China Overtakes U.S. as Largest Trading Economy

China claims largest trading nation title (EuroNews)

China says that last year it became the world's largest trading nation - taking that title away from the United States.

Beijing called it a "a landmark milestone" that its annual trade in goods topped four trillion dollars for the first time.

That number comes from adding exports - which rose 7.9 percent - and imports, which were up 7.3 percent.

The full-year figure for the US is not yet available, but it was 3.5 trillion for the first 11 months of the year.

However analysts, who have long been sceptical about China's official trade figures, point out that if you include services as well as goods, the US is still well ahead.