#美国贸易赤字状况 Why is the US trade deficit getting bigger?

Last year, the US trade deficit hit $918.4 billion, the second highest peak since 1960. It sounds alarming, but the underlying logic isn't actually that complicated.

First is the "siphoning effect" of the dollar — as the global reserve currency, the dollar attracts a continuous flow of overseas capital, directly pushing up the trade deficit. Second is the US's own consumption pattern: saving less, spending more, leading to an increasing dependence on imported goods. Additionally, domestic manufacturing has shifted overseas significantly over the years, naturally weakening export competitiveness.

The Trump administration played the tariff card — imposing "reciprocal tariffs" to suppress imports. The result? Business costs rose, inflationary pressures increased, but the deficit didn't improve much.

Economists generally agree: the trade deficit isn't a tariff issue; the root cause lies in economic structural imbalances. To truly reverse the situation, relying solely on unilateral tariffs is far from enough. It also requires adjusting fiscal policies and stabilizing the dollar's value — these are the long-term solutions.