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Washington – The US trade deficit widened again in September with record imports from China despite punitive tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in recent months.
The goods and services deficit stood at $ 54 billion, with exports up 1.5% to $ 212.6 billion and imports also up 1.5% to $ 266.6 billion, according to the data. published Friday by the Commerce Department.
At $ 37.4 billion (+ 8.8%), the deficit on trade in goods with Beijing is at a level never reached, noted the US administration.
US consumers have been particularly fond of clothes, games, phones from the Asian giant while businesses have had more appetite for computers and computer accessories as well as for telecommunication equipment or civil aircraft engines .
The data is released as US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping announced a resumption of dialogue Thursday and a likely meeting at the end of the month to try to solve the thorny trade issue.
Cumulated since the beginning of the year, the trade deficit of the United States with the rest of the world is rising sharply (+ 10.1%) to reach 445.16 billion, detailed the Commerce Department.
This deficit is higher than expected since badysts expected $ 53.4 billion. With the deficit recorded in February (54.96 billion), it is also a record for a single month.
While exports from the civil aviation sector increased by $ 1.2 billion, food and beverage exports decreased by $ 1 billion.
Soy exports have also declined once again, penalized by the conflict between Washington and Beijing. China is the largest importer of US soybeans but has imposed additional tariffs on this commodity in retaliation for punitive US taxes on Chinese goods. This has the effect of curbing the purchases of Chinese importers, who had also made stocks before the application of customs duties.
– Draft agreement? –
US President Donald Trump urges Chinese partner to end business practices deemed "unfair"It demands that Beijing opens its market more to American goods, that it puts an end to"forced transfer of technologies"or subsidies to certain strategic industries.
While talks have been stalled for months, the White House tenant said Thursday thatvery good conversation"on the phone with his Chinese counterpart.
For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping said to himselfvery happy"to have spoken again with Donald Trump and affirmed that he was attaching"great importance to good relations with the president"American, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.
Xi Jinping also said he would like to meet the US president at the G20 summit in Argentina on November 30 and December 1.
According to the Bloomberg news agency, the US president has asked senior US officials to work on the development of a text of trade agreement with China in the perspective of this meeting.
Asked by AFP, the Commerce Department has not reacted.
Washington and Beijing unearthed the hatchet in May after a brief truce in their trade war.
In particular, Donald Trump put the reduction of the US $ 200 billion trade deficit on the negotiating table.
Failing to find a compromise, the two giants have imposed on each other hundreds of billions of additional tariffs raising fears for the growth of the global economy.
At its annual meetings in October, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pointed to escalating trade tensions.
"We must work together to de-escalate and resolve current trade disputes", Christine Lagarde said, while the Washington institution lowered its global growth forecast for 2018 and 2019 to 3.7%.
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