Wal-Mart Hacienda:
Importing from China four years ago was 22% cheaper on average.
By year-end 2008, however, the average price gap with the U.S. had dropped to a mere 5.5%, which is often not large enough to be worth the hassle of sourcing something from halfway around the world.
The more surprising reversal is the comparison with Mexico. While China was around 5% cheaper on average than Mexico in 2005, China is now 20% more expensive. link to Brian Schwarz