China Overtakes US as World's Leading Trade Power: A Two-Decade Transformation

• For decades, the United States was the undisputed leader in global trade.
• In 2000, US trade was $2 trillion, while China's was $474 billion.
• By 2024, China's trade reached an estimated $6.2 trillion, surpassing the US at $5.3 trillion.
• Beijing is now the largest trading partner for most countries in Asia, Africa, and South America.
• Experts suggest this shift was long anticipated, despite recent tariff and geopolitical tensions.

Why It Matters: China has dramatically surpassed the US to become the world's dominant trading nation.