Source: CCTV.com

12-27-2008 11:13

That could be the best word. Before Professor Huo gives us more analysis. let's first take a look back over the past year.

For China, 2008 started with a winter storm that disrupted journeys as people returned home to their families, halting transportation and paralyzing the electricity network.

For China, 2008 started with a winter storm that disrupted journeys as people returned home to their families, halting transportation and paralyzing the electricity network.

But this was not the end of disasters. Just months later, the whole nation was shaken by a devastating earthquake in May in Sichuan Province. The catastrophe killed nearly 70-thousand people and led to direct economic losses of over 845-billion yuan.

But the world witnessed China's strengths through its relief efforts.

Hu Jintao, Chinese President,said, "I firmly believe that no hardship could knock down the heroic Chinese people."

The government said the disasters did not affect the fundamental aspects of China's economy. But they did bring more uncertainties to the country's development,such as inflationary pressures.

But all this didn't affect China's ability to successfully host the Beijing Olympic Games. The event was not only a promotion for Beijing, but the whole country. And analysts believe the Games will have long term advantages for China's economy.

But it was the unfolding global financial crisis, the worst ever since the Great Depression in the late 1920s,that actually made China even more attractive.