From the International Herald Tribune:
Is it risky for a big borrower to offend its largest lender? China, which is the subject of increasing protectionist pressures in the United States, is not only the largest contributor to the large American trade deficit. It is also the largest lender to the United States.
Last year, when the U.S. Treasury debt increased by $184 billion, almost half of that amount – $87 billion, or 47 percent of the total – was provided by lenders in China, according to U.S. government statistics. [Full text]
