PACIFIC RIM TRADE : TRANSPACIFIC SHIPPING
Trade between Asia and the Americas evolved from silk and silver in the 17th Century to aircraft and automobiles today. Where once the routes were few and hazardous, plied by galleons and clippers, today they are countless and routine, plied by giant containers and supertankers.
HISTORIC TRADE ROUTES
Circa A.D. 1600
Route: Manila to Acapulco to Callao, Peru.
Major products: Silver from Mexico. Silk from China; re-exported to Callao
*
Circa A.D. 1914
Route: Asia nations via Japan to North America
Major products: Cotton and tea from China. Rubber and tin from Sumatra and Malaya. Tea from Ceylon. Jute from India Route: New Zealand and Australia to North America.
Major products: Copper, dairy products, wool, meat from Australia. Dairy products and meat from New Zealand.
Imports and Exports
Commerce with United States for selected Pacific Rim nations in 1993 (in billions):
JAPAN
Exports: $107.3
Imports: $47.9
Main exports: Autos, data-processors, integrated circuits, auto parts, telecommuncations equipment.
Main imports: Aircraft/parts, wood, data-processors, integrated circuits, corn.
*
CHINA
Exports: $31.5
Imports: $8.8
Main exports: Shoes, toys, carriages, sporting goods, women’s coats, clothes, fabrics, suitcases.
Main imports: Aircraft/parts, autos, telecommunications equipment, measuring instruments, specialized machinery.
*
TAIWAN
Exports: $25.1
Imports: $16.2
Main exports: Data processors, office machine parts, integrated circuits, toys, carriages, sporting goods, furniture.
Main imports: Aircraft/parts, integrated circuits, autos, corn, oil seeds.
*
SOUTH KOREA
Exports: $17.1
Imports: $14.8
Main exports: Integrated circuits, data processors, shoes, office machine parts, autos.
Main imports: Aircraft/parts, integrated circuits, animal hides, telecommunications equipment, iron.
*
AUSTRALIA
Exports: $8.2
Imports: $8.3
Main exports: Meat, aluminum, autos, wool.
Main imports: Data processors, aircraft/parts, office machine parts, misc. low-value cargo, engines.
TOP CONTAINER PORTS
1992 Rank Port TEUs* in 1,000s 1 Hong Kong 7,940 2 Singapore 7,550 3 Rotterdam, Netherlands 4,114 4 Kaohsiung, Taiwan 3,961 5 Pusan, S. Korea 2,850 6 Kobe, Japan 2,676 7 Los Angeles 2,289 8 Hamburg, Germany 2,268 9 Yokohama, Japan 2,000 10 New York/New Jersey 1,965 11 Keelung, Taiwan 1,950 12 Long Beach 1,829 13 Antwerp, Belgium 1,825 14 Tokyo 1,726 15 San Juan, Puerto Rico 1,700 16 Felixstowe, Britain 1,530 17 Dubai 1,480 18 Oakland 1,320 19 Bremen/Bremerhaven, Germany 1,308 20 Bangkok, Thailand 1,303 TOTAL 53,584
* Twenty-foot-equivalent unit, the most common size of a shipping container measures 8x8x20 ft.
Centuries of Shipping
Some typical vessels:
CHINESE JUNK
Date: Mid-15th Century
Length: 70 feet
*
SPANISH GALLEON
Date: Early 1600s
Length: 140 feet
*
STEAMSHIP
Date: 1837
Length: 450 feet
*
CLIPPER SHIP
Date: 1869
Length: 435 feet
*
CONTAINER SHIP
Date: 20th Century
Length: 754 feet
*
SUPERTANKER
Date: 20th Century
Length: 1,066 feet
Sources: United States Department of Commerce; Worldport L.A.; West Coast International Trade Market Share Analysis.
Compiled by Times Researchers ANN GRIFFITH and JANET LUNDBLAD
