This map, created by Ehsan Soltani for Visual Capitalist in 2025, shows how China and the United States have swapped places as trading partners with different countries around the world.
In 2000, the United States had global trade worth £2 trillion, compared to China's £0.47 trillion. Between 2000 and 2024, US global trade has increased by an average of 4.2% annually, while China's trade has increased by an average of 11.3% annually.
This has led to changes in which of these two countries is the main trading partner of different countries around the world. Using red for China and blue for the United States, the author shows which of these two countries is the main trading partner of the rest of the world in 2000 and in 2024. It can be seen how in 2000 the United States was the preferred partner of almost all countries on all continents, while in 2024 China is already the main trading partner of almost all countries in Africa, Oceania and Asia, as well as half of the countries in Europe and America.
In most cases, the United States has improved its trade situation with many of these countries, but China has improved it much more, to the point of surpassing it.
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