Shanghai Financial Centre is China's tallest tower

Reflecting China's emergence as a global economic power by virtue of being the world's fastest growing economy, the unfinished Shanghai World Financial Centre has become the tallest building on the Chinese mainland.

The Shanghai World Financial Centre has scraped the sky at 423.8 metres on Sunday exceeding the world's third tallest building Jin Mao Tower's 420.5 metres in the Chinese financial capital, the 'Shanghai Youth Daily' has reported.

Construction work will enter the most difficult phase in the next three months as a trapezoid-shaped hole will be built on the top of the financial centre. The void can help the building withstand powerful earthquakes.

Work on the tower has slowed because the remaining floors have different heights and workers need to follow different instructions. High winds near the upper floors of the skyscraper will also make it more dangerous for workers, according to the newspaper.

The developer, Mori Building Co Ltd, is scheduled to complete exterior construction by September nine this year and finish everything by March three next year. The 101-storey centre will reach 492 metres upon its completion.

The Shanghai World Financial Centre, which resumed construction in 2005 after a seven-year delay, will be built into a mixed-use tower comprising office, hotel, business, and sightseeing facilities.

Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan is the world's tallest building at 509 metres with the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, second at 452 metres. Several buildings around the world have either been proposed or are under construction that will alter the list, including the 800-metre Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.