US-China head-to-head: Explained in 11 maps and charts

US President Donald Trump volition conscionable Chinese President Xi Jinping successful Beijing connected May 14 and 15, pursuing weeks of delays owed to the US-Israel war connected Iran.

The talks are expected to absorption connected commercialized relations and people the archetypal clip a US president has visited China successful astir a decade.

In caller decades, the US and China person emerged arsenic the world’s ascendant superpowers, often seen arsenic locked successful a contention for who sits atop the satellite order.

A 4th of a period ago, by contrast, the US dwarfed China successful astir large indicators, but today, Beijing is regarded arsenic the mill of the satellite and is outpacing its Western counterpart successful galore regards.

In this head-to-head, we measurement the 2 countries successful presumption of economics, military, resources and technology.

Who is the world’s apical trading power?

Twenty-five years ago, the US was the world’s largest exporter, selling goods worthy $729bn successful 2001, portion China ranked 4th astatine $266bn, astir one-third of US exports, according to the World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS).

At that time, lone 30 economies traded much with China than with the US.

Today, China is the world’s largest exporter, selling $3.59 trillion successful goods globally compared with the US’s $1.9 trillion per year. Currently, 145 economies commercialized much with China than with the US.

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Who is the larger exporter?

In 2024, China sold $3.59 trillion successful goods and bought $2.58 trillion, producing a commercialized surplus of much than $1 trillion – the largest of immoderate country.

China’s main exports include:

• Machinery and electrical machines ($1.68 trillion), specified arsenic phones and computers, accounting for astir one-third of full exports.
• Metals ($286bn).
• Textiles ($268bn).

The US is the second-largest exporter successful the world. In 2024, it sold $1.9 trillion worthy of goods globally and bought $3.12 trillion, creating a ample commercialized deficit. US President Donald Trump utilized the that commercialized shortage arsenic justification for the commercialized tariffs helium imposed connected countries globally since returning to the White House successful January past year.

The US’s main exports include:

• Machinery and electrical machines ($447bn).
• Mineral products including fuels, oils, waxes and their derivatives ($364bn), accounting for astir one-fifth of full exports.
• Chemical products ($245bn).

What bash the US and China bargain from each other?

The US and China are important trading partners, exchanging much than $500bn worthy of goods successful 2025, though commercialized has since fallen arsenic the 2 countries exchanged retaliatory tariffs from the opening of Trump’s 2nd term.

As it stands, the mean effectual US tariff connected imports from China is astir 31.6 percent, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model. Meanwhile, China has imposed a bid of tariffs connected cardinal US vigor and cultivation exports, including a broad 10 percent levy connected each US imports, with surcharges connected circumstantial items. These scope from 11 percent connected propane and ethane to 77 percent connected beef, according to the quality bureau Reuters.

Despite this, the US remains China’s largest trading partner, portion China ranks 3rd for the US, down Mexico and Canada.

In 2024, the US bought $453bn worthy of goods from China. The main goods include:

• Machinery and electrical machines ($212bn)
• Miscellaneous items specified arsenic toys, bedding and furnishings ($57.9bn)
• Textiles ($31.9bn)

That aforesaid year, China bought $145bn worthy of goods from the US, with the main goods including:

• Machinery and electrical machines ($30.8bn)
• Mineral products including fuels, oils, waxes and their derivatives ($24.1bn)
• Chemical products ($18.2bn)

Who has much debt?

The US and China some transportation important debt, with US wide authorities indebtedness lasting astatine 115 percent of GDP, portion China’s stands astatine 94 percent of GDP. However, it is important to enactment that China’s indebtedness is believed to beryllium underestimated.

The 2008 planetary fiscal situation was a turning constituent for the US, erstwhile indebtedness surged sharply arsenic the authorities bailed retired banks and provided economical stimulus.

China’s indebtedness has besides grown, but much steadily, from astir 22 percent of GDP successful 2000 to astir 34 percent successful 2009, aft which it began to incline adjacent much steeply, chiefly driven by infrastructure concern and section authorities borrowing, arsenic opposed to situation spending similar the US.

Both countries saw their indebtedness levels surge dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, arsenic governments unleashed monolithic stimulus programmes to prop up their economies. The US allowed trillions of dollars successful alleviation spending successful the signifier of concern loans and unemployment benefits, portion China accrued its infrastructure investments.

The US national debt present exceeds $39 trillion, which is the highest level successful history, portion the nonstop level of China’s authorities indebtedness is much hard to establish.

Who spends much connected their military?

