New online resource - FutureofUSChinaTrade.com - offers media, academics and policymakers targeted news, data, and analysis on US-China trade

Bilingual website developed by Arizona State University and the Kearny Alliance aims to inform, engage and assist in developing mutually beneficial US-China trade relations

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Jan. 17, 2011 – Arizona State University and the Kearny Alliance have launched FutureofUSChinaTrade.com (in English at http://futureofuschinatrade.com and Chinese at http://futureofchinaustrade.com) as a one-stop online resource for news, expert analysis, economic data, and global insight on US-China trade.

Journalists covering the US-China economic relationship – including this week’s US state visit by China’s President Hu Jintao – will find three resources helpful to their reporting of this key relationship:

• ECONOMIC DATA – charts and graphs, including those relevant to coverage of Hu’s visit;
• ANALYSIS – from top experts (also available for comment), including a Nobel Laureate, global business leaders, trade policy experts, and academics, and;
3
• DIALOGUE – in-depth exploration of the issues.

Each section is stand-alone, yet all are integral parts of this online center for data, analysis, and insightful discussion on US-China trade.

Economic data charts and graphs

This section offers data and often hard-to-find facts to make reporting or discourse more robust. Content includes:

• Trade Balances in China and the U.S., 1993-2010 Get the fact
• Yuan/Dollar Exchange Rates, 1993-2010 Get the fact
• GDP Growth in China and the U.S., 2000Q1-2010Q4 Get the fact
• U.S. and China Exports as a Percentage of GDP, 1980-2030 Get the fact

More data is available at http://futureofuschinatrade.com/facts. Media are free to copy the charts provided that they cite http://FutureofUSChinaTrade.com.

Analysis from top experts

Experts weigh in on a range of topics central to the important China-US relationship. Commentators and topics include:

• Geng Xiao, Director of Columbia Global Centers / East Asia in Beijing: “Any exchange rate change is going to generate huge redistributions. The problem facing the Chinese policymakers is huge. So that’s why they like the exchange rate fixed. But of course that’s not sustainable.” Read more from Geng Xiao
• Ed Prescott, 2004 Nobel Laureate: Clearly, there are big mutual gains from openness. It’s about interaction, Ed says. “People learn from you and you learn from them, and both groups come out ahead.” Ed’s advice: “Become integrated. Stay open.” Read more from Ed Prescott
• Clyde Prestowitz, Founder and President of the Economic Strategy Institute: America needs to compete. But that “is not about the U.S. stopping China from being successful. It’s not a zero-sum contest. It is instead about America doing what China has long done – competing, for its own self interest. It is about America doing what is good for America.” Read more from Clyde Prestowitz
• Jim Jarrett, former President of Intel China: “China will do what’s right for China, and that makes sense for them. And we have to do the same thing. Fundamentally this isn’t a China issue; it’s a U.S. competitiveness issue. The U.S. needs to take charge of its competitiveness in a much more active way than it has in the past.” Read more from Jim Jarrett
• Michael Pettis, Finance Professor at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management: “China is going to be forced to rebalance one way or the other. The good way would be if we could get consumption to surge and drag GDP growth behind it. Yet consumption can’t surge if the household share of national income remains so low, and that household share is held down in part by the undervalued exchange rate that reduces the real value of household income and subsidizes manufacturers in the tradable goods sector.” Read more from Michael Pettis
• Peter Yam, former President of Emerson Greater China and Chairman of Emerson Electric (China) Holdings Co., Ltd: “Both [U.S.] lawmakers and the government must wake up and exert leadership in providing an environment for the US firms to become effective global competitors again and regain its strength on exports.” Read more from Peter Yam

Media are free to pull quotes from the experts’ analysis provided that they cite the expert and http://FutureofUSChinaTrade.com. Qualified journalists who wish to arrange an interview may contact Molly Castelazo at 480-987-7958 or molly@futureofuschinatrade.com.

In-depth exploration of the issues – White papers
Two white papers – the outcome of two forums help in Phoenix, USA and Beijing, China are available to interested parties. These are:

• Who the Heck Cares About Currency? A white paper that explores not what the U.S. or China should do with regard to currency and trade, but first the realities that both countries face, and second what policymakers can do to maximize the mutual benefits and minimize the costs of economic integration. Download the paper in English or Chinese
• Who the Heck Cares About Trade? Another white paper outlining what’s at stake – what we all have to gain from free trade, or lose from protectionism – and how stakeholders can overcome the obstacles that too often needlessly derail trade discussions. Download the paper in English or Chinese

“It is our firm belief that the Sino-American relationship will be critical for the whole world in coming decades,” said FutureofUSChinaTrade.com director Molly Castelazo. “The key to a healthy relationship is open dialogue – and understanding. The mission of FutureofUSChinaTrade.com is to promote both.”

About the FutureofUSChinaTrade.com
FutureofUSChinaTrade.com (online in English at http://futureofuschinatrade.com and Chinese at http://futureofchinaustrade.com) is dedicated to fostering a dialogue on the US-China relationship and – ultimately – to informing the policy debate in Washington D.C. and Beijing. A joint venture between Arizona State University and the Kearny Alliance (http://www.kearnyalliance.org), the site is a resource for all those who are interested in trade between China and the U.S.