1.3 trillion dollars worth. But our national debt is not the only place where China is

picking up the tab. The Chinese government and private financiers have been sinking more

and more money into America’s economy. And those investments don’t seem to be slowing.

So, how much of the US does China own?

With the recent boom in Chinese credit availability, public and private Chinese investors have

been seeking a safe, profitable harbor for their newfound spending ability. Meanwhile,

the US dollar has been losing value in comparison to the Chinese yuan. Coupled with a creeping

housing bubble the government is desperate to control, experts say there has never been

a better time for China to invest in America.

In recent years, Chinese nationals have been buying up real estate around the country at

increasingly higher prices than other foreign investors. Especially, in major urban areas

like Manhattan, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In February 2015, a Chinese insurer

agreed to buy a Manhattan hotel for $230 million. According to reports, that price tag makes

it the most highly valued hotel in the US with each room costing about $2 million. Last

year alone, Chinese buyers spent $22 billion in the housing market, a nearly two-thirds

increase from 2012.

Chinese companies are also busy buying existing businesses across the US. Last year, Chinese

conglomerate, the Shineway Group, purchased the largest pork producer in the United States

for $4.7 billion. The acquisition made the privately owned Chinese meat company a major

employer in some rural parts of the US. In North Carolina, one in ten hog farms are now

owned by the Chinese pork producer. Similar deals have given China unprecedented access

to America’s workforce. Between 2010 and 2013, the largest state-run Chinese oil company

spent billions in a series of oil deals with the second largest natural gas company in

the US.

In 2012, Chinese president Xi Jinping and US Vice President Joe Biden agreed to support

Chinese construction companies in rebuilding America's infrastructure. For example, The

new Bay Bridge connecting Oakland and San Francisco was built almost entirely in Shanghai

before being shipped to the West Coast. Other projects, like an expansive New York subway

refurbishment, have also been outsourced to China Construction America, Inc., which has

invested over $2 billion of its own funds in American infrastructure.

Overall since 2005, China has sunk more than $70 billion into US housing, technology, finance,

and energy.

Wondering what’s up with the rest of the United States’ debt? We broke it down in

this video right here. Or to learn more about China, try the one below. If you enjoyed this

video, please subscribe!