If you need some numbers about China that you can use to bamboozle investors or customers, check out this article article in the People's Daily, apparently translated from the French L'Express weekly. Some examples:

In every two digital cameras sold worldwide more than one is made by China.

By 2020 China would build 500 million square meters of housing each year.

In 2003 about 20 million Chinese toured overseas. By 2020 the figure may reach 100 million.

About 10,300 kilometers of expressway have been put to operation in two years. Another 70,000 kilometers are expected to be built by 2010 with a pace of 5,000 kilometers each year.

The total length of China's railway network is only two times longer than that of France. However, its passenger transportation is 7 times higher than that of France.

China completed the construction of world's largest container ship in November 2004, which is three times larger than the Stadium of France. It is 115 meters high and can hold 8,200 containers.

China uses about one fourth of the containers used worldwide. In 2003 the container throughput of Chinese ports was 48 million while the figure in 1999 was only 16 million, increasing by 200 percent. Shanghai uses the third most containers in the world after Hong Kong and Singapore. By 2020 it would become No.1.

By 2010 China would become the second largest advertising market in the world leading Japan and after the US. In 2003 it ranks the fifth with expenditure on advertising reaching $14.5 billion. Among ten of the largest advertising clients eight are local. By 2012 the TV ad market would grow five times.

There are 651 TV stations and more than 1,000 radio stations in China, which ranks second in world market after the US.

Foreigners invest about $1 billion in China every week. Investment in the first ten months of 2004 has reached $53.8 billion, which has broken the record set in 2003.

China has 100 million netizens ranking the 2nd worldwide after the United States. It may jump to the first place by 2010.