The preeminence of China today is to a great extent due to its phenomenal economic success. 4. We also must notice that economic prosperity has almost always been inextricably linked with international trade and commerce (capital movements are recent phenomenon). The need for free trade and commerce became important as the industrial revolution greatly increased productivity.
Of course, it was not in the sense we now understand. Till middle of the nineteenth century, mercantilism was the dominant policy driver in Europe. Essentially, while it favoured 1/6  BIS central bankers' speeches  exports of all commodities except gold, it sought to discourage imports through tariffs.