China, with its rapid economic development and a growing middle-income segment, stands to become the biggest consumer in the world. Multinational companies strive to gain a share of the China market.

China is the world’s most populous country (1.3 billion people) and has the biggest foreign exchange reserves (US$2.3 trillion). On those two counts alone, it has sufficient heft to sway the global economy. It already replaced Germany last year as the third largest economy, and is set to take Japan’s No. 2 spot soon.