(Yicai Global) April 22 -- US exports to China slumped to the lowest in eight years last year due to tariff hikes and the uncertain business environment but this year's trade detente could bring forth a rebound, according to a US non-profit trade organization.

If China meets its purchasing commitments agreed to in the Phase One trade deal, there could be a sharp uptick in exports this year, according to the US-China Business Council's 2020 State Export Report published on its website recently.

Exports of US goods to China contracted 11 percent to USD104.8 billion last year from 2018, falling to the lowest level since 2011, while only two-fifths of US states witnessed growth, according to the report.

China's customs data proves the slump. US goods imports dropped 21 percent to USD122.7 billion last year from the year before, according to the General Administration of Customs. Meanwhile, exports to the US slid by 13 percent to USD418.5 billion.

Last year, some 27 US states exported more than USD1 billion worth of goods to China while the figure had been 30 states in 2018, according to the USCBC. Policies involving travel and student visas could partly explain the decline, it added.

But service exports to China remained buoyant, increasing about 2 percent each year in 2017 and 2018, the latest full year of data. However, that could be seen as sluggish as the value had more than tripled from 2009 to 2018, with China rising faster than any other top market.

China is the third-biggest market for US exporters as only the free trade partners of Canada and Mexico bought more goods from the States last year. China also ranked No. 3 in terms of service exports, falling behind the UK and Canada.

But the rest of the world is playing catch-up. Over the last decade, US goods exports to China widened by 16 percent. Meanwhile, its exports to the rest of the planet expanded by 29 percent. But those markets haven't fully covered declines in China, the report added.

Last year, some of the most popular goods that China bought from the US were aerospace products and parts, semiconductors and components, as well as oilseeds and grains.

Exporting to China still supported just under one million jobs in the US in 2018, the report added.

Editor: Emmi Laine