China likely to overtake America as largest importer in next few years

Bloomberg

From iron ore to baby formula, electronic parts, China is buying everything you can think of, and that will soon make the world’s biggest exporter the top importer in the next few years.
China already takes more imports that the US does from Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America and Eastern Europe, and it will likely snatch the No1 importer crown from the US within five years if the recovery seen in 2017 continues, CICC economists Liu Liu and Liang Hong wrote in a research note published on Monday.
Its transition from a factory for turning raw materials into exports to a consumer society will increase its economic power
even further.
China will likely start importing more consumer-related products than industrial materials, as it becomes the largest consumer market in the world, the economists at one of the country’s biggest investment banks wrote.
As the largest manufacturer, China has topped the ranks of imports in raw materials, parts and accessories for years.
But in terms of consumer goods, it still largely lags behind the US.