Symbols of China's economic success

An economic superpower, China is marching ahead to become the world's largest economy.

As of 2012, China has the world's second-largest nominal GDP, totaling about 47.2 trillion yuan ($7.47 trillion) according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

According to the IMF, China's annual average GDP growth between 2001 and 2010 was 10.5 per cent, and the Chinese economy is predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 9.5 per cent between 2011 and 2015.

Take a look at some of the outstanding projects in China...

The Aizhai suspension bridge suspension bridge, with the longest cross-canyon span of 1,176 meters (0.7 miles) and a maximum height of 330 meters (360 yards), was open to traffic on Saturday.

Spanning over the Dehang canyon, the operation of the bridge marks the completion of the 800-kilometer Changsha-Chongqing Highway.

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A view of Shanghai city, a symbol of China's prosperity.

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The world's longest sea bridge spanning Jiaozhou Bay of Qingdao City, Shandong Province. The bridge is 36 km (22 miles) long.

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A pedestrian crosses the street near the China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters.

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Labourers eat their meals inside a subway tunnel that is under construction in Wuhan, Hubei province.

The 27.98 km (17.4 miles) line, the first phase of Wuhan Subway Line II, the first subway to cross the Yangtze River, will link districts of both Wuchang and Hankou, and will open to traffic within this year, Xinhua News Agency reported.

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A China Railway High-speed (CRH) Harmony bullet train pulls into Beijing South Railway Station.

China's Ministry of Railways will start a new round of tender offers this year for its high-speed railways that could be worth up to 40 billion yuan ($6.35 billion), the China Securities Journal reported.

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The Three Gorges Dam discharges water to lower the level in a reservoir in Yichang, Hubei province.

A view of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and downtown Shanghai on a hazy day.

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Sculptures form part of a fountain in front of one of the buildings that makes up the luxurious Chateau Laffitte Hotel, an imitation of the 1650 Chateau Maisons-Laffitte by the French architect Francois Mansart, located on the outskirts of Beijing.

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Cleaners stand in water as they scrub the outside of the National Grand Theatre which has been nicknamed the 'egg', in Beijing.

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A platform guide holds a sign beside a new high-speed train before it departs from the Beijing-South railway station for Shanghai as part of an official trip for members of the media.

The landmark Beijing-Shanghai line, which costs 220.9 billion yuan and spans 1,318-km linking the capital and financial hub.

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Workers work on a set of solar panels on the rooftop of the Nanjing South Railway Station Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

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People walk on the Caiyuanba Yangtze River Bridge, in Chongqing municipality.

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Motorists drive through a 3.46 km-long tunnel in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu province.

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A maglev train coming from the Pudong International Airport, Shanghai.

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Yanan is part of a sprawling elevated highway system in the heart of China's most modern metropolis that epitomizes huge construction projects that are going on all over China at the moment.

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China recorded a $5.35 billion trade surplus in March as import growth eased back from a 13-month peak while exports grew faster than expected, customs data showed on Tuesday.

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China's annual consumer inflation slowed sharply to a 20-month low in February 2012, and factory output and retail sales also cooled more than forecast, giving policymakers ample room to further loosen monetary policy to support flagging growth. 

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China's industrial firms suffered a rare annual drop in profits in the first two months of 2012 mainly in petrochemicals, metals and auto firms.