China's economy is bigger and more intertwined with the U.S than ever before. : Sixteen years after the SARS virus infected over 8,000 people and killed 77, a new respiratory virus from China is again sparking fears across the globe as the disease spreads with no vaccine in sight. The coronavirus, however, is likely to have a bigger economic impact than previous outbreaks thanks to the rapidly growing Chinese economy and its deeper commercial ties to U.S. companies. In 2003, when the SARS virus hit, China’s GDP was $1.6 trillion. Today, China’s GDP sits around $13 trillion.