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Los Angeles rips up the trade record book

February 13th, 2007

Los Angeles’ trade with the world topped $300 billion in 2006, its imports topped $238 billion and its deficit almost topped $150 billion, according to a WorldCity analysis of U.S. Census data released today.

All are new records in U.S. import-export history.

And there’s more: For the first time, one nation China imported more than $100 billion into one Customs district. China’s imports with the top-ranked Los Angeles Customs, which is led by the seaports in Los Angeles and Long Beach as well as Los Angeles International Airport, finished the year at $102 billion, or 43 percent of all imports.

Los Angeles has been the nation’s No. 1 ranked Customs district for more than a decade, the lone except being 2001, when, ironically enough, New York held the distinction. New York is currently No. 2, followed by Detroit and Houston.

“Anyone who doesn’t believe international trade creates jobs and wealth only need to go to the seaports in Los Angeles or Long Beach or see the growth coming to Ontario,” said Ken Roberts, president of Miami-based WorldCity, a media company focused on the impact of globalization on local communities.

“I was there last week, after having been to New Orleans the week before that, Savannah the week before and Atlanta the week before that. How is it that manufacturing jobs can shift off-shore while the unemployment rate stays at historically low levels? International trade.”

2006 Rank 2005 Rank Total Trade 2006 2005 1-Yr $ Ch 1 Yr % ch
World Total $329,422,995,915 $293,946,624,166 $35,476,371,749 12.07%
1 1 China $118,614,876,703 $102,075,905,475 $16,538,971,228 16.20%
2 2 Japan $50,682,923,627 $46,425,556,655 $4,257,366,972 9.17%
3 3 South Korea $20,729,812,173 $17,944,253,259 $2,785,558,914 15.52%
4 4 Taiwan $16,701,244,435 $15,120,272,068 $1,580,972,367 10.46%
5 6 Germany $9,660,199,606 $9,013,298,521 $646,901,085 7.18%
6 5 Malaysia $9,650,956,032 $9,587,457,067 $63,498,965 0.66%
7 7 Thailand $9,002,540,244 $7,984,938,758 $1,017,601,486 12.74%
8 9 Singapore $8,232,066,527 $7,175,329,202 $1,056,737,325 14.73%
9 8 Australia $7,919,363,449 $7,623,878,805 $295,484,644 3.88%
10 10 Hong Kong $6,917,232,939 $6,539,496,608 $377,736,331 5.78%
11 11 United Kingdom $5,448,938,749 $5,560,296,450 $(111,357,701) -2.00%
12 12 Indonesia $4,985,944,258 $4,775,225,744 $210,718,514 4.41%
13 13 Philippines $4,563,274,115 $4,346,382,370 $216,891,745 4.99%
14 14 India $3,709,167,796 $3,484,585,530 $224,582,266 6.45%
15 15 Vietnam $3,444,169,952 $2,716,273,302 $727,896,650 26.80%
16 16 Mexico $3,235,789,249 $2,695,989,901 $539,799,348 20.02%
17 19 Netherlands $2,958,178,385 $2,458,648,696 $499,529,689 20.32%
18 21 Ecuador $2,896,276,688 $2,153,677,401 $742,599,287 34.48%
19 27 Iraq $2,839,456,572 $1,364,048,695 $1,475,407,877 108.16%
20 17 Italy $2,660,993,192 $2,599,739,736 $61,253,456 2.36%
21 20 France $2,477,778,706 $2,415,367,152 $62,411,554 2.58%
22 18 Saudi Arabia $2,447,889,373 $2,492,765,966 $(44,876,593) -1.80%
23 23 Brazil $2,428,788,490 $1,937,812,509 $490,975,981 25.34%
24 22 Belgium $2,016,898,442 $2,091,009,601 $(74,111,159) -3.54%
25 28 Canada $1,686,710,353 $1,330,524,149 $356,186,204 26.77%
26 24 New Zealand $1,657,276,744 $1,846,089,596 $(188,812,852) -10.23%
27 25 Israel $1,616,745,121 $1,613,291,079 $3,454,042 0.21%
28 26 Sweden $1,167,319,408 $1,435,004,986 $(267,685,578) -18.65%
29 29 Switzerland $1,149,047,671 $1,037,656,336 $111,391,335 10.73%
30 32 Bangladesh $1,109,520,481 $855,296,743 $254,223,738 29.72%
31 33 Cambodia $1,015,336,623 $760,121,819 $255,214,804 33.58%
32 30 Chile $966,472,209 $923,524,818 $42,947,391 4.65%
33 31 Ireland $849,171,744 $882,000,766 $(32,829,022) -3.72%
34 34 Spain $772,329,944 $710,984,072 $61,345,872 8.63%
35 35 Pakistan $709,357,184 $699,440,740 $9,916,444 1.42%
36 36 Guatemala $668,697,936 $634,827,682 $33,870,254 5.34%
37 42 Peru $652,198,839 $468,784,383 $183,414,456 39.13%
38 41 Russia $626,096,096 $494,145,388 $131,950,708 26.70%
39 45 Austria $596,637,641 $413,703,706 $182,933,935 44.22%
40 43 South Africa $569,174,215 $427,462,224 $141,711,991 33.15%
41 38 United Arab Emirates $557,890,787 $551,077,193 $6,813,594 1.24%
42 37 Turkey $532,989,404 $557,827,671 $(24,838,267) -4.45%
43 39 Angola $467,633,952 $507,429,627 $(39,795,675) -7.84%
44 46 Macao $463,105,820 $396,284,482 $66,821,338 16.86%
45 40 Argentina $413,520,039 $505,837,350 $(92,317,311) -18.25%
46 44 Sri Lanka $411,324,182 $426,710,143 $(15,385,961) -3.61%
47 47 Costa Rica $384,955,762 $310,762,431 $74,193,331 23.87%
48 51 Colombia $384,638,210 $263,699,309 $120,938,901 45.86%
49 48 Venezuela $327,352,204 $302,311,698 $25,040,506 8.28%
50 50 Denmark $279,419,165 $287,658,546 $(8,239,381) -2.86%

Total trade ended the year at $329 billion, imports at $239 billion and the deficit at $149 billion. Despite that record-breaking deficit, Los Angeles had a trade surplus with 111 nations and a deficit with 113.

U.S. trade narrowly missed the $3 trillion mark for the year, ending at $2.9 trillion. Exports for the first time ever surpassed $100 billion.

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