respective ASEAN countries that were sold to Australia, together with the proportion of their total imports supplied by Australia. In general. Malaysia and the Philippines are more concerned about their trade relation ship with Australia than are Indonesia and Thailand, but all four of these countries share the same basic set of problems. Singapore ? with the highest per capita income in Asia outside of Japan, with a different economic structure from the other ASEAN countries, and with a different development strategy ? places a different perspective on its relationship with Australia although, being an integral member of ASEAN and of Southeast Asia as a whole, it is also concerned with the problems faced by other ASEAN countries.