A trading nation is a nation in which foreign trade constitutes a major portion of its gross domestic product. Trading nations are often economically powerful nations that enjoy a high standard of living, strong military capability and an ability to export a high volume of goods. Trading nations tend to be exporting large quantities of agricultural produce to the United States or other first world countries, but they also tend to import large quantities of goods from other countries. The trading nations also export large volumes of petroleum and natural gas and also tend to import large amounts of other goods such as textiles and foodstuffs from developing countries.

While the United States and European Union typically do not consider trade with such nations as trading nations, the members of these international organizations generally agree to set mutually beneficial trade relations. To reach these types of agreements, many individual countries look to cut deals with other countries through their trading nations. One of the most common ways that this occurs is for the exporting country to purchase raw materials at a lower cost than the cost of production and then resell them to other countries at a higher price. While the United States and the EU do not currently have any special privileges for doing this, they have long been looking for opportunities to do so.

China has become a key player in the global economy due to its growth as a manufacturing power. In fact, over the last couple of decades, China has built roads, ports, and buildings all over the world to facilitate its international trade. Many of these buildings have been used by Chinese companies to build factories in other countries, and the profits from those factories are sent back to China via the profits on exported goods. As China continues to expand its footprint on the global scene, it has become increasingly important for other countries to be willing to open their markets to Chinese products and services if they want to continue to grow as a manufacturing powerhouse. Because China is the largest producer of goods internationally, doing business with them is a necessity if any nation wishes to continue to increase its international trade.