Trade between the United States and China is felt across energy, manufacturing, and everyday consumption—stretching from aircraft and semiconductors to cotton, rare earths, furniture, and medical equipment. The page compares exports and imports, the size of the bilateral goods deficit, and how tariffs and retaliatory duties link to Section 301 effects, investment flows, and Treasury holdings. It also highlights what shifted from the pre-tariff years through 2022.
Key Takeaways
- 16% of US crude oil exports went to China in 2021
- 1.7 million Chinese tourists visited the US in 2019
- 28.7% of US civilian aircraft exports went to China in 2021
- 1.3 billion USD was the value of US solar panel imports from China in 2020
- 8.6 billion USD was the value of US exports of semiconductors to China in 2021
- –$355.5 billion US bilateral goods deficit with China in 2021
- 4.3% of US GDP was the US-China trade deficit in 2021
- 536.8 billion USD was the value of US goods imports from China in 2022
- $12.1 billion US royalties and license fees from China in 2020
- $38.6 billion US foreign direct investment in China in 2020
- 49.7% decline in Chinese FDI in US from 2016 to 2021
- 39.2% of US tariff line items faced retaliatory duties from China by 2020
- 7.5% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese goods imposed by US in 2020
- $1.1 trillion value of US imports from China affected by Section 301 tariffs as of 2021
- 68% of US rare earths imports from China in 2020
Despite big trade and tariff impacts, China remained a major source of US goods in 2021 and 2022.
Related reading
01 · Category
Tariffs & Policy8 stats
01
39.2% of US tariff line items faced retaliatory duties from China by 2020https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tariffs_e/tariff_data_e.htm
02
7.5% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese goods imposed by US in 2020https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/enforcement/section-301-investigations/section-301-china
03
$1.1 trillion value of US imports from China affected by Section 301 tariffs as of 2021https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57340
04
16.2% reduction in Chinese imports from US due to tariffs by 2021https://www.nber.org/papers/w28893
05
25% tariff was imposed by the US on $250 billion of Chinese imports in 2018-2019https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economic-issues-watch/us-china-trade-war-tariffs-timeline
06
39.2% of US tariff line items faced retaliatory tariffs from China by 2020https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56643
07
16.2% reduction in Chinese imports from the US due to tariffs by 2021https://www.piie.com/publications/working-papers/2021/us-china-trade-war-effects-multilateral-trade-flows
08
108 billion USD was the estimated cumulative loss to US companies from the trade war by 2020https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economic-issues-watch/us-china-trade-war-cost-us-companies-108-billion
Interpretation
Tariffs & Policy Interpretation
By 2020, retaliatory pressure was broad enough that 39.2% of US tariff line items faced matching Chinese duties, while US Section 301 actions still left $1.1 trillion of imports affected by 2021, underscoring how tariffs and policy choices drove large-scale and ongoing bilateral trade disruption.
02 · Category
Investment & Finance6 stats
01
$12.1 billion US royalties and license fees from China in 2020https://www.bea.gov/data/intl-trade-investment/international-trade-goods-and-services
02
$38.6 billion US foreign direct investment in China in 2020https://www.bea.gov/data/intl-trade-investment/direct-investment-country-and-industry
03
49.7% decline in Chinese FDI in US from 2016 to 2021https://www.rhg.com/research/chinese-fdi-in-the-united-states/
04
15.7% of foreign-held US Treasury securities are owned by Chinahttps://ticdata.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/tic/Documents/mfh.txt
05
$235 billion US holdings of Chinese stocks and bonds in 2021https://www.bea.gov/data/intl-trade-investment/international-investment-position
06
1.2 trillion USD was the total value of US and Chinese holdings of each other's securities in 2021https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2022/05/16/us-china-financial-ties-are-strong-but-uncertain
Interpretation
Investment & Finance Interpretation
Investment and finance links between the US and China are deeply intertwined, with China holding 15.7% of US Treasury securities and the two countries together totaling $1.2 trillion in each other’s securities in 2021, even as Chinese foreign direct investment in the US fell 49.7% from 2016 to 2021 and US holdings of Chinese stocks and bonds reached $235 billion in 2021.
