Last year was a tough year for American exporters.   After steady increases since the bottom dropped out of the U.S. economy in 2008, exports fell again in 2012, even to nation’s where consumption doesn’t seem to sleep like China and Singapore.

Out of the top 10 U.S. trading partners, Mexico stands apart. U.S. exports are rising and Mexico is one of the reasons why.

First, back in 2009, U.S. exported $1.5 trillion worth of goods and services around the world. That number rose to $1.8 trillion in 2010 and then to $2.1 trillion in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  In fact, U.S. exports have more than doubled from where they were in 2002. It’s as if the U.S. discovered it can make things again.

That’s where Mexico comes in.  Every major trading partner saw a decline of at least five percent in their imports from the U.S. Only Mexico continued to buy American.

via For American Exporters, Mexico Is The China Door – Forbes.