From The New Mexican (link):
A building boom unprecedented in world history is evidence of China’s emergence as a major economic power.
Begining in the early 1990s and continuing into the unforeseeable future, China will build more apartments, factories, bridges, dams, roads and other structures than any country ever has.
In 2005, China was expected to complete almost 5 billion square feet of construction, another record amount for the country, according to a recent story in The New York Times.
