us-china trade data

Click on the figure to enlarge it.  Please feel free to republish the figure; source FutureofUSChinaTrade.com with a link back to this page.

Some politicians and pundits say that the fact that China holds the value of its currency, the yuan, relatively undervalued compared to the U.S. dollar creates unemployment in the U.S. (because it makes American exports relatively less competitive) – they expect to see an inverse relationship between the value of the yuan and the U.S. unemployment rate (when the yuan appreciates, the unemployment rate should fall).

The United States trade balance with China (total exports of goods to China minus total imports of goods from China) monthly from January 2008 to November 2011.  A negative trade balance, a trade deficit, shows that the U.S. imported more goods from China than it exported to China.  Every month during this period the U.S. maintained a trade deficit with China, which was just under $27 billion (in nominal terms) in November 2011.  Data fluctuations are due in part to seasonality.  These data do not include services.  From the U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division.

Official foreign exchange reserve claims held by advanced economies in U.S. dollars, euros, Japanese yen, pounds sterling, and other currencies as a percentage of total allocated foreign exchange reserve claims. From 1999 to 2010.  From the IMF Statistics Department COFER database and International Financial Statistics.

Shows official foreign exchange reserves claims in U.S. dollars (as a percentage of allocated reserves) by total worldwide claims, advanced economies claims, and emerging economies claims.  From 1999 to 2010.  The chart reveals the change in U.S. dollar forex claims by type of economy over time.  From the IMF Statistics Department COFER database and International Financial Statistics.