Lies, Damn Lies, and Vietnam’s Trade Statistics
For some, data showing that China has overtaken the United States as Vietnam’s biggest export market is evidence that China’s influence in the region is growing, particularly on strategic issues like sea-lane navigation. But a closer reading of the numbers suggests that the data are wrong – and may be intentionally misleading.
SINGAPORE – On April 17, Bloomberg reported that China had overtaken the United States as Vietnam’s largest export market. According to figures cited by the news organization and tallied by the International Monetary Fund, Vietnam’s exports to China totaled $50.6 billion in 2017, compared to $46.5 billion in exports to the US.