As U.S. & Chinese Economies Divorce, Flooring Imports Shift

Chattanooga, TN, February 9, 2026-The U.S. and Chinese economies are undergoing a messy divorce, according to the Wall Street Journal. And the U.S. flooring market has been impacted by these shifts. 

Between YTD 2024 and YTD 2025, China’s share of flooring imports to the U.S. declined in many categories with tufted rugs and carpets down 31.5%, other rugs down 24.2%, laminate down 16.1%, resilient down 32.8%, and LVT and tile down 54.3%. In total, Chinese flooring imports declined 45.6% from 2024 to 2025, according to Market Insights. 

The Wall Street Journal reports, “China’s leaders have determined that disentangling the two economies-often called ‘decoupling’ or ‘derisking’-is inevitable. The shift fulfills a longstanding Chinese ambition to no longer be a junior partner to the West. It’s a break with decades of Beijing’s orthodoxy that China’s economic success depended on selling low-cost goods to American consumers and building its technological might with U.S. money and know-how.

“Neither side wants to end all trade between the two economies. But fierce rivalry with the U.S. is now the primary driver of China’s economic strategy, and Xi Jinping is determined to come out on top. 

“‘Over the past year, China has started to see the U.S. as a peer equal,’ said Sarah Beran, a veteran American diplomat who is now a partner at Macro Advisory Partners. ‘China has accepted decoupling, and is now focused on controlling the pace of that decoupling.’

“Since early 2024, Beijing has allocated nearly $1 trillion to build self-sufficiency in agriculture, energy and the semiconductors that power its artificial-intelligence drive, a Wall Street Journal analysis of Chinese public records shows. The playbook has already helped China evolve into a powerhouse in sectors like green energy and electric vehicles.”