It's official: Last year China became the world's second-largest economy after the United States, surpassing Japan. In 2010 China boasted a GDP of $9.872 trillion and a GDP growth rate of 10.3%. This remarkable growth has effected significant changes to traditional dynamics between China and the rest of the world economy.
"For a long time, the market structure in China was quite simple," notes a 2010 Credit Suisse report on Chinese companies. "Domestic companies mainly focused on cheap low-quality products, while Western companies targeted the premium segment. The competitive landscape is, however, evolving very rapidly. Chinese capital goods companies are steadily climbing the quality ladder."