An examination of data for over 160 countries provides evidence that imports are just as important as exports for economic growth.
For almost four-fifths of countries last year, the volume of exports and imports moved up or down in harmony. Growing an economy does not mean turning imports into exports – for a strong economy do more of both.
Trade is not a win-lose game;success is not a matter of exporting more, and importing less, because more often than not, when one declines, so does the other.