2017年一改連續兩年的疲軟，中美經貿合作實現了較大幅度的增長，出現了可喜的現象。

2016年，美國經濟疲軟。中國經濟增長放緩，出現了2010年以來的低谷。中美經貿統計無論是總額、出口、進口，甚至貿易平衡四個方面，雙邊統計都出現了負增長。中方統計當年貿易總額下跌了6.7%，美方統計貿易總額下跌了3.6%。另外，由於美元走強，美對華出口額連續兩年下降。

上述情況在2017年得到了扭轉。中方統計中美貿易額5837億美元，增長12.3%，對美出口4298億美元，增長11.5%，從美進口1539億美元，增長14.5%，貿易順差2758億美元，增長9.9%。美方統計雙邊貿易額6501億美元，增長9.9%，從中國進口5262億美元，增長9.3%，對華出口1304億美元，增長12.8%，逆差3958億美元，增長8.2%。

2017年中美貿易總額佔中國外貿總額的14.2%，相當於1/7。對美出口額占出口總額19%，若加上香港轉口則為5262億美元，佔中國總出口額的23.3%，將近1/4。從2012年起，美國市場就超過歐盟市場，成為中國最大的出口市場。依據美方統計，美中貿易額佔到美國外貿總額的16.43%，將近1/6，從中國的進口佔到21.84%，超過了1/5。

與貨物貿易相反，多年以來，中國在服務貿易領域存在較大逆差。中方統計2017年中美服務貿易總額1201億美元，對美出口330億美元，從美國進口871億美元，中方逆差541億美元。

從2015年起，中國超過加拿大成為美國最大的貿易夥伴。中美兩國早已互為舉足輕重的貿易夥伴，相互依存，互惠互利，合作共贏。

最近幾年，中國企業對美非金融類投資迅速增長。按照中方統計（不含經第三地赴美投資，例如2013年9月雙匯國際控股公司以71億美元收購美國史密斯菲爾德食品公司，因雙匯國際在香港註冊而沒有被統計在中國大陸對美投資內），2014年中國對美投資52.4億美元，增長30.7%，2015年為83.9億美元，增長60%，2016年為200.8億美元，增長139.3%，2017年為78.1億美元，下降62%（2017年下降主要是由於美國政府加大了對中國投資的安全審查和限制，另外中國為穩定外匯儲備而倡導理性投資）。到2017年底，中國大陸對美投資累計為572.7億美元。

據美國榮鼎諮詢公司統計，中國赴美非金融類投資（含經港澳和免稅區）2013年為140億美元，2014年為119億美元，2015年為158億美元，2016年為456億美元，2017年為290億美元。到2017年底對美累計投資1364億美元。據美中關係委員會會長歐倫斯說，到2016年底，中國對美投資為美國提供了14萬個就業機會。

金融危機以來，中國越來越多的大中型企業顯示了赴美投資的積極性。美國擁有健全和透明的法治環境、先進的技術水平、訓練有素的員工、廉價的能源、低廉的物流成本、完善的基礎設施和一流的研發能力。最重要的是有健全的銷售渠道和龐大的消費市場，任何一種商品打開了美國市場就意味着打開了全世界的市場。從2018年起，特朗普政府大幅降低企業所得稅，這將進一步吸引中國企業赴美投資。作為世界頭號經濟體，美國需要世界的資金來支撐經濟復蘇和重回繁榮。

美國對華非金融類實際投資繼續增長。據中方統計，2014年為23.7億美元，2015年為20.9億美元，2016年為23.9億美元，2017年為26.5億美元，到2017年底美對華累計投資826.5億美元。據榮鼎諮詢公司的統計，到2016年底，美對華非金融類實際投資（含經港澳和台灣地區）達2280億美元。中美兩國在投資領域也已經互為重要的夥伴。

