China Set Records in 2009. What’s in Store for 2010?

In 2009, China surpassed Germany as the world's biggest exporter, adding to the list of economic areas where it ranks number one. According to China's customs agency, the country's 2009 exports totaled more than $1.2 trillion. Germany's foreign trade organization estimated that that country's exports were $1.17 trillion for 2009. This is yet another sign of China's rapid rise and of the movement of world economic power from West to East.[a] China is also the world's largest automobile market, having surpassed the U.S. in 2009. Plus, it is the biggest steel maker, and has the largest hydroelectric facility, the fastest train, and six of the world's ten longest bridges.[ii]