According to a report on the website of Forbes Biweekly on February 25, China will again become the largest trading partner of the United States in 2020, thanks to an increase in US exports.

Not because of imports from China, because of exports to China.

Of course, there are other factors, such as a tough year for U.S. trade with Mexico. Mexico surpassed China in 2019 to become the United States' largest trading partner for the first time.

According to the latest data from the US Census Bureau, US exports to China will grow by 16.9% in 2020. Exports to China totaled $124.65 billion, the highest since 2017. 2017 was the first year of former President Trump's presidency and the year before the U.S. -China trade war, which largely continued in Biden's first year.

The trade war took its toll on US exporters in 2018 and 2019, the report said. In 2020, they were rewarded, but total exports to China were still 4.39 percent lower than the record $13.037 billion in 2017.

Keep in mind that at 22 percent of U.S. trade with China, exports are still well below the average of 38 percent of U.S. foreign trade. But the 22 per cent figure is the highest since 2013 and only the second time in 25 years that this figure has been reached.

According to the report, US imports from China will drop by 16.97 billion US dollars in 2020. US exports to China rose by $18.02 billion. This means a slight increase in US trade with China. Hey, even the US trade deficit with China is down.

So what do those exports include?

"Back from the dead" soybeans.

China has become a major buyer of U.S. soybean exports, which are mainly used to feed pigs, the report said. China is the world's largest producer of pigs and the largest consumer of pork.

Soybean exports to China rebounded to a record $14.2 billion in 2020, making it the No. 1 U.S. export to China. The annual increase was 77.78%.

Also coming back from the dead, or at least from the brink, is oil, the report said.

In 2020, US oil exports to China grew by 133.02% to reach a record $6.76 billion. China bought 4.4 percent of US oil in 2019 and 13 percent in 2020, leading the world.

According to the report, US exports to China will increase by 18 billion US dollars in 2020, of which soybean and oil exports will increase by more than 10 billion US dollars combined.