The U.S. is no longer the World's Largest Trading Nation

China became the world's largest trading nation in 2013, overtaking the US in what Beijing described as "a landmark milestone" for the country. 

China's annual trade in goods passed the $4tn (£2.4tn) mark for the first time last year according to official data, after exports from the world's second largest economy rose 7.9% to $2.21tn and imports rose 7.3% to $1.95tn.

As a result total trade rose 7.6% over the year to $4.16tn. The US is yet to publish its 2013 trade figures, but with trade totalling $3.5tn in the first 11 months of the year, it is unlikely to beat China. 

The shift in the trading pecking order reflected China's rising global dominance, despite a slowdown in economic growth last year.

Zheng Yuesheng, a spokesman for China's customs administration, said: "It is very likely that China overtook the US to become the world's largest trading country in goods in 2013 for the first time. This is a landmark milestone for our nation's foreign trade development." 

China had already become the world's largest exporter of goods in 2009

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