On U.S.-China relations.

• Author: Rees, Matthew
• Position: China - Brief article

"About 80 percent of [U.S.] imports from China are consumer goods. China now accounts for 80 percent of the U.S. toy market by value, half of the footwear market and nearly half of the television and consumer-electronics market, according to the Business Roundtable, a trade association."

"The Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington think tank, says the trade deficit has resulted in 1.8 million lost manufacturing jobs since 2001. But many economists suggest those workers have been placed in other industries, because unemployment remains low at 4.5 percent. Studies also suggest that trade with China suppresses wages of unskilled U.S. workers. The Business Roundtable says that trade with China has reduced consumer prices 0.5 percent since 2002, increasing household value by $1,000 each year."

"Last year, China was 18th on the list of countries that received investment from U.S. firms directly (and 9th if combined with Hong Kong), falling behind Singapore and Japan. But direct investment is growing...