Is the number of manufactured products shipped by China to the USA in 2004; in other words, China is exporting 88% of manufactured items imported by the USA in our classification*. This figure exceeds by 31 the one for Germany and is nearly 1,000 above that recorded for China in 1995. The expansion of China’s market share goes along with increased diversification of the exported products.

This diversification did not go along with a switch in the market positioning of Chinese products. During that period, a shift from low to medium price range can be observed for high technology items. But, on the whole, China’ prices are still within the low range. Accordingly, if China competes on an ever increasing number of goods with the most advanced countries, the varieties of goods exported allow these countries to keep their shares of the US market and even to increase them. This is specifically the case of Germany, the European leading exporter, which has strengthened its position in the highest range varieties.