Vietnam, Taiwan benefit from China-U.S. trade war

A sign with a U.S. flag is seen outside a supermarket selling foreign goods in Qingdao, China. File photo.

The U.S. has seen a drop in imports from China due to the tariff war between the two countries. Vietnam and Taiwan have benefited from the tariff escalation with their exports to the U.S. surging. However, India is yet to cash in.

Ebbs and flows

The graph below plots the volume of goods sent to the U.S. by select countries between January and May 2019 against the change in volume from the same period in 2018. The size of the circle corresponds to export volume in 2019. The colour indicates whether export has fallen or improved since 2018.

While China has seen a 12% dip in exports, Vietnam (+36%) and Taiwan (+22%) have seen significant rises. But China continues to dominate in volume terms.

 

Gains and losses

The graphs below plot the same indicators as those in graph 1 for select nations: China, Vietnam and India for specific commodities. Each circle is a commodity. The graphs consider commodities which exceeded $1 bn in export value.