China vs. America: Who the World Trades With Most
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Key Takeaways
- In 2000, only 33 countries traded more with China than with the United States.
- By 2025, China had become the top goods trading partner for most countries worldwide.
- Only a handful of African countries still trade more with the U.S. than China.
Twenty-five years ago, the United States was the world’s dominant trading power. Today, China has overtaken America as the top goods trading partner for most countries globally.
This map compares whether countries traded more with the U.S. or China in 2000 and 2025, based on total bilateral imports and exports using International Monetary Fund Direction of Trade Statistics data.
China’s rise was fueled by its emergence as the world’s manufacturing hub and surging demand for commodities like oil, copper, iron ore, and soybeans.
When America Dominated Global Trade
The United States entered the 21st century on a high note. Following the end of the Cold War, liberal democracy and open markets were expanding across the former Soviet bloc, while global trade centered primarily around the U.S. consumer market.
In 2000, only 33 countries traded more with China than the United States. Many of these countries were Chinese neighbors like Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Others were states with strained or no relations with Washington, including Cuba, Iran, Libya, and North Korea.
This data table lists countries around the world based on whether they traded more with the U.S. or China in 2000 and 2025.
| Country | Bigger Trade Partner in 2000 | Bigger Trade Partner in 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | China | China |
| Albania | China | China |
| Algeria | U.S. | China |
| American Samoa | China | China |
| Angola | U.S. | China |
| Anguilla | N/A | U.S. |
| Antigua and Barbuda | U.S. | U.S. |
| Argentina | U.S. | China |
| Armenia | U.S. | China |
| Aruba | U.S. | U.S. |
| Australia | U.S. | China |
| Austria | U.S. | U.S. |
| Azerbaijan | U.S. | China |
| Bahrain | U.S. | U.S. |
| Bangladesh | U.S. | China |
| Barbados | U.S. | U.S. |
| Belarus | U.S. | China |
| Belgium | U.S. | U.S. |
| Belize | U.S. | U.S. |
| Benin | China | China |
| Bermuda | U.S. | U.S. |
| Bhutan | China | China |
| Bolivia | U.S. | China |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | U.S. | China |
| Botswana | U.S. | China |
| Brazil | U.S. | China |
| Brunei | U.S. | China |
| Bulgaria | U.S. | China |
| Burkina Faso | U.S. | China |
| Burundi | U.S. | China |
| Cabo Verde | U.S. | China |
| Cambodia | U.S. | China |
| Cameroon | U.S. | China |
| Canada | U.S. | U.S. |
| Central African Republic | U.S. | China |
| Chad | U.S. | China |
| Chile | U.S. | China |
| Colombia | U.S. | U.S. |
| Comoros | U.S. | China |
| Congo Republic | U.S. | China |
| Costa Rica | U.S. | U.S. |
| Croatia | U.S. | China |
| Cuba | China | China |
| Curaçao | N/A | U.S. |
| Cyprus | U.S. | China |
| Czechia | U.S. | China |
| Côte d'Ivoire | U.S. | China |
| DRC | U.S. | China |
| Denmark | U.S. | China |
| Djibouti | China | China |
| Dominica | China | U.S. |
| Dominican Republic | U.S. | U.S. |
| Ecuador | U.S. | U.S. |
| Egypt | U.S. | China |
| El Salvador | U.S. | U.S. |
| Equatorial Guinea | China | China |
| Eritrea | U.S. | China |
| Estonia | U.S. | U.S. |
| Eswatini | U.S. | U.S. |
| Ethiopia | U.S. | China |
| Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | U.S. | U.S. |
| Faroe Islands | U.S. | U.S. |
| Fiji | U.S. | China |
| Finland | U.S. | U.S. |
| France | U.S. | U.S. |
| French Polynesia | U.S. | U.S. |
| Gabon | U.S. | China |
| Georgia | U.S. | China |
| Germany | U.S. | U.S. |
| Ghana | U.S. | China |
| Gibraltar | China | U.S. |
| Greece | U.S. | China |
| Greenland | U.S. | China |
| Grenada | U.S. | U.S. |
| Guam | N/A | China |
| Guatemala | U.S. | U.S. |
| Guinea | U.S. | China |
| Guinea-Bissau | China | China |
| Guyana | U.S. | U.S. |
| Haiti | U.S. | U.S. |
| Honduras | U.S. | U.S. |
| Hong Kong | China | China |
| Hungary | U.S. | China |
| Iceland | U.S. | U.S. |
| India | U.S. | China |
| Indonesia | U.S. | China |
| Iran | China | China |
| Iraq | U.S. | China |
| Ireland | U.S. | U.S. |
| Israel | U.S. | U.S. |
| Italy | U.S. | U.S. |
| Jamaica | U.S. | U.S. |
| Japan | U.S. | China |
| Jordan | U.S. | China |
| Kazakhstan | China | China |
| Kenya | U.S. | China |
| Kiribati | U.S. | China |
| Kosovo | N/A | U.S. |
| Kuwait | U.S. | China |
| Kyrgyzstan | China | China |
| Laos | China | China |
| Latvia | U.S. | China |
| Lebanon | U.S. | China |
| Lesotho | U.S. | U.S. |
| Liberia | China | China |
| Libya | China | China |
| Lithuania | U.S. | U.S. |
| Luxembourg | U.S. | U.S. |
| Macao | U.S. | China |
| Madagascar | U.S. | China |
| Malawi | U.S. | China |
| Malaysia | U.S. | China |
| Maldives | U.S. | China |
| Mali | U.S. | China |
| Malta | U.S. | China |
