Could trade tensions between China and the United States open doors for Russia?
In early April, the Trump administration announced $100 billion in tariffs on imported goods from China. China has discussed countermeasures, which might involve higher tariffs on goods imported from the U.S. While the Trump administration says the U.S. trade deficit with China poses a threat to the economy, there is also concern about a trade war, which could be detrimental to both economies.
However, the tensions between these two long-time trade partners could create an economic opportunity for another country—Russia, which has relied on China as a top export destination for Russian goods. Russia has shown it has the potential to be a profitable trading partner. In 2017, the trade turnover between China and Russia totaled $84.7 billion. Although that number is well below the exchange between China and the U.S., it does show there is room for growth. Together, China and Russia have set a trade turnover goal of $200 billion by 2020.
It’s difficult to predict what will happen with Sino-American trade tensions, or how important the trade relationship between China and Russia will become, but the conversation about the trade dynamics among these three countries is far from over. Based on World Trade Organization and World Bank data, we explore the importance of trade to the U.S., Chinese, and Russian economies.
GDP and Trade
View the text-only version of this graphic.
Roles in Global Trade
View the text-only version of this graphic.
Imports, Exports, and Trade Balances for the U.S., Russia, and China
View the text-only version of this graphic.
US product exports to and imports from China (US$ Thousand)1
| Year | Export | Import | Product Trade Turnover2 | Balance for the United States3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 65,237,883.48 | 340,106,645.76 | 405,344,529.24 | -274,868,762.28 |
| 2008 | 71,456,411.76 | 356,304,560.71 | 427,760,972.47 | -284,848,148.95 |
| 2009 | 69,575,613.27 | 309,530,233.20 | 379,105,846.47 | -239,954,619.93 |
| 2010 | 91,910,977.24 | 382,964,820.32 | 474,875,797.56 | -291,053,843.08 |
| 2011 | 104,121,382.99 | 417,340,261.54 | 521,461,644.53 | -313,218,878.55 |
| 2012 | 110,516,535.99 | 425,557,373.46 | 536,073,909.45 | -315,040,837.47 |
| 2013 | 121,721,075.51 | 440,351,801.68 | 562,072,877.19 | -318,630,726.17 |
| 2014 | 123,675,622.76 | 486,296,238.01 | 609,971,860.77 | -362,620,615.25 |
| 2015 | 116,071,708.83 | 504,028,116.96 | 620,099,825.79 | -387,956,408.13 |
| 2016 | 115,602,060.26 | 481,516,029.54 | 597,118,089.80 | -365,913,969.28 |
China product exports to and imports from Russia (US$ Thousand)4
| Year | Export | Import | Product Trade Turnover | Balance for the United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 28,529,895.04 | 19,688,578.67 | 48,218,473.71 | 8,841,316.37 |
| 2008 | 33,075,849.92 | 23,832,761.73 | 56,908,611.65 | 9,243,088.19 |
| 2009 | 17,513,771.41 | 21,282,952.15 | 38,796,723.56 | -3,769,180.74 |
| 2010 | 29,612,073.70 | 25,913,993.64 | 55,526,067.34 | 3,698,080.06 |
| 2011 | 38,903,017.97 | 40,362,599.80 | 79,265,617.77 | -1,459,581.83 |
| 2012 | 44,056,551.09 | 44,138,278.87 | 88,194,829.96 | -81,727.78 |
| 2013 | 49,591,171.96 | 39,667,828.20 | 89,259,000.16 | 9,923,343.76 |
| 2014 | 53,676,944.14 | 41,593,505.50 | 95,270,449.64 | 12,083,438.64 |
| 2015 | 34,756,877.25 | 33,258,662.86 | 68,015,540.11 | 1,498,214.39 |
| 2016 | 37,339,600.74 | 32,260,147.55 | 69,599,748.29 | 5,079,453.19 |
US product exports to and imports from Russia (US$ Thousand)5
| Year | Export | Import | Product Trade Turnover | Balance for the United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 7,365,332.72 | 20,219,112.56 | 27,584,445.28 | -12,853,779.84 |
| 2008 | 9,335,368.05 | 27,931,764.91 | 37,267,132.96 | -18,596,396.86 |
| 2009 | 5,382,808.39 | 18,993,424.40 | 24,376,232.79 | -13,610,616.01 |
| 2010 | 5,993,665.46 | 26,538,543.32 | 32,532,208.78 | -20,544,877.86 |
| 2011 | 8,318,439.25 | 35,557,789.98 | 43,876,229.23 | -27,239,350.73 |
| 2012 | 10,695,291.38 | 29,364,243.18 | 40,059,534.56 | -18,668,951.80 |
| 2013 | 11,144,525.79 | 27,085,388.01 | 38,229,913.80 | -15,940,862.22 |
| 2014 | 10,752,772.51 | 24,465,063.19 | 35,217,835.70 | -13,712,290.68 |
| 2015 | 7,087,111.57 | 17,162,435.18 | 24,249,546.75 | -10,075,323.61 |
| 2016 | 5,791,672.60 | 15,284,179.00 | 21,075,851.60 | -9,492,506.40 |
- https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/USA/Year/2007/TradeFlow/Import/Partner/CHN/Product/all-groups↑
- Product Trade Turnover refers to the sum of exports and imports between country A and B↑
- A positive balance means that country A exports more than it imports from country B↑
- https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/CHN/Year/2007/TradeFlow/Import/Partner/RUS/Product/all-groups↑
- https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/USA/Year/2007/TradeFlow/EXPIMP/Partner/RUS/Product/all-groups↑
Citation for this content: American University’s International Relations Online Degree