"With three times as many people as the US, isn't passing the trade per person a more notable milestone?" Not necessarily -- they are both important. Consider

"With three times as many people as the US, isn't passing the trade per person a more notable milestone?" Not necessarily -- they are both important. Consider how much impact the decisions of one central government in China have, now that they are the largest trading nation. You couldn't say the same thing about a small nation with high per-capita trade.