President Bill Clinton signed the U.S.-China Trade Relations Act. This started normal trade relations with the United States 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018 China's Trade Mobility China announced an 18% increase in military spending. This caused the US to become uneasy, but jumpstarted China's economy. China becomes the largest holder of U.S. debt which was roughly $600 billion. China becomes the world's second-largest economy. U.S. Trade Deficit rises to an all-time high while contending China's quota violates int'l trade norms. Xi Jinping is elected as the President of China, championing a "rejuvenation" of China. Presidents Obama and Jinping meet and promise to cooperate more effectively on trade. U.S. Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, calls on China to halt militarization of the South China Sea. President Trump honors Jinping's One China policy. President Trump's aggressive tarrifs target China in response to claims that China is stealing intellectual property.
The United States and China have had a fraught relationship which has been reflected in trade policies over the past 25 years. Recently, the mobility of China has not been outmatched by any other countries. When did China become such an international force?
The chart below illustrates the changes China has experienced in imports and exports since 1994. The size of the circle can represent the number of imports, exports, or overall trade balance related to the U.S. in nominal millions of dollars , demarcating a shift in reliance on other powerful countries.
The chart to the left indicates the steady population growth of China starting from 1994. A growth in population is often synonymous with a strengthened economy, as the potential workforce increases. Today, China's population is 1.386 billion, which is greater than the United States population by over one billion people.

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