This is what the US imports from China
Americans buy more than $500 billion worth of Chinese goods per year. Image: REUTERS/Bobby Yip
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:
United States
Fears of a trade war are rattling financial markets after US President Donald Trump proposed tariffs on about $60 billion worth of Chinese goods, arguing this was necessary to fight unfair trade practices. China has already responded by announcing tariffs on $3 billion worth of American products, from pork to steel pipes. This chart shows what US consumers actually buy from China, with cell phones and other household goods making up the largest single category:
The Trump administration has repeatedly complained about China’s $375 billion trade surplus with the United States as evidence of unfair competition, accusing it of stealing American companies’ intellectual property. But China argues it should not be punished just because it doesn’t buy more US products. This second chart shows how the trade balance has worsened significantly in China’s favour over the years. Imports from China have ballooned to $505.6 billion, while American exports have consistently lagged behind:
The threat of the trade war between two of the world’s biggest economies has hit financial markets as investors worry it will hurt the global economy. “China doesn’t hope to be in a trade war, but is not afraid of engaging in one,” the Chinese commerce ministry has said.
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on Geographies in DepthSee all
Andrea Willige
September 26, 2024
Klaus Schwab
September 20, 2024
Sarah Rickwood, Sue Bailey and Daniel Mora-Brito
August 13, 2024
Mthuli Ncube
August 13, 2024
John Letzing
August 12, 2024
Mohamed Elshabik
August 9, 2024