Blog March 2012

China responded quickly to the global economic downturn in 2008 and, as a result of a combination of monetary, fiscal, and bank-lending measures China’s GDP grew 9.2 percent in 2009 and an impressive 10.3 percent in 2010. Projections are for the GDP growth to slow slightly in 2011 to between 9 and 9.5 percent.

Accompanying the rise in China’s GDP, U.S. exports to China increased in 2010 by over 32 percent to almost $92 billion. Of course, China’s exports to the U.S. also increased by 23 percent, leading to a balance of trade deficit of $273 billion. After falling in 2009, the trade imbalance with China is now on the rise again. China remains the U.S.’s second largest trading partner after Canada.

After near zero percent inflation in 2009, in 2010 consumer price index rose 3.3 percent, exceeding the authorities’ target of 3.0 percent. Inflation reached 5.1 percent in December 2010, alarming authorities who undertook a multipronged effort to bring real estate prices, food prices and monetary liquidity driven by bank lending under greater control.