China was produced in its entirety by the Advertising Department of the International Herald Tribune. China Holding Course and Pushing Reform China, like the rest of Asia, has gone through difficult times following the Asian economic crisis. Real gross domestic product growth, however, still remains at respectably high levels, estimated at around 7 percent for 1999. Now undergoing a major renaissance, Shanghai could be more aptly described as Asia's Manhattan, as this vast, teeming city of 13 million stakes its claim to be one of the foremost modern metropolises in the region. The Wave Builds Even though the vast majority of China's 1.2 billion people are still living in undeveloped rural communities, the number of Internet users is increasing dramatically.
Many observers say the potential for further increase is enormous.
The Next Great Destination China's popularity as an international tourist destination continues to rise, with more than 63.5 million overseas visitors having come to China in 1998. This was an increase of 10 percent over 1997, despite the Asian economic crisis, which slowed arrivals from some of the important Asian markets. So far this year, China tourism is experiencing further growth. This is due to a combination of factors, the most obvious being that Macao, as a much smaller entity than Hong Kong, has never been as internationally significant. The Full Story Aviation Industry Set to Climb China's aviation industry is tipped to grow massively in the coming years, as both the inbound and outbound travel markets increase significantly.