The US is the world’s biggest subject spender, outpacing China by astir 3 times successful dollar terms. According to the probe institute SIPRI, the US spent $954bn oregon 3.1 percent of its GDP connected its subject successful 2025, portion China spent $336bn oregon 1.7 percent according to estimated figures.

Together, the US and China marque up much than fractional of the world’s full subject spending.

The US holds a wide vantage successful aerial power, with 3 times arsenic galore craft and acold superior enactment infrastructure. At sea, China has much ships numerically, but the US maintains a qualitative borderline successful firepower, submarines and craft carriers.

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Who consumes much energy?

Energy depletion successful China has grown rapidly since the crook of this period arsenic the state has ramped up its manufacturing manufacture and its system has industrialised.

Today, China is the world’s largest vigor consumer. In 2024, the state of 1.4 cardinal radical consumed 48,477 TWh, with 80 percent generated by fossil fuels, mostly coal.

The US is the world’s second-largest vigor consumer. In 2024, the state of astir 350 cardinal radical consumed 26,349 TWh, besides with astir 80 percent coming from fossil fuels, mostly oil.

When it comes to greenish vigor investments, however, China is surging ahead. According to the REN21 Global Status Report, successful 2024 China spent $290bn connected greenish energy, portion the US spent $97bn.

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Who is up successful emerging technologies?

When it comes to emerging technologies, from artificial quality (AI) robots to electrical vehicles, China is charging up astatine breakneck speed, though determination are inactive areas wherever the US leads.

According to Morgan Stanley, the US leads the satellite successful AI concern with $109bn successful firm spending successful 2024 alone, astir arsenic overmuch arsenic the remainder of the satellite combined.

It besides has doubly arsenic galore notable AI exemplary releases arsenic China, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Meta’s Llama – compared with China’s astir notable release, DeepSeek.

The US besides has an borderline successful semiconductors, with Nvidia’s CUDA bundle level giving US chips a important vantage implicit Chinese alternatives. Both countries, however, trust heavy connected Taiwan, which produces astir 90 percent of the precocious chips needed for AI development.

Where China has surged up is electrical vehicles. Almost fractional of each caller cars sold successful China successful 2024 were electric, compared to astir 10 percent successful the US, helped by astir $230bn successful authorities subsidies betwixt 2009 and 2024.

Who has much uncommon world minerals?

China holds the world’s largest uncommon world mineral reserves, with an estimated 44 cardinal tonnes of known uncommon world oxide deposits successful 2024 – a small much than fractional of the world’s total.

China besides dominates the processing of uncommon earths globally, meaning adjacent minerals mined elsewhere often get sent to China to beryllium refined, giving it power good beyond conscionable what is successful the ground.

rare world minerals are a radical of 17 metallic elements that are indispensable components successful modern technology, including electrical conveyance batteries, upwind turbines, smartphones, subject equipment, and semiconductors.

The US has the seventh-highest known uncommon world reserves successful the satellite astatine 1.9 cardinal tonnes, little than 5 percent of China’s, making it highly babelike connected Beijing for uncommon world imports.

Beijing has managed to outpace Washington successful uncommon world mining due to the fact that it faces less obstacles. Where the US confronts regulatory and biology concerns, China has been consenting to sorb the biology and societal costs. uncommon world mining is highly polluting, and the US has faced galore lawsuits and compliance costs, making it costly to support mines open.

Rare earths person been a large flashpoint successful tense commercialized negotiations betwixt China and the US and are expected to beryllium revisited during this week’s meeting.

Last year, President Trump threatened to levy a 100 percent commercialized tariff connected China aft it restricted exports of uncommon world elements and instrumentality – an escalation which deepened the commercialized warfare betwixt the 2 superpowers earlier a impermanent truce was reached six months ago. China paused export blocks connected exports of immoderate of its uncommon earths.

[Al Jazeera]

What planetary groupings are they portion of?

The US and China are portion of a fig of organisations jointly, specified arsenic the UN Security Council, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the G20 and APEC.

Separately, China is portion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS. It is besides portion of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

The US is portion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the OECD, the G7, the Five Eyes Alliance and the trilateral information concern AUKUS with Australia and the UK.

How bash their maturation models compare?

China’s system is driven by the state, with dense concern successful infrastructure, manufacture and technology, a reliance connected exports and semipermanent nationalist readying alternatively than free-market forces.

Trump’s America First exemplary takes a antithetic approach: Tariffs, particularly connected China; taxation cuts; deregulation; and a propulsion to bring manufacturing backmost home. He has besides publically pressured the Federal Reserve to chopped involvement rates, favoured one-on-one commercialized deals implicit planetary agreements, restricted migration and pushed to trim America’s dependence connected China.