Coronavirus exposes downside of global dependence on China

China's share of world trade has doubled since SARS outbreak of 2003

20200207 Data Watch

Many normal business operations are suspended in China until Feb. 9, but the coronavirus-caused disruption could continue beyond that.

KAZUYA MANABE, KENSAKU IHARA, KOTARO HOSOKAWA, and YOSHIHIRO HARA Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO/TAIPEI/SEOUL -- The world's economy relies on China to a degree never seen before, and the coronavirus outbreak reveals just how large a price must be paid for that dependence.

Today, China accounts for twice as large a proportion of global trade than when the SARS epidemic erupted in 2003, and the country's influence is set to carry on growing.

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