US Trade Deficit with China Keeps Growing, Even with Tariffs

PIIE/William Melancon

Despite the Trump administration’s penalty tariffs on China, the US goods trade deficit with the country is 10 percent higher than it was in 2017, projected to reach $413 billion in 2018. The US-China trade war has not prevented Chinese firms from shipping more exports to the United States. Total US imports from China are up 6 percent from 2017, while US exports to China are down 5 percent. The global US goods trade deficit is up 10 percent from last year, with China’s share of the deficit remaining constant.