What does China import from the U.S.?

Donald Trump‘s latest temper tantrum has him slapping tariffs on Chinese goods like a toddler discovering the joy of finger paint.

Our “very stable genius” has decided that jacking up tariffs to a mind-boggling 104% is somehow going to “Make America Great Again.” Beijing, unsurprisingly, isn’t taking this lying down. China has vowed to “fight to the end” and is retaliating by increasing its own tariffs on American goods from 34% to a whopping 84%.

The numbers tell a sobering story about what’s at stake. In 2024, total trade between the two nations amounted to approximately $585 billion, with the U.S. importing $438.9 billion from China while exporting only $143.5 billion in return. This leaves America with a trade deficit of $295 billion – significant at about 1% of our GDP, but nowhere near the $1 trillion figure Trump has been tossing around like confetti at one of his rallies.

America has become deeply dependent on China for countless everyday items. Would you believe that 96% of our artificial flowers come from China? I guess when we can’t even manufacture fake plants domestically, we might have deeper economic issues than tariffs can solve. Similarly, 95% of our fireworks are Chinese imports – somewhat fitting since China invented them, but potentially problematic if you’re planning a Fourth of July celebration in the midst of a trade war. Even the umbrellas protecting us from rain (96% Chinese-made) and the baby carriages wheeling our future generations around (97% from China) come predominantly from our supposed economic adversary.

What about the reverse? What does China actually import from the United States? The top items reveal a fascinating economic relationship. Soybeans lead the pack, accounting for 9% of U.S. exports to China. Yes, America’s agricultural heartland is essentially feeding China’s estimated 440 million pigs. Next up are aircraft and engines at 8% – high-value manufactured goods that represent American engineering prowess. Integrated circuits (4%), pharmaceuticals (4%), and petroleum (3%) round out the top five exports to China.

Meanwhile, China sends us smartphones (9%), laptops (7%), batteries (3%), toys (2%), and telecoms equipment (2%). Notice a pattern? They’re shipping us finished consumer goods while we’re sending them raw materials, agricultural products, and specialized high-tech items.

The tariff war has real-world consequences for consumers and companies on both sides of the Pacific. Take Apple, whose share price has plummeted by 20% in the past month partly due to tariff concerns. Americans will see price increases on everything from children’s books (93% from China) to hair accessories (90% from China).

Together, the U.S. and China represent approximately 43% of the global economy, according to the IMF. A protracted trade war that slows growth or pushes either nation toward recession would send shockwaves through the entire global economic system. All this because politicians on both sides prefer chest-thumping nationalism to the nuanced work of addressing genuine trade imbalances and unfair practices.