This is a question with many answers, my personal answer would be
It isnt good to have trade as the building blocks of your nation. If your trade is cash crops and you get a drought, you will have nothing to trade. It isnt good to do such a thing because it isnt a reliable or fixed income.
The Romans used taxes to control territories this angered many people
The answer is The new birth
The impact of this Age of Exploration to China is Economic Imperialism for foreign explorers.
The middle Kingdom of China was unstable during that time and was too weak to defend its vast lands, and China has highly rich resources that are needed in manufactures. It made China an attractive place for commerce.
Besides this, China has routes that are convenient passages for ships. Other trade like opium also took place between China and Britain, it made people stay in some places and use drugs all day.
One good impact in China with trading are things it learned to improve their ship designs after seeing the ships of the western explorers.
