How is it recent globalization the direct opposite of china's earlier history

In China's earlier history, their geographic isolation and lack of technological luxuries like computers, cell phones, etc (in terms of communication globally), forced nations like China to remain trading among close neighbors and sharing brisk relations with their geographically neighboring empires. Recent globalization is opposite of this Chinese history without technology because globalization relies on communication through technology between far-distanced nations to spread political ideology. 

Recent globalization has brought counties closer together while China's earlier history shows that they isolated themselves from the world until the British forced them to open up their country for trade. 

Nowadays, China is now one of the leading countries for trading as they make a lot of products. Without other countries trading with them and buying their products, they wouldn't have as many factories as they do now.

Which one is the underlined word?