Five years old, but vindicated, still quite relevant and accurate:
Who is China’s largest trading partner?
If you guessed the United States, you’re wrong. It’s the European Union.
If you got the first one right, here is another question: Who are the biggest exporters in the world? First place goes to the European Union. Second goes to China. Third would then go to Germany if it wasn’t already included within the EU. America comes in at a distant fourth place, followed by Japan.
The world has changed. Not long ago, America was both the largest exporter of manufactured goods and the world’s most important economy.
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Yes, a shift is occurring—and it is titanic. Today’s global power centers of manufacturing and trade have swung back to Europe and China. The most important and lucrative trade routes are once again between the old world’s East and West. The modern Silk Road is swarming with the new merchants.
Global Geopolitics 