China Rises and Reshapes the World With Olympics

[Coventina]

Source: New York Times

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -- China's bold rise this decade took many forms. The Beijing Olympics. The billions of dollars lent to the U.S. The rip-roaring economic growth.

And then there were the missing manhole covers.

Hundreds of them were stolen from streets around the world. The first reports came from Taiwan in 2003 and later London, where it was dubbed the ''Great Drain Robbery.'' Chicago had to replace at least 150 manhole lids or grates in 2005.

Thieves were selling them to shady scrap metal dealers, who were cashing in on China's ravenous demand for steel for skyscrapers in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities. China's construction boom was literally being felt on the streets around the world.

For China, that's what made this decade different from the others. It was a time when the massive nation began to reshape the world in both basic and big ways. After spending much of the '80s and '90s with their heads down, retooling their shattered economy, the Chinese started peering beyond the horizon and striding out far beyond their borders.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/08/world/AP-AS-...