The US trade deficit with China cost 2.3 million American jobs over six years. the Economic Policy Institute said on Wednesday. Even when they found new jobs, workers who had lost jobs to Chinese competition saw their earnings decrease by an average of S8, 146 each year because the new jobs paid less, according to the report, funded in part by labor unions. "(We hope) it will help to focus the debate on trade to where it needs to be right now with respect to China," said Scott Paul, Executive Director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. US manufacturers, labor unions, and many lawmakers have long accused China of manipulating its currency to give Chinese companies an unfair advantage in international trade, and are pressing China to continue to allow the yuan to rise against the US dollar. China has said the United States should recognize how much its yuan currency has already risen against the dollar-it is about 20 per cent higher since China revalued its currency in July 2005. China has also said the fact that Americans save much less of their incomes than the Chinese do has increased the trade deficit. Chinese-made goods have been extremely popular in recent years with US consumers looking for low prices.