Revival of East-West Trade Driven by World-wide Boom

The volume of East–West trade was again on the upswing (+7 percent). This recovery followed a sharp decline in OECD exports to the East in 1988 and 1987. Prospects for 1989 and 1990 are good. The upswing has been based on favourable conditions rather than on economic reforms in the East. Gross indebtedness of the Eastern countries in 1988 declined by $ 2 billion to $ 134 billion.