US multinationals fatten their bottom lines by arbitraging wages, taxes, and regulations across countries.

Countries heavily dependent on exporting manufactured goods must deny their own citizens higher standard of living to maintain their trade surplus in an era of global wage arbitrage.

Over-extended American consumers provided the ultimate market for consumer goods exported from low-wage countries that are willing to sell on credit.

The dollar as an international reserve currency allows the United States to pile up huge budget and trade deficits as export-surplus countries accumulate dollars for their foreign exchange reserves.

China is tapping US economic stimulus fund to build wind farms in the US.

The Chinese yuan may be under-valued against the US dollar, but yuan revaluation is unlikely to substantially reduce US trade deficit with China.

China’s apparent heavy dependence on exports for its GDP growth conceals the low value-added contents of its exports.

The low interest rates intended to stimulate the recessed US economy after the US housing bust in 2007 – 2009 have inadvertently led to a housing boom in Hong Kong when Hong Kong has to lower its interest rates to defend its dollar peg.

The US dollar has been losing its value as an international reserve currency due to its persistent trade deficits.

In a buyer's market with many potential sellers, China exacts technology transfers as a condition of entry into its lucrative mass market.

American companies are increasingly outsourcing back-office and software design work to highly skilled but lower-cost English-speaking foreign workers.

Can free trade and environmental concern coexist?