In 2023, the United States imported $427.2 billion in goods from the People's Republic of China, a country that the U.S. government reports is ruled by a genocidal communist regime.
According to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. exported only $147.8 billion in goods to China in 2023, so the $427.2 billion the U.S. imported from China was compared to $279.4 billion in bilateral trade. resulted in a deficit.
This was the largest bilateral trade deficit the United States had with any country last year.
It was also 83.3% larger than the US trade deficit with Mexico, which was $152.4 billion. In 2023, the United States was the only country that imported more goods than China ($475.6 billion).
Ten of the top 33 items the U.S. imported from various countries in 2023 came from China, according to Census Bureau data.
Canadian crude oil was the top bilateral import from the United States. Americans paid $92.53 billion for its products in 2023.
The second most common item was “mobile phones and other daily necessities” from China. Americans paid $67.19 billion for them.
In fact, the $67.19 billion Americans spent on importing “cell phones and other household goods” from China in 2023 was the same as the $64.3 billion spent on all imports from the United Kingdom, or the $64.3 billion spent on all imports from France. That was more than the $57.6 billion spent on
Americans spent the second-highest amount on imports from China, $37.44 billion, on computers. This was followed by China's “toys, games, and sporting goods” ($32.2 billion). “Electrical equipment” in China ($23.45 billion); “Apparel, textiles, non-wool or cotton” in China ($19.63 billion); “Computer Accessories” in China ($15.67 billion); “Other parts and accessories for automobiles” in China ($14.59 billion); “Home appliances” in China ($13.79 billion). China's “communications equipment” ($12.47 billion); “Furniture, household goods, etc.” made in China ($11.71 billion).
On December 11, Beth Van Schak, the US Special Envoy for Global Criminal Justice, spoke at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. “The People's Republic of China is against members of the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyzstans, and other ethnic and religious groups in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region,” she said.
“The careful, comprehensive, and robust documentation of these atrocities made the U.S. atrocity findings possible,” she said. “This documentation is overwhelming, authoritative, and ongoing.”
Mr. Van Schaak was making a point the State Department has repeatedly made over the past three years.
As mentioned previously in this column, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared on January 19, 2021: [Chinese Communist Party]It committed genocide against the Muslim-majority Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. ” (Related: Terrence P. Jeffrey: When the 49ers and Bob Dylan, Neil Young and the Grateful Dead played on high school fields)
Testifying during his confirmation hearing to become secretary of state in 2021, Antony Blinken said he agreed with Pompeo.
In a speech at George Washington University on May 26, 2022, Blinken reiterated that China is committing genocide. Blinken said: “The United States joins countries and peoples around the world in addressing the genocide and crimes against humanity occurring in the Xinjiang region, where more than 1 million people have been held in concentration camps because of their ethnic or religious identity. We will stand up against it.”
The State Department's 2022 China Human Rights Country Report, released in March 2023, states that “in Xinjiang, there are , genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year.”
It also cited “credible reports” on “human trafficking, including forced labor.” Severe restrictions on worker rights, including prohibitions on workers from organizing or joining trade unions of their own choosing. and child labor. ”
On May 24, 2023, the House of Representatives Select Committee on the Communist Party of China stated, “Perpetrators of genocide by the Chinese Communist Party continue to commit atrocities in the XUAR, but they are not being held adequately accountable for their actions.” A report was published.
The report states that “eyewitness testimony, leaked Chinese government documents, and other evidence clearly link government and party decision-making to crimes against humanity and genocide perpetrated against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.” “This shows a significant relationship.”
Trade between the United States and China is not free trade, only between free nations.
Congress needs to take action to effectively prevent the People's Republic of China, which is ruled by a genocidal communist regime, from becoming one of the United States' largest sources of imports.
Terrence P. Jeffrey is an investigative editor at the Daily Caller News Foundation. To learn more about Terrence P. Jeffrey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit his Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
