China's burgeoning growth continues unabated, with government officials confirming that the economy had grown by as much as 9.8% in 2005. Official figures to be released by the end of this month are not expected to differ much. Growth figures for 2004 have also been corrected upwards to 10.1%, which means that economic expansion has powered ahead in near-double-digit figures for three straight years. Shipping has enjoyed the boom in commodities trade dominated by crude oil and iron ore imports and coal exports (see box).
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