The year 2012 wraps up with ups and downs. From an economic aspect, it was not an easy one. The lingering financial woes keep cutting into China's economy, which saw a slower GDP growth of 7.8%. The growing trade protectionism also led to a shrinking trade surplus and rising trade disputes. As a result, China turned to domestic consumption to boost further growth.
This was the landscape of the China BrandZ™ Top 10 Most Valuable Brands for 2011, with China Mobile on top of the list by $53,607 million, tailed by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Construction Bank.
China's positive economic influence has been surging in surrounding countries over the past five years.
In the first three quarters of 2012, 86.8 percent of all the 2,471 companies listed on the A-share market reported positive net income, against 91.3 percent in the same period of 2011.
Among the troika of the Chinese economy, domestic consumption was already contributing more to the growth of China's GDP than investment by 2012.
China's foreign trade in 2012 expanded 6.2 percent year-on-year to $3.867 trillion, missing the government's 10-percent annual target.
China created 12.02 million new jobs in the first 11 months of 2012, surpassing its goal of 9 million new jobs.
China's outbound M&As reached a record high in 2012 as companies and investors continued to seek opportunities abroad.
Imported food is gaining popularity in China, as continuous food scandals have tainted the reputation of domestic food.