The container imports of the United States from 10 major Asian economies reached 1.72 million TEUs in November, marking a year-on-year increase of 15.3% and setting a new November record, according to data from Descartes Datamyne based on US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics.
However, compared to October, import volumes declined by 6.6%. For the first 11 months of 2023, imports totalled 18.59 million TEUs, translating to an increase of 16.4%, nearing the record set during the same period in 2021. Overall, US container imports in November stood at 2.39 million TEUs, up 14.3% year-on-year.
Imports by Origin
Among the 10 Asian economies, the largest contributors to the US imports were:
- China: 983,573 TEUs (+15.8%)
- South Korea: 193,858 TEUs (+10.9%)
- Vietnam: 177,978 TEUs (+20.5%)
- India: 81,384 TEUs (+29.5%)
- Taiwan: 76,978 TEUs (+19.3%)
- Japan (8th largest): 37,216 TEUs (+6.5%)
Exports to Asia
Meanwhile, US container exports to the 10 Asian economies totalled 464,131 TEUs in October, representing a 2.1% decrease from September and a slight 0.3% drop from October 2023. Key export destinations included:
- China: 105,746 TEUs (-22.1%)
- South Korea: 65,203 TEUs (+36.6%)
- Vietnam: 49,748 TEUs (+22.2%)
- Indonesia: 48,792 TEUs (+12.1%)
- Japan: 47,374 TEUs (-2.3%)
These statistics reflect robust US-Asia trade flows, with imports maintaining strong year-on-year growth despite recent month-to-month fluctuations.