The Chinese Economy

Market liberalization in the Chinese economy has brought its economy forward by leaps and bounds - but rural China remains poor, even as its cities increase in affluence.
In 2010, China’s GDP growth was 10.456 percent, totaling US$ 5,745.13 billion, and is expected to increase 11.79 percent in 2011 to US$ 6,422.28 Billion. Forecasts for 2015 predict China’s GDP to reach US$ 9,982.08 billion, growing 10-12 percent per year between 2010 and 2015
China's economy is huge and expanding rapidly. In the last 30 years, the rate of Chinese economic growth has been almost miraculous, averaging 8 percent growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per annum. The economy has grown more than 10 times during that period, with ChineseGDP reaching 3.42 trillion US dollars in 2007. China already has the biggest economy after the United States and most analysts predict China will become the largest economy in the world this century.
China’s population in 2010 was 1.341 billion, and its expected to grow to 1.375 billion in 2015. In 2010, China’s unemployment rate stood at only 4.1 percent, decreasing 4.65 percent from the previous year and expected to decrease further to 4 percent in 2011. Forecasts for 2015 predict China’s unemployment rate to remain at 4 percent between 2011 to 2015.
However, there are still inequalities in the income of the Chinese people. The per capita income of China is only about 2,000 US dollars, which is fairly poor against global standards.
Economic reforms started in China in the 70s and 80s with the initial focus on collectivizing agricultural activities in the country. The leaders of the Chinese economy, at that point in time, were trying to change the center of agriculture from farming to household activities. The reforms also extended to the liberalization of prices, in a gradual manner. The process of fiscal decentralization soon followed.
As part of the reforms, more independence was granted to business enterprises that were owned by the state government. This meant government officials at local levels and managers of various plants had more authority than before.
This led to the creation of a number of various types of privately held enterprises within the services sector, as well as the light manufacturing sectors. The banking system was also diversified, and Chinese stockmarkets started to develop and grow as economic reforms in China took hold.