BEIJING, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- This has been a good year for China, which successfully gained membership to the World Trade Organization and normalized trade relations with the United States.

China also proved unscathed by the global economic downturn, with its gross domestic product growth rate pegged to reach 7.3 percent in 2001, according to official government statistics.

The trend goes against the trend of industrialized nations, as the United States and Japan both faced recession while Europe remained in the economic doldrums this year. Nevertheless, the figure is lower by 0.7 percentage points than last year's GDP, and the country expects 2002 to be a tougher year.

According to the Financial Times on Monday, the director of China's State Statistical Bureau, Zhu Zhixin, said the outlook for the new year will be more complex as "economic development is still facing slowing growth in farmers' income, increased unemployment pressures and an irrational economic structure."