Why is China-US trade important?

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Do you know that, in the United States, exports to China support more than 530,000 jobs across the country? That's the data from US Exports to China 2025, an annual report released by the US-China Business Council.

Perhaps, for many, China-US trade is an abstract idea. People know that it is big – China's import and export with the US totaled more than 4 trillion yuan (more than $570 billion) in 2025 – and that it is important – China and the US combined account for more than 40% of global GDP. But, think about the 530,000 jobs. It means not just the livelihood for 530,000 people, but quite possibly the livelihood for hundreds of thousands of families who are counting on those jobs to support their kids and pay their bills.

When one thinks about the problems from that perspective, any political rhetoric or personal ambition would have to take a back seat to making the relationship as smooth and fruitful as possible.

For some time now, China-US trade has been going through major ups and downs, and many things have changed – attitudes shifted, rules revised, and in some areas, what was once possible now seems distant.

But, the core of it is still the same. In a 2026 survey of 175 US companies by the US-China Business Council, 95% of them see their operations in China as somewhat or very important to their remaining competitive on the global stage. China is not simply a place where American companies sell their products, but a manufacturing base and a hub of innovation. Decisions made in China could affect how they compete elsewhere in the world. Some are "funding global expansion through profits earned in the country," the report said.

For many Chinese, American products have become an integral part of their lives. The coffee they drink, the fast-food chains – Five Guys and Popeyes, for example – that are setting up shops one after another in China, are mere slices of the attraction that the American products have for their Chinese customers. American films and music are integral parts of many Chinese people's childhood.

These are parts of the story that rarely make it into today's headlines. When some politicians talk about "decoupling" or promoting the idea of exclusive competition, they talk about strategy in an abstract and a dehumanizing way. For the ordinary public, it is a paycheck, a mortgage payment, entertainment on Friday nights or the essentials that get office workers through the day.

Trade is a network, an interdependent web that goes beyond simple numbers or the binary idea of "winning" or "losing." One small change at one level can travel beyond its immediate interest parties, reaching manufacturers, retailers, workers and consumers and becoming visible across the whole system. Consequences of disruption are rarely confined to the negotiating table.

This is, perhaps, the most important part of China-US trade relations. It is not simply a relationship between two countries, but also a relationship between millions of economic decisions and the livelihood of billions that are connected to them.

The numbers are enormous, but the consequences are personal. The relationship between the world's two largest economies inevitable involves competition and disagreement. China and the US have different economic systems, different interests and different priorities. But competition shouldn't mean suppressing each other; and disagreement does not have to make cooperation impossible.

Because when economies are this connected, it is important to remember that keeping the relationship stable and productive is not only about protecting trade. It is about protecting the people, in both countries, whose lives have become part of it.

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