China's main export markets from 2001 to 2022 In 2001, when China joined the World Trade Organization, its merchandise exports were valued at $266 billion. Over the next seven years, the country's exports grew steadily until the 2008 financial crisis caused a sharp decline in world trade. This cycle will repeat itself again with consistent growth until 2015 (another slowdown in global trade), followed by a slowdown until 2020 (onset of the COVID-19 pandemic). But merchandise exports skyrocketed by 30% in 2021 and rose to around $3.6 trillion a year by the end of 2022. This...