Final answer:
The Mongol Empire's expansion and reopening of the Silk Road significantly increased trade, with China trading goods like tea, silk, and porcelain, thereby enhancing China's influence in global trade.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mongol Empire's expansion and the reopening of the Silk Road had significant impacts on trade and China's role in it, paralleling Option 2 in your question. Under Mongol rule, the Silk Road was reopened and the secure trading routes allowed for greater quantities of goods to be traded between East and West. China, being a major player, traded goods like tea, silk, and porcelain both along the Silk Road and across the seas. Thus, this period saw an increase in economic activity and cultural exchange, which further enhanced China's influence and role in global trade.
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