2008年，中美正式啟動投資協定談判。在2013年中美戰略與經濟對話中，雙方確認以准入前國民待遇和負面清單為基礎展開談判。在2014年底完成了投資協定的文本談判，2015年初開始負面清單談判。中方為此做出了極大的努力，負面清單項目從2013年的190項減少到2017年7月的95項。與此同時，中方要求美方減少或停止非經濟因素對企業投資的限制，諸如所謂的國家安全審查。據報道，僅2016和2017兩年，受到國家安全審查而被限制的中資企業項目多達27起，嚴重干擾了中國赴美投資和雙邊合作。

雙邊投資協定（BIT）是中美經濟關係的重要組成部分。達成一個高標準的雙邊投資協定將有助於兩國建立更加緊密的聯繫，提高兩國經貿合作的質量，邁出建設中美自由貿易區極為重要的一步，它符合兩國的重大經濟利益。

2017年11月8日到10日，特朗普總統訪問中國。中美簽署了2535億美元的經貿大單，其規模相當於2016年台灣省GDP總量的一半。中方採購為1088億美元，占整個經貿大單的42.9%，其中包括300億美元採購370架波音飛機，262億美元採購芯片、航空發動機和汽車零部件，110億美元採購液化天熱氣，50億美元採購大豆，此外還有牛肉等項目。

中國企業赴美投資項目1317億美元，占經貿大單的52%。其中包含國家能源投資集團赴西弗吉尼亞州投資837億美元，開發石油和天然氣；中石化等赴阿拉斯加州投資430億美元，開發天然氣和石油。此外還有中企赴懷俄明州投資50億美元開發能源。美國企業來華投資項目5個，金額130億美元，占經貿大單的5%。

以上採購和雙邊投資項目若能落實，將促進中美經貿合作的更快發展，也有利於逐步減少美國對華貿易逆差。

特朗普政府讓中國企業到美國地廣人稀、經濟相對落後的州去開發項目，充分說明美國想利用中國的資金、技術和人力資源協助特朗普實現振興美國經濟的願望。

這也充分顯示中國政府正在積極努力地緩解美國對華貿易逆差。

Sino-US economic cooperation improved in 2017, after a two-year slowdown.

The US economy was weak in 2016. Since 2010, China's economic growth has slowed and fallen into doldrums. Both Chinese and US statistics show that trade between the two countries declined. Chinese total trade for the year fell by 6.7%; US total trade declined by 3.6%. In addition, due to the stronger dollar, US trade with China decreased for two consecutive years.

This situation changed in 2017. According to Chinese statistics, China-US trade amounted to $583.7 billion, an increase of 12.3%; exports to the US reached $429.8 billion, an increase of 11.5%; imports from the US reached $153.9 billion, an increase of 14.5%; the trade surplus with the US reached $275.8 billion, an increase of 9.9%. According to US statistics, bilateral trade reached $650.1 billion, an increase of 9.9%; imports from China reached $526.2 billion, an increase of 9.3%; exports to China reached $130.4 billion, an increase 12.8%; the trade deficit with China reached $395.8 billion, an increase of 8.2%.

Sino-US trade in 2017 accounted for 14.2% of China's total trade. Exports to the US accounted for 19% of total Chinese exports and reached $526.2 billion if the re-export from Hong Kong is included, and the exports to the US accounted for 23.3% of total Chinese exports. Starting from 2012, the US was China's biggest export market, surpassing the EU. According to US statistics, US-China trade accounted for 16.43% of total US trade, with imports from China accounting for 21.84% of total imports.

In contrast to its trade in goods, China's service trade has experienced a big deficit for many years. Chinese statistics show China's service trade totaled $120.1 billion in 2017; exports to the US reached $33 billion while imports from the US reached $87.1 billion, leaving China in deficit at $54.1 billion.

Since 2015, China has become the US' biggest trade partner, exceeding Canada. China and the US have already become important trade partners to each other, enjoying mutual dependence, reciprocity, and win-win cooperation.

