Key Points Products manufactured in Mexico contain an increasing amount of Chinese value. Foreign direct investment by Chinese firms in Mexico is up 276%, averaging $225 million annually, compared to investment prior to the U.S. imposition of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. Chinese investment in Mexico means manufactured goods in Mexico will contain an…
Global Rebalancing Will Lead to Global Prosperity European leaders and the media are up in arms over recent U.S. policy decisions to support the reshoring of American industry. The export ban on advanced U.S. semiconductor equipment, the tax credits for renewable energy equipment made in the U.S., and especially the support for American-made electric vehicles…
Key Points Steel imports from Mexico have surged over the past several years. U.S. steel imports from Mexico have risen by 141% over historic levels, with some subcategories of imports tripling and quadrupling, despite a 2019 U.S.-Mexico agreement to maintain steel imports at past levels. The surge in steel imports in Mexican steel conduit, used…
Key Points U.S. pharmaceutical imports have skyrocketed in the last ten years, with imports from China, India and Mexico leading the surge. India and China are increasingly the leading U.S. source for generic pharmaceuticals, which account for 90% of all prescriptions written in the U.S. In 2021, China was the leading source for U.S. pharmaceutical…
There is a growing consensus in the U.S. and many other advanced economies that we must move away from globalization, and towards more localized economies, less reliant on global supply chains or untrustworthy countries for vital goods. Many can see the necessity for greater localization, but can’t imagine what it will look like. Will it…
A little-noticed speech by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo last week was a rousing endorsement of industrial strategy by a senior Biden administration official as the way forward for the U.S. economy. Raimondo minced no words as she called for the private sector and America’s educational institutions to join the fight to position the U.S. as…
A new International Trade Commission (ITC) report on the distributional effects of trade points out that import competition has negative and disproportionate effects on minority workers, workers without college education, and workers in manufacturing. In October 2022, the ITC published a report entitled “Distributional Effects of Trade and Trade Policy on U.S. Workers.” (https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub5374.pdf)…
The theory of free trade is so familiar and so often quoted, you might think there is ample evidence proving its accuracy. But there isn’t. In fact, there is scarcely any evidence at all. On the other hand, there is abundant evidence showing the theory is wrong. In an academic article recently published in the…
The “Green Revolution” promises to produce electric power in a climate-friendly, low-emissions manner for homes, businesses, cars, trucks and other vehicles. There’s just one giant stumbling block. All these clean-energy sources use large amounts of copper. Global copper demand is forecast to double between now and 2035. But copper supply may not keep up. If…
Summary Annual U.S. Census report on incomes reveals that household median income fell slightly and inequality widened in 2021 Inequality and the shrinking size of the middle class have persisted in the U.S. for half a century. These trends are driven by globalization and the decline of U.S. manufacturing as a share of GDP. Inflation-adjusted…
