From farm goods to electronics, the U.S. rang up a record trade deficit in 2004 by importing more products than ever before. The trade deficit shot up 24.4 percent over 2003, with China clocking the largest imbalance ever recorded with a single country. The imbalance between the United States and China is $162 billion, 30.5 percent more than the previous year. According to a report by the Economic Policy Institute China is exporting more products that use high skilled labor, such as electronics and computers, than ever before. The country is exporting less low-value labor intensive products, such as shoes and plastic products. In 2003, the U.S. trade deficit with China was already twice as large as exports. On a worldwide scale, the Commerce Department reports that American's have also begun accruing a deficit in food products, such as cheese and wine.