Many people regard China s potential as an economic powerhouse as a new phenomenon.
But a thousand years ago, Chinese merchants ruled the seas of Asia. That is the key question explored by Carla Hills, U.S. Trade Representative in the first Bush administration. While the United States currently has the world's largest economy, we explored what that nation's leaders had to say about the process of globalization long before it made its way into the headlines all around the world. The current standoff between the United States and China has highlighted a fundamental shift in relations between the two countries. Yet, China's real threat to the United States may be its economic potential.