In 2023, Chinese exports of trade goods to the United States amounted to about 427.23 billion U.S. dollars; a significant increase from 1985 levels, when imports from China amounted to about 3.86 billion U.S. dollars. U.S. exports to China Compared to U.S. imports from China, the value of U.S. exports to China in 2020 amounted to 427.23billion U.S. dollars. China is the United States’ largest trading partner, while China was the United States third largest goods export market. Some of the leading exports to China in the agricultural sector included soybeans, cotton, and pork products. Texas was the leading state that exported to China in 2020 based on total value of goods exports, at 16.9 billion U.S. dollars. U.S. - China trade war The trade war between the United States and China is an economic conflict between two of the world’s largest national economies. It started in 2018 when U.S. President Donald Trump started putting tariffs and trade barriers on China, with the intent to get China to conform to Trump’s wishes. President Trump claimed that China has unfair trade businesses. As a result of this trade war, it has caused a lot of tension between the U.S. and China. Nearly half of American companies impacted by the U.S.-China trade tariffs said that the trade war increased their cost of manufacturing. The healthcare product industry has suffered the most from the trade war in regards to reduced profits.

The value of exports of China amounted to almost 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, meaning that it was, by far, the country with the highest exports worldwide that year. China's export market The value of goods exported from China increased rapidly from 2020 to 2021. By 2021, China accounted for about 15 percent of global merchandise exports and about six percent of global service exports. The leading export products of China were machinery and transport equipment, with an export value of about 1.7 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022. U.S. export market The United States recorded an export value of over two trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, making it the world's second-largest exporter. The main trading partners of the U.S. are Canada, Mexico, and China. In 2022, among the products exported by the U.S., petroleum and coal saw the largest growth in export value at 60 percent. Texas and California were the top two U.S. states ranked by value of exports in 2023. Texas ranked first with exports valued at 444.5 billion U.S. dollars. As far as global imports are concerned, the United States was the leading country as of 2022, with an import value of about 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars.

Cars were the most valuable type of commodity exported from the United Kingdom in 2024, with exports of this commodity valued at approximately 32.9 billion British pounds. Mechanical power generators were the second-most valuable commodity in 2024, with an export value of around 32.7 billion pounds in this year. By comparison, the most valuable import commodity was also cars, amounting to over 38.4 billion British pounds. The next most valuable import commodity was medicinal and pharmaceutical products at over 27.2 million pounds in this year. UK main trading partners Although the share of both imports and exports from the European Union has been declining recently, the single market is still by far the UK's main trading partner. In terms of individual countries, the United States was the main export partner in 2024 at 16.1 percent of all exports, while Germany was the UK's main import partner with 12.5 percent of imports coming from there in 2024. A main argument of the Leave vote, was that the UK should seek to improve up its trade with the rest of the world, outside of Europe. The success of this 'Global Britain' strategy, depends on the UK significantly scaling up its trade with other continents, with countries outside of Europe still responsible for far less trade than European ones. Brexit and EU trade At the start of 2021, the United Kingdom exited both the European Single Market and the European Customs Union, with the UK's trading relationship with the EU now determined by a new Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). Although the TCA continued tariff and quota-free goods trade between the EU and UK, a number of customs checks came into force, increasing trade friction between the two parties. The status of Northern Ireland in the initial agreement was also different from the rest of the UK. Goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain were initially subject to customs checks, to prevent customs checks occurring at the border with the Republic of Ireland. In February 2023, it was announced that under a new EU-UK agreement called the Windsor Framework, some goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain will be subject to fewer checks.

German car brands are known and exported the world over. The U.S. was the leading importer of motor vehicles from Germany, followed by China and the UK. Leading importers in the EU include France, Italy and Poland. At the wheel Car brands such as BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen (VW), to name just a few, are a key part of Germany’s international image and economic standing, belonging to one of the longest-running and most successful industries in the country. While all of the aforementioned brands rely on global automotive sales as their main sources of revenue, they also have to contend with a changing industry due to the introduction of electric cars. Any car brand wanting to continue being successful in the future has to integrate electric vehicle production into its process. In the broader context of Germany aiming to achieve energy transition, these new cars take on additional significance. Globally, the VW Group so far held 7.3 percent of the plug-in electric vehicle market in 2023. Volkswagen leading car brand Which car brands are the most popular among German vehicle owners? Based on ownership share, Volkswagen consistently wins the race. However, the company also recorded lower ownership figures from 2020 to 2022. Opel and Mercedez-Benz were other popular choices. German car brands were also among the leading German brands worldwide, by brand value, with Mercedes-Benz valued at almost 59 billion U.S. dollars and Volkswagen at around 34 billion U.S. dollars.

The revenue of Saputo Inc., the Montreal-based dairy company, reached approximately 17.34 billion Canadian dollars in the fiscal year 2024. Their revenue has gradually increased year-on-year from 7.3 billion Canadian dollars in 2013. Saputo Inc. Saputo Inc. produces, markets and distributes dairy products. Starting out in Montreal in 1954, today the company also operates in the United States, Argentina and Australia whilst selling their products in over 40 countries globally. Saputo Inc. was the third most successful dairy food processor in North America in 2023, with annual sales reaching approximately 11.5 billion U.S. dollars in that year. . Canadian dairy trade Canada is a big player in the global trade of dairy products. In 2023, over over 454million U.S. dollars’ worth of dairy and eggs were exported from Canada to the rest of the world. The United States was their biggest trading partner. Canada imports an even larger sum of dairy goods from the United States.

The value of the dog food market in the United Kingdom (UK) reached around 1.84 billion British pounds in 2023, making it the most lucrative market segment. Cat food followed in second place with a market value of 1.43 billion British pounds. The pet food market in the UK The growth rate of the pet food market in the UK stood at around nine percent annually in recent years. The growth rate of the pet food market slightly edges the growth rates of other pet market segments, such as those of veterinary and retail. The value of dog and cat food imports to the UK amounts to nearly 1.4 billion U.S. dollars annually. The majority of the UK’s dog and cat food imports come from France and Germany. Moreover, the UK also exports about 370 million U.S. dollars’ worth of dog and cat food annually. In general, countries from the European Union remain the UK’s main trading partners for both imports and exports of dog and cat food.

Dog population in the UK

The number of dogs kept as pets in the UK stood at approximately 12 million. The pet dog population has increased by almost 40 percent within the last decade. Close to one-third of households in the UK own at least one dog. A noticeable jump in dog ownership rates was seen in the year 2021 when the share of household-owning dogs increased by ten percent as compared to the previous year. It is important to note that the survey changed from face-to-face from online at this time. This sudden growth in dog owners could also be related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common ways to purchase a dog in the UK are through breeders and private sellers. About 20 percent of dog owners receive their pet from a rescue or rehoming center/shelter.