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    "Ming Tian",
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Source: Getty

In The Media

Expert: U.S. Trade Deficit is a Matter of High Household Spending

Some analysts say a major and direct cause of the imbalance in bilateral trade is the high level of expenditure by American consumers.

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By Ming Tian and Yukon Huang
Published on Jul 27, 2018
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The Asia Program in Washington studies disruptive security, governance, and technological risks that threaten peace, growth, and opportunity in the Asia-Pacific region, including a focus on China, Japan, and the Korean peninsula.

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Source: CGTN

The US has been crying that it “losing on trade” and has ignited a trade war globally. But are other countries to blame?

Some analysts say a major and direct cause of the imbalance in bilateral trade is the high level of expenditure by American consumers and their government, who tend to spend most, if not more than, what they earn.

Yukon Huang, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, pointed to the low savings rate in the US, as well as the large budget deficit the government runs, as an explanation for why the US has had a trade deficit. "This was the case whether China is a major power, whether the economy is doing well or badly.  Whether US economy is growing or not growing strongly. Trade deficit is determined by savings rate,” said Huang.

Besides China, the United States also operates a large deficit with many other trading partners, among them France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Japan and South Korea. 

The experts say that if the US reduced its trade deficit with China, it would increase its deficit with other countries, since the demand is there. 

“The mistake is fewer products coming from China, America will import from other countries. It could be Singapore; it could be Bangladesh, Europe, or Australia. America’s overall trade deficit will not fall at all. It appears who will be responsible for the change, would it be South Korea’s problem, the Australia’s problem, or Germany problem or India problem. That’s why the solution really lies within US itself,” Huang noted.

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About the Authors

Ming Tian

Yukon Huang

Senior Fellow, Asia Program

Huang is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program where his research focuses on China’s economy and its regional and global impact.

Authors

Ming Tian
Yukon Huang
Senior Fellow, Asia Program
Yukon Huang
EconomyTradeNorth AmericaUnited StatesEast AsiaChina

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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