Growth

• Real gross domestic product grew 11.4 percent in 2007.
• From 1979 to 2007, real GDP grew at an average annual rate of 9.8 percent.
• In 1985, average income was $293; it is now more than $2,000.

Global Economy

• Achieved 14 percent of the world economy on purchasing power parity in 2005, second to the United States.
• Industrial output grew 18.5 percent in 2007, while energy consumption per GDP unit dropped 3.3 percent.
• Exports rose 25.7 percent in 2007 to $1.2 trillion; about a fifth of its exports go to the United States.

Transportation

• There are roughly 10-20 vehicles per 1,000 people in China compared to more than 700 vehicles per 1,000 people in the United States.
• Became the world's No. 2 automobile producer and consumer in 2007.
• Produced about 8.8 million vehicles in 2007, up 20 percent from 2006. Nearly all were sold domestically.

Energy/Environment

• World's second-largest consumer of oil behind the United States, and the third-largest net importer of oil after the United States and Japan.
• China's carbon dioxide emissions grew 8 percent in 2007, compared to 2006; U.S. emissions were up 1.8 percent from the prior year.
• Was the world's top greenhouse gas emitter in 2007, followed by the United States, the European Union, India and Russia.

Five-year plan (2005-2010)

• China's 11th five-year plan requires reducing energy consumption 20 percent per unit of GDP by 2010 while reducing CO2 and other emissions 10 percent.
• Targets urbanization rate increase of 4 percent by 2010.
• Requires increasing forest cover from 18.2 percent to 20 percent.

Sources: Chinese government, U.S. government, World Bank, World Resources Institute, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Dutch government.