Inter-COMECON trade as a share of total trade by country 1971-1975
Notable communist non-members were Yugoslavia, who held an "associate" status, and China, who held an "observer" status (but was largely inactive from 1961 onwards). Yugoslavia did enjoy more economic autonomy than most other Eastern Bloc states, and had greater access to trade with the west, however increasing tariffs from the European Communities saw Yugoslavia redirect much of its exports to COMECON states, the share of which rose from 32.3 percent in 1973 to 41.9 percent in 1978.