In the next year, China will edge out the US as the world's largest producer of manufactured goods – an achievement that is coming 4 years earlier than originally expected. A substantial reason behind this premature development is the weakening US economy. Stats from last year showed the US produced one-fifth of all manufactured goods, and that China came in at silver with 13.2%. In 2009, China is expected to lead with 17% of manufacturing value-added output of $11,783bn, with the US trailing by 1%.
Though this development will end a 100-year manufacturing regime for the US, this does not mean that Americans will be without. President of the National Association of Manufacturers, John Engler, issued an optimistic statement about the projection, saying it is "inevitable" that China would take lead in manufacturing, because of it's sheer size: "This should be a wholesome development for the US, for it promises both political stability for the world's largest country and continuing opportunities for the US to export to, and invest in, the world's fastest-growing economy."
