News analysis

China has more to lose economically, but the fight is political too

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WASHINGTON • As the United States-China trade spat gets uglier, people in both countries are asking: Who has more to lose?

Economically, China has more to lose in an all-out trade war. The Chinese economy is dependent on exports, and nearly 20 per cent of its exports go to the US. It sold US$506 billion (S$667 billion) in goods and services to the US last year.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 07, 2018, with the headline China has more to lose economically, but the fight is political too. Subscribe