In recent years, Chinese enterprises' non-financial investments in the US grew fast. According to Chinese statistics, China's investment in the US in 2014 was $5.24 billion and grew by 30.7%, it reached $8.39 billion with an increase of 60% in 2015, $20.08 billion with a 139.3% increase in 2016, and $7.81 billion with a fall of 62% over the same period in 2017 ( due to the fact that the US government ramped up the security check and restrictions on Chinese investment; besides, China advocated rational investment to stabilize foreign exchange reserves). By the end of 2017, the investment from mainland China in the US reached $57.27 billion.

China's non-financial investment in the US (including the investment via Hong Kong, Macao and free trade zones) was $14 billion in 2013, $11.9 billion in 2014, $15.8 billion in 2015, $45.6 billion in 2016 and $29 billion in 2017. By the end of 2017, China's investment in the US reached $136.4. Steve Orlins, President of the National Committee on US-China Relations， said that China's investment in the US created 140,000 jobs.

Since the financial crisis, more and more Chinese large and medium-sized enterprises have shown their enthusiasm in investing in the US. The US has a sound and transparent legal environment, advanced technology, well-trained employees, inexpensive energy, low logistic costs, good infrastructure, and first-class R&D capability. Above all, the US has sound sale channels and a huge market. For any commodity, if the US market is open, it means the world market is open. Since 2018, the Trump administration has substantially cut the corporate income tax, which will further attract Chinese enterprises to invest in the US. As the world's top economy, the US needs the world's funds to support its economic recovery and return to prosperity.

The US' non-financial investment in China has continued to grow. Based on Chinese statistics, US investment in China was $2.37 billion in 2014, $2.09 billion in 2015, $2.39 billion in 2016, $2.65 billion in 2017, and reached $82.65 billion by the end of 2017. Rhodium Group statistics said that by the end of 2016, the US actual non-financial investment in China (including that via Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) reached $228 billion. China and the US have become each other's important partner in investment.

In 2008, China and the US officially started bilateral investment treaty negotiations. In the 2013 China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, both sides agreed to negotiate based on pre-establishment national treatment and negative lists. At the end of 2014, the negotiation on the investment treaty text was finished and the negotiation on the negative list started at the beginning of 2015. China made great efforts in this regard. The items on the negative list declined from 190 in 2013 to 95 in July 2017. At the same time, China demanded that the US reduce or stop the non-economic restrictions on the enterprises' investment, such as the so-called national security check. It was reported that only in the years 2016 and 2017, the Chinese investment projects subject to national security check and restrictions numbered as high as 27, seriously disrupting China's investment in the US and bilateral cooperation.

The Bilateral Investment Treaty is an important part of China-US economic relations. A high-level bilateral treaty will help establish closer ties between the two countries, improve economic cooperation, mark a crucial step forward in setting up a China-US free trade zone, and will be in line with the major economic interests of the two countries.

During President Trump's visit to China from November 8-10, 2017, China and the US signed a big trade deal worth $253.5 billion, about half of Taiwan's total GDP. In the deal, Chinese purchases will reach $108.8 billion, account for 42.9% of the deal. China will purchase 370 Boeing planes for $30 billion, chips, aircraft engines, and auto parts for $26.2 billion, liquefied natural gas for $11 billion, soybeans for $5 billion, and other items like beef.

Investment in the US from Chinese enterprises will reach $131.7 billion, accounting for 52% of the deal. The investment includes China National Energy Investment Group's 83.7 billion investment in West Virginia to explore oil and natural gas, Sinopec's $43 billion worth of investment in Alaska to explore oil and natural gas as well as Chinese enterprises' $5 billion investment in Wyoming to develop energy. The US has five investment items valued at $13 billion, accounting for 5% of the deal.

If all the above purchases and investments can be made, they will promote faster China-US economic cooperation and will be conducive to gradually narrowing the US trade deficit with China.

The Trump administration allows Chinese enterprises to develop projects in America's vast, sparsely-populated, and relatively backward states. It clearly indicates the US' wish to make use of China's funds, technology, and labor to help President Trump revitalize the US economy.

The big deal also shows that the Chinese government is positively exerting efforts to alleviate the US trade deficit with China.