This meaning belongs to "the Monroe doctrine"<span />
Initially, you might want to look at how little America does produce- what could we even offer to a nation that produces almost everything. Another reason why Americans may be at a disadvantage with trading with China is due to our HUGE trade deficit- we owe so much money. On top of that, taxes on things being traded can be used against nations, if we traded with China and they raised the tax on imports than it could impact us very negatively.
