The cost of imports from Asia and North America are moving in opposite directions

Apr 12, 2024
The things we buy from China and Japan became cheaper in March, while prices rose on automotive goods and energy from Mexico and Canada.
Each category of goods that the U.S. buys from Mexico, Canada, China and Japan has its own price trend, as does each country's currency.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Yellen's in China to deliver a message: Stop making so much stuff!

Apr 5, 2024
The booming U.S. economy is giving her leverage on trade as Western economies try to prevent a wave of cheap Chinese goods hitting the market.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday. Yellen is on a five-day visit for trade talks amid tensions between the U.S. and China.
Ken Ishii - Pool/Getty Images

Congressional crackdown on TikTok raises logistical and legal questions

Mar 14, 2024
Efforts to force parent company ByteDance to either divest or sell off the app would likely meet resistance from China.
Efforts to force parent company ByteDance to either divest or sell off TikTok would likely meet resistance from China.
Chesnot/Getty Images

The dramatic recovery of China's Luckin Coffee chain draws fans and skeptics

Mar 1, 2024
Luckin was punished for fabricating $300 million in sales, but now it has overtaken Starbucks' Chinese business. What's changed?
A Luckin coffee shop in Shanghai. Luckin has expanded to surpass Starbucks' business in China.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

The Biden administration is worried about Chinese cars — and the electronics that come with them

Feb 29, 2024
The administration says the electronics could transmit sensitive information about U.S citizens and infrastructure. But it's also worried about the impact of Chinese EVs on U.S. automakers.
STR/AFP via Getty Images

China's economy has "downshifted fundamentally over the past couple of years"

Feb 13, 2024
"If we have a China that's growing more slowly, there's less opportunity" globally, says economist Adam Posen.
Consumer prices in China have been falling for too long.
Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images

As the Year of the Dragon dawns, many Chinese wish for a better economy

Feb 9, 2024
Asking people in China about their Lunar New Year wishes, the talk inevitably shifts to the economy.
A vendor in Shanghai sells plush toys for the Year of the Dragon.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

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Americans bought fewer Chinese imports in 2023, but Chinese exporters aren't necessarily hurting

Feb 8, 2024
We bought more imports from Mexico — and Chinese companies have been investing heavily there.
U.S. imports from China. were down more than 20% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The federal government is investing in solar. Chinese companies are getting a share of it.

Feb 7, 2024
Chinese manufacturers are building solar panel factories on U.S. soil to avoid tariffs and garner subsidies, reports WSJ's Phred Dvorak.
Subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act are meant to offset some of the costs of manufacturing solar panels in the United States.
Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images

Wellington marches on Shanghai, but at a cost

Jan 30, 2024
A detailed look how a food trend starts in China's financial hub, Shanghai.
Coquille restaurant's beef Wellington comes with a sign. The number 75,437 means that is the 75,437th beef Wellington the restaurant has served since the dish was rolled out in 2015 in Shanghai.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace