FLORENCE, Italy/BEIJING -- The U.S. has eclipsed China as the world's leading trader of goods for the first time since 2012, though both countries' imports and exports declined amid sluggish global economic growth.
U.S. trade in goods totaled $3.7 trillion in 2016, topping China's $3.68 trillion, the World Trade Organization said Wednesday. American imports and exports declined 2.8% and 3.2%, respectively, while China's fell 5.5% and 7.7%.