Jonathan Milner 4/18/25 Jonathan Milner 4/18/25

What has happened to American trade dominance over the past two decades?

This interactive trade map displays a time series capturing changing patterns of global trade with the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China, from 2001 to 2023. Economies trading more intensely with either country are shown in darker red (for China) or blue (for the United States). We focus on two-way trade flows (i.e. exports plus imports) as the principal measure of trade integration between two economies. However, users can change the trade flow measure to be based on two-way trade, exports, or imports.

Critical Analysis

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:

According to the data above, describe American international trade in 2001.
Describe the change in American international trade dominance between 2001 and 2023.
According to the data from the visual above, between 2001 and 2023 who replace the United States as the global trade leader?
What do you think explains that change?
According to World Bank data, In 2024, the United States has a significantly higher per capita (person) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than China. GDP is a key indicator of a country's economic health, representing the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within its borders during a specific period. Currently, the US per capita GDP is $86,600, while China's is $13,445, which is a difference of $73,155. This difference reflects the US's higher-wage labor market and strong service-driven economy. In other words, Americans are much richer than Chinese, but China sells a lot more stuff than America does. Would it be good for Americans to produce more of the stuff that China makes like socks, toys, solar panels, and mobile phones?
The poorest countries in the world are primarily agriculture driven economies where most workers work in farming industries. In 1900, approximately 40% of the American population was employed in agriculture, meaning that they were farmers. In 2023, approximately 1.57% of the American workforce was directly employed in agriculture. Would you advocate for Americans to train for agricultural work and for our economy in general to focus more on agriculture?
In 1979, America’s manufacturing economy was at its peak. Today, America’s economy is predominately service-driven. A service economy is an economic system where the primary activity is providing services rather than manufacturing goods. It's a sector that includes industries like finance, healthcare, education, and hospitality, focusing on intangible work and expertise. In developed countries, the service economy often dominates, with service jobs outnumbering those in manufacturing. Which of the following work-sectors best describes your family members: agricultural, manufacturing, or service.
A tariff is an import tax imposed by a national government on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Tariffs make the cost of imports more expensive. America's biggest imports include machinery (especially computers and hardware), electrical machinery, vehicles (including automobiles), minerals, fuels, and oil, and pharmaceuticals. Other significant import categories include medical equipment, furniture, lighting, and signs, as well as gems and precious metals. How do you think tariffs will impact you?
Last week Spain’s government proudly announced plans to intensify relations with China, after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that doing so would amount to “cutting your own throat.” President Emmanuel Macron of France urged European companies to stop investing in the United States, and the European Union as a whole, which is developing a retaliatory tariff response and plotting potential tax increases on American tech companies, announced it is sending a delegation to Beijing in July. E.U. officials are declaring the entire trans-Atlantic alliance dead in the pages of The Financial Times. Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, declared the eight-decade-old economic order — on which the modern American empire was built — simply “over.” Tourist travel from Canada is down more than 70 percent compared with the same period last year, according to flight-booking data. From many countries in Europe, it’s down around 30 percent. How are tariffs impacting the U.S.?
Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay debts, and to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States. This is known as the taxing clause and is the very first delegated power granted to the U.S. government in the Constitution. Donald Trump is not a member of Congress but he is raising tariffs. Why do you think the Congress doesn’t take this power back from the president?
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