WASHINGTON, D.C. — Several writers have urged restrictions on
trade with China and other protectionist measures, claiming these would
produce large numbers of American jobs.
Although they make compelling arguments, they ignore key reasons
for job losses that are mostly of America’s own making.
Below are seven factors to consider. The consequences of protectionism
would be far more damaging to America than critics of free trade assume.
Most of our trade deficits are the result of our own policies. Protectionism
is a two-way street and would injure many American companies without
bringing back large numbers of factory jobs—indeed, half of the
profits for U.S. firms listed on the S&P 500 index are earned overseas.
American labor has always in the past competed effectively against
low-wage foreign competition. Germany today has higher manufacturing
wages than those in the United States, yet it has a very favorable
trade balance. Obviously there must be other factors responsible for
American job losses beside China’s lower wages.
1.) America’s trade deficit is primarily due to oil, which accounts
for some 50 percent of imports. This imbalance could be curtailed by
billions of barrels if Washington allowed new domestic drilling in
Alaska and offshore in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Such
drilling would provide hundreds of thousands of solid, mostly blue-collar
jobs—exactly the kind that have been lost in recent decades.
2.) Trade statistics are very misleading. Much manufacturing in
China is done for American companies, which gain most of the profits.
For example, the Apple iPhone adds $2 billion to the trade deficit
with China, although it is entirely designed and owned by Americans
and is made of parts imported from Europe and other Asian nations.
China’s
actual input is $6.50 out of the $178 wholesale cost, according to
a Wall Street Journal analysis, “Not Really Made in China.” It
explains that the actual trade deficit with China is about half of
what the statistics show.
The same consideration applies to many other imports—sneakers,
for example. A pair of Nike shoes may cost $3 to produce, which goes
to China. The rest of the retail price is accounted for by advertising,
shipping, design, raw materials, and profits, most of which revert
to Americans.
China’s imports of raw materials are bought from Latin America,
but their value shows as part of our trade deficit with China. Latin
Americans, meanwhile, use their surpluses to buy planes and software
from the United States.
3.) Large numbers of manufacturing jobs have been lost because of
increases in productivity from the computer and communications revolution,
not from foreign competition. Add to this the factor of labor-union
work rules and spurious law suits that so damage American industry.
4.) Is the dollar too strong relative to other currencies? We already
have an example of a nation raising the value of its currency, as
protectionists are demanding of China, without making a dent in America’s
trade imbalances. That was Japan in the 1980s. Its rising currency
did not reduce Japanese trade surpluses with America. It did, however,
lead to Japanese companies producing more cars here. A cheaper dollar
would similarly allow China to buy up more American industry.
5.) Healthcare costs are brutally destructive of lower-wage manufacturing.
We pay double the proportion of our gross national product compared
to Europeans and Canadians. Health-insurance costs bankrupted two of
our auto manufacturers. A worker with a family who earns $30,000 per
year can easily cost his employer over $8,000 for health insurance.
The high cost of healthcare is our fault, not that of our Chinese competitors.
6.) We are almost the only nation to tax its citizens working abroad.
This makes it very expensive for companies to station American executives,
salesmen, and engineers overseas.
7.) America’s incredibly high military budgets drain many of
the best and brightest minds away from the civilian sector. Exorbitant
warfare spending also begets high welfare spending—what is
a few more billion for welfare when spending tens of billions for
warfare?
Devaluing America’s currency or restricting imports is not the
way to address job losses. Protectionists should focus on the items
above rather than attacking China’s surpluses and free trade
in general. Free trade has brought about the greatest degree of prosperity
and development in history. Our businesses profit tremendously from
it. Americans’ livelihoods depend on addressing the real sources
of our problems, not devaluing our currency, reverting to protectionism,
and trying to seal our economy off from the world.
Jon Basil Utley archives
This article appeared originally in The
American Conservative online
edition on March 3, 2011.
© Jon Basil Utley. All rights reserved.