| Marshall Islands | N/A | China |
| Mauritania | China | China |
| Mauritius | U.S. | China |
| Mexico | U.S. | U.S. |
| Micronesia | N/A | China |
| Moldova | U.S. | China |
| Mongolia | China | China |
| Montenegro | N/A | China |
| Montserrat | N/A | U.S. |
| Morocco | U.S. | China |
| Mozambique | U.S. | China |
| Myanmar | China | China |
| Namibia | U.S. | China |
| Nauru | U.S. | China |
| Nepal | U.S. | China |
| Netherlands | U.S. | U.S. |
| New Caledonia | U.S. | China |
| New Zealand | U.S. | China |
| Nicaragua | U.S. | U.S. |
| Niger | U.S. | China |
| Nigeria | U.S. | China |
| North Korea | China | China |
| North Macedonia | U.S. | China |
| Norway | U.S. | China |
| Oman | China | China |
| Pakistan | U.S. | China |
| Palau | China | China |
| Palestine | U.S. | China |
| Panama | U.S. | China |
| Papua New Guinea | China | China |
| Paraguay | U.S. | U.S. |
| Peru | U.S. | China |
| Philippines | U.S. | China |
| Poland | U.S. | China |
| Portugal | U.S. | China |
| Qatar | U.S. | China |
| Romania | U.S. | China |
| Russia | U.S. | China |
| Rwanda | U.S. | China |
| Samoa | U.S. | China |
| San Marino | N/A | U.S. |
| Saudi Arabia | U.S. | China |
| Senegal | U.S. | China |
| Serbia | N/A | China |
| Seychelles | U.S. | China |
| Sierra Leone | U.S. | China |
| Singapore | U.S. | China |
| Sint Maarten | N/A | U.S. |
| Slovakia | U.S. | China |
| Slovenia | U.S. | China |
| Solomon Islands | China | China |
| Somalia | U.S. | China |
| South Africa | U.S. | China |
| South Korea | U.S. | China |
| South Sudan | N/A | China |
| Spain | U.S. | China |
| Sri Lanka | U.S. | China |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | U.S. | U.S. |
| St. Lucia | U.S. | U.S. |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | U.S. | U.S. |
| Sudan | China | China |
| Suriname | U.S. | China |
| Sweden | U.S. | U.S. |
| Switzerland | U.S. | U.S. |
| Syria | U.S. | China |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | U.S. | China |
| Taiwan | U.S. | China |
| Tajikistan | U.S. | China |
| Tanzania | China | China |
| Thailand | U.S. | China |
| The Bahamas | U.S. | U.S. |
| The Gambia | China | China |
| Timor-Leste | N/A | China |
| Togo | China | China |
| Tonga | U.S. | China |
| Trinidad and Tobago | U.S. | U.S. |
| Tunisia | U.S. | China |
| Turkmenistan | U.S. | China |
| Tuvalu | N/A | China |
| Türkiye | U.S. | China |
| Uganda | U.S. | China |
| Ukraine | U.S. | China |
| United Arab Emirates | U.S. | China |
| United Kingdom | U.S. | U.S. |
| Uruguay | U.S. | China |
| Uzbekistan | U.S. | China |
| Vanuatu | U.S. | China |
| Vatican City | N/A | U.S. |
| Venezuela | U.S. | U.S. |
| Vietnam | China | China |
| Yemen | China | China |
| Zambia | China | China |
| Zimbabwe | U.S. | China |
Everything began to shift during the 2000s as China opened further to the world economy, highlighted by the country’s 2001 accession to the World Trade Organization. Alongside domestic economic reforms, WTO membership accelerated China’s rise as a global manufacturing powerhouse.
Over the years that followed, China became the top trading partner of major emerging markets including Brazil and Russia. Its cheaper manufacturing boosted exports worldwide, while its growing demand for key commodities fueled growth across developing economies.
Commodities Boom and Manufacturing Powerhouse
The commodities boom of the 2000s and early 2010s helped solidify China’s central role in the global economy. By 2012, it had become the world’s second-largest economy while lifting many of its trading partners’ fortunes along the way.
Soaring Chinese demand for commodities like iron ore, soybeans, copper, and oil benefited many countries across the Global South that were rich in natural resources. Brazil, Iran, Nigeria, and Russia were among the many developing economies to benefit from rising commodity prices.
At the same time, Chinese manufacturing became the lower-cost alternative for firms across North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. Factories increasingly offshored production to China, while consumers benefited from cheaper goods.
China’s Global Trade Expansion
By 2025, China had become the dominant trade partner across much of Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. All of South America’s major economies except Colombia and Venezuela now trade more with Beijing than Washington, while only two African countries, Lesotho and Eswatini, still trade more with the United States.
The U.S. maintains a dominant position across much of North America, but Israel is the only major economy in the Middle East or Indo-Pacific that still trades more with Washington than Beijing.
Meanwhile, Europe remains split down the middle. France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom still trade more with the U.S., while countries including Poland and Spain have deepened their trade ties with China.
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