What's the Difference? -- Comparing U.S. and Chinese Trade Data
Abstract
There is a large and growing difference between the official trade statistics released by the United States and the People's Republic of China. According to the United States, the 2008 bilateral trade deficit with China was $266.3 billion. According to China, its trade surplus with the United States was $170.8 billion -- $95.5 billion less. This paper examines the differences in the trade data from the two nations in two ways. First, it compares the trade figures at the 2-digit level using the Harmonized System to discern any patterns in the discrepancies between the U.S. and Chinese data. This comparison reveals that over two-thirds of the difference in the value of China's exports to the United States is attributable to five types of goods. The second approach to examining the differing trade data involves a review of the existing literature on the technical and nontechnical sources of the trade data discrepancies. This report is updated annually, after the release of official trade data by China and the United States.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 27, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA496804
Entities
People
- Michael F. Martin
Organizations
- Library of Congress