03 · Category
Sector Specific5 stats
01
68% of US rare earths imports from China in 2020https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/rare-earths-statistics-and-information
02
34% of US antimony imports came from China in 2021https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/mineral-commodity-summaries
03
12.6% of US medical equipment imports came from China in 2020https://www.medtechdive.com/news/medical-device-imports-china-supply-chain/607341/
04
55% of US furniture imports come from Chinahttps://www.statista.com/statistics/215117/us-furniture-imports-by-country/
05
34% of US commercial aircraft deliveries went to China in 2019https://www.boeing.com/commercial/market/commercial-market-outlook/
Interpretation
Sector Specific Interpretation
Sector specific trade ties the US and China most strongly in critical and strategic areas, with China supplying 68% of US rare earth imports in 2020, 34% of antimony imports in 2021, and also a substantial share of key industrial and consumer goods such as 55% of furniture imports and 34% of commercial aircraft deliveries to China in 2019.
More related reading
04 · Category
Trade Volume4 stats
01
16% of US crude oil exports went to China in 2021https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51118
02
1.7 million Chinese tourists visited the US in 2019https://www.trade.gov/knowledge-product/china-travel-and-tourism
03
28.7% of US civilian aircraft exports went to China in 2021https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/technology-evaluation/ote-data/3157-2021-statistical-analysis-of-us-trade-with-china/file
04
$8.5 billion US cotton exports to China in 2021https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/cotton.pdf
Interpretation
Trade Volume Interpretation
Under the Trade Volume category, the 2021 figures show that China was a major destination for specific US goods, including 16% of US crude oil exports and 28.7% of US civilian aircraft exports, alongside large agricultural trade like $8.5 billion in cotton exports.
05 · Category
Sector Specific Trade4 stats
01
8.6 billion USD was the value of US semiconductor exports to China in 2022https://www.semiconductors.org/2022-state-of-the-u-s-semiconductor-industry/
02
1.3 billion USD was the value of US solar panel imports from China in 2021https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=52178
03
12.6% of US medical equipment imports came from China in 2021https://www.medtechdive.com/news/medical-device-imports-china-tariffs/599068/
04
55% of US furniture imports came from China in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/188494/furniture-imports-to-the-us-from-china/
Interpretation
Sector Specific Trade Interpretation
From a sector-specific trade perspective, China’s role in critical imports is striking with 55% of US furniture imports coming from China in 2022 and medical equipment imports reaching 12.6% from China in 2021, alongside smaller but meaningful links like $1.3 billion in US solar panel imports in 2021 and $8.6 billion in US semiconductor exports in 2022.
06 · Category
Overview8 stats
01
–$355.5 billion US bilateral goods deficit with China in 2021https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html
02
4.3% of US GDP was the US-China trade deficit in 2021https://www.cbpp.org/research/economy/facts-about-the-us-trade-deficit-with-china
03
536.8 billion USD was the value of US goods imports from China in 2022https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46867
04
34% of US antimony imports came from China in 2022https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/antimony-statistics-and-information
05
16% of US crude oil exports went to China in 2022https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=56980
06
20.4% of US soybean exports went to China in 2022https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/app/index.html
07
1.3 billion USD was the value of US solar panel imports from China in 2020https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46576
08
8.6 billion USD was the value of US exports of semiconductors to China in 2021https://www.semiconductors.org/2021-state-of-the-u-s-semiconductor-industry/
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
For an industry overview of US China trade, the scale of the relationship is clear as the US ran a $355.5 billion goods deficit with China in 2021 and China accounted for 34% of antimony imports in 2022, showing how deeply this trade reliance intersects with critical supply inputs and not just overall totals.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Us-China Trade Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/us-china-trade-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Us-China Trade Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/us-china-trade-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Us-China Trade Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/us-china-trade-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)