Is America's trade deficit good for Chinese workers? The answer may surprise you.

Most everyone now acknowledges it has been a bad deal for American workers. But what if it has also been a bad deal for Chinese workers?

An export surplus isn't as beneficial as it sounds.
(Image credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)

America's trade balance with China is way out of whack. Our trade deficit with them — and their mirroring trade surplus with us — began in the early 1990s and has exploded since. By 2014, it had reached $342.6 billion. Most everyone now acknowledges this has been a bad deal for American workers.

But what if it has also been a bad deal for Chinese workers?

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.