The calculation of the US trade deficit has not taken into
account profit returns and intellectual exports which are highly
profitable but usually not counted by customs a Chinese
statistician said Sunday.
If calculated accurately, the profits from surging outward
investments, technology exports, patent rights, cultural products
and many other intangible goods would reduce the deficit, Li
Deshui, ex-director of the National Bureau of Statistics, told
Xinhua in an exclusive interview at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA)
2006.
The United States had not suffered from a serious economic
depression although it reported a trade deficit of US$804.9 billion
in 2005, a huge jump from the US$39.1 billion in 1992, Li
observed.
In Fact its overall economic growth stood at 3.6 percent last
year--slightly higher than that of 1992--and the national
unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 percent from 7.5 percent,
according to Li.
The deficit failed to take account of the huge profits earned by
overseas-based US firms, Li noted. He pointed out that goods
shipped back to the US had been unreasonably considered
imports.
Statistics from the United Nations show that overseas US
companies realized a combined sales volume of US$3,383 billion in
2004 which is more than three times the exports from its home based
firms.
A US official report released last March said US companies
earned some US$315 billion from? overseas markets in 2003, up
26 percent year-on-year, a large part of which had been transferred
back home.
In addition to the huge profits the Chinese statistical expert
also highlighted the booming service industries such as the export
of financial consultancy expertise and the rocketing sales of US
cultural products including technologies, patents and
trademarks.
"It's impossible for the US customs to register the amount of
money if China purchases a movie from the United States," Li
explained.
Asian nations had invested in national bonds and other US assets
which was yet another source of capital inflow that was not under
estimated, he added.
According to the International Monetary Fund the US overall
balance of payments deficit was US$1.5 billion and US$2.8 billion
in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
Such a balanced situation could explain why the country had
maintained rapid economic growth accompanied by a huge trade
deficit, said Li.
The US trade deficit, along with some other global economic
challenges like soaring oil prices, has been widely viewed as a
threat which could undermine the world economy, he added.?
(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2006)