Key points from the chart
- The red line shows the share of China’s exports that went to the United States. It rose from 14% in 1985 to a peak of 42% in 1999, then fell to 13% in 2023.
- The navy line shows China’s share of all US imports. It rose from 1% in 1985 to a peak of 22% in 2017, then fell to 14% in 2023.
- For most of the period China depended on the US market far more than the US depended on Chinese goods. By 2023 the two shares were almost equal.
- Both lines have fallen since the US-China trade war began in 2018.
The China exports to US chart in text
Title: China’s Export Reliance on the U.S. Falls Sharply, Mirroring U.S. Import Shift Away from China. Subtitle: U.S. Imports from China as a Share of Total Imports and China’s Exports to the U.S. as a Share of Total Exports. Vertical axis 0% to 45%; years 1985 to 2023. Red line: U.S. Share of China Exports, ending at a Chinese flag. Navy line: China Share of U.S. Imports, ending at a US flag. Event markers: 2001 China Accession to WTO; 2008 Global Financial Crisis; 2018 The Onset of the U.S.-China Trade War; 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic. Sources of Primary Data: U.S. Census, WTO. Footer: www.econovis.net, @econovisuals and the Econovis logo.
Values printed on the chart
- US share of China’s exports: 14% (1985), 42% (peak, 1999), 22% (around 2016 to 2018), 13% (2023).
- China’s share of US imports: 1% (1985), 22% (peak, 2017), 14% (2023).
Between those labels, the red line climbs steeply to the early 1990s, dips in the mid 1990s, peaks in 1999 and then declines steadily through the 2000s. The navy line rises slowly until China joined the WTO in 2001, then much faster, barely dipping in 2008 and peaking in 2017. Both fall after 2018, with a brief rise in China’s share of US imports in 2020.
What Econovis says about the shift
In its note with the chart, Econovis puts the falling US share of China’s exports down to two things: the trade war that began in 2018, and China’s rapid growth as a global export leader, which let it spread its sales across other markets [1]. It describes 13% in 2023 as a four decade low. On the US side, it says the trade war and shifting supply chains brought China’s share of US imports down from 22% in 2017 to 14% in 2023, “a significant rebalancing in bilateral trade dynamics” [1]. Econovis gives the 1985 starting point of the navy line more precisely as 1.1%.
US Census figures since the chart
The US Census Bureau publishes US goods trade with China by month and year [2], and total US goods trade with all countries [3]. Dividing one by the other gives China’s share of US imports, the navy line on the chart:
| Year | US goods imports from China (US$ bn) | Share of all US goods imports (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 505.2 | 21.6% |
| 2018 | 538.5 | 21.2% |
| 2023 | 427.2 | 13.9% |
| 2024 | 440.3 | 13.5% |
| 2025 | 308.7 | 9.0% |
The 2017 and 2023 results (21.6% and 13.9%) match the chart’s 22% and 14%. The decline continued after the chart was made: China supplied 13.5% of US goods imports in 2024 and 9.0% in 2025 on these figures [2][3]. US imports from China fell from US$440.3 billion in 2024 to US$308.7 billion in 2025 [2].
Notes on this infographic
- Two different denominators. The red line is a share of China’s exports and the navy line a share of US imports. Equal percentages do not mean equal amounts of money.
- Two data sources. The red line rests on China’s export figures and the navy line on US import figures, which is why the chart cites both the WTO and the US Census.
- Peak years. The chart labels the peaks but not every year. The 1999 and 2017 peak years come from Econovis’s note [1].
- Our calculation. The shares in the table above are our arithmetic from the two Census tables, not figures published by Census.
Questions about China's exports to the US
What percentage of China's exports go to the US?
The United States took 13% of China's exports in 2023, down from a peak of 42% in 1999, according to the Econovis chart. Econovis describes 13% as a four decade low [1]. It puts the fall down to the trade war that began in 2018 and China's rapid growth as a global export leader, which let it spread its sales across other markets [1].
What share of US imports come from China?
China supplied 13.9% of US goods imports in 2023 and 9.0% in 2025, based on US Census Bureau figures (our calculation) [2][3]. The chart shows China's share of US imports at 14% in 2023, down from a peak of 22% in 2017. In 1985 the share was 1%, or 1.1% in Econovis's note [1].
How much does the US import from China?
US goods imports from China were US$308.7 billion in 2025, down from US$440.3 billion in 2024, according to the US Census Bureau [2]. They were US$538.5 billion in 2018, the year the US-China trade war began, and US$427.2 billion in 2023 [2]. In 2025 China supplied 9.0% of all US goods imports (our calculation).
Does China depend more on the US than the US depends on China?
For most of the period from 1985 to 2023, China depended on the US market far more than the US depended on Chinese goods, but by 2023 the two shares were almost equal. That year the US took 13% of China's exports, while China supplied 14% of US imports. The two figures use different denominators, so equal percentages do not mean equal amounts of money.
Sources
- Econovis, China’s Export Reliance on the U.S. Falls Sharply, Mirroring U.S. Import Shift Away from China (22 January 2025, the original chart and note).
- US Census Bureau, Trade in Goods with China.
- US Census Bureau, Trade in Goods with World, Not Seasonally Adjusted.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
