Like wine, Australian seafood exporters suffered under an import ban imposed by China in on a range of Australian products back in 2020. Lobster export value and weight dropped to about 40% and 60% of previous highs. China accounted for almost 100% of Australian Crustacean exports in 2018 and 2019. News that China will again be open to Australian Lobster exporters is good news because China represents one of the most important markets worldwide and comes in time for the usual Dec-February peak in volumes. However, even without China, the export market has shown a degree of recovery and re-diversification, most notably to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan. This article looks at how destination and nature of the Australian crustacean export market over time.
Posts tagged as “Australia”
Australia’s economy is 12% larger today than it was in 2018. Yet Australian air cargo imports are about 8% below October 2018 peak and about 15-20% below the long-term trend. Exports are 25% below the March 2019 peak. Meanwhile, container volumes are about 6% higher. The share of total non-bulk trade has generally hovered around 30% of total trade but dropped to 26% in the most recent 12 months. However, since mid-2023, both air cargo import and export traffic have been improving. E-commerce and more capacity could lead to a recovery of inbound and a resumption of lost Chinese demand in a recovery of exports. This article discusses the outlook for Australian air cargo.
The topic of Chinese influence in the Pacific looms large, but in general the share of China as an origin of imports in the Pacific has mostly stayed steady over the past decade as goods continue to utilise Australia and New Zealand connections. Fiji on the other hand, has increased its role as a regional distribution hub and improvements in air cargo and shipping connectivity could see further growth. This article looks at developments of imports into Pacific Island Countries, main trading partners, the role of China, and freight connectivity with a particular focus on Fiji. Analysis includes an interactive dashboard with commodity level trade between China and Pacific Island Countries.
With the cancellation of tariffs on Australian wine, Australian producers are hoping for a comeback in China. Until 2020, about 40% of the value of Australian wine exports went to China. At the same time Australia accounted for about 40% of the value of all Chinese wine imports. However, even before the de-facto import ban imposed on Australian wine, both imports and wine consumption were declining. For Australian producers to regain the lost market share, Chinese consumers are going to have to start drinking more wine.
Papua New Guinea is the largest economy in the Pacific Islands, accounting for 45 % of the region’s overall economic output, and as much as New Caledonia, Guam, French Polynesia and Fiji combined. Over 90% of exports are linked to energy and mining industries, but imports are more diverse. With a strong link to Australia, the economy is less dependent on Chinese imports than others in the region. Contrary to other islands in the region this has also not changed. However, the status quo should not be taken for granted as we are beginning to identify an emerging shift, with Chinese export value to Papua New Guinea outperforming other major trading partners.
China is by far Australia’s most important trading partner. Dependence on China has increased and not decreased. Australia draws around 30% of its imports from China, up from about 21% in 2013. On the export side, China’s share of the value of Australian exports has fluctuated between 34% to 44% over the last 10 years. Most of that is driven by iron ore exports. This article looks at the trading relationship and mutual dependence between Australia and China.
Dependence entails risk. Reliance on a single supplier or source for imports of a certain raw material or intermediate product makes supply chains vulnerable to disruptions and geopolitical tensions. About 12% of world trade is in product groups where a single country has a share of more than 50% of exports of that product. In about half of all cases, China is the dominant exporter, but not everywhere. This article looks at which countries dominate exports for certain raw materials, intermediate and finished goods.
With shipments of Australian coal to China starting again after a two-year de-facto import ban, this article focuses on the trends and outlook relating to international coal flows. Japan, China, India and South Korea collectively account for over half of worldwide coal imports, while Australia, Indonesia, the Russian Federation and the United States account for three quarters of worldwide coal exports. In the last two years Australia has largely been able compensate for the loss of the Chinese market, which accounted for 26% of total coal exports in 2019. Changes in demand and production patterns are likely to affect overall flows as well as market shares between countries.