But most economists say a big yuan revaluation wouldn't have a major impact on trade.
As long as Americans spend more than they save and the Chinese continue to save at high rates, the trade deficit will endure.
"To achieve any meaningful change in trade flows, you need a reduction in (spending) by countries that spend more than their income and expenditure increases in countries that spend less than their income," said Nouriel Roubini of Roubini Global Economics. "Changes in relative prices are not by themselves sufficient."
America's trade gap with China hit $235 billion last year.
I've seen various opinions on this matter, but I tend to agree with the above statement. The real issue is the US consumes more than it produces. That is what the trade deficit really represents. I wrote an article dealing with outsourcing that came to the same conclusion: so long as the US buys cheap stuff, we're going to outsource manufacturing to places where it's cheaper to make stuff.
However, I think it's important to realize where this might lead. To quote Paul Volcker from an article he wrote two years ago (and which is still very relevant):
The difficulty is that this seemingly comfortable pattern can't go on indefinitely. I don't know of any country that has managed to consume and invest 6 percent more than it produces for long. The United States is absorbing about 80 percent of the net flow of international capital. And at some point, both central banks and private institutions will have their fill of dollars.
