2012: The Year in China (74 images)

A Chinese migrant worker hauls trash to a recycling depot in Beijing on August 23, 2012. As Beijing residents enjoy increasing prosperity, the capital is faced with a serious trash problem which it is struggling to manage. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A Chinese senior plays badminton against a wall in Beijing on August 23, 2012. UPI/Stephen Shaver

China Central Television's new headquarters finally opens, half empty, four years after it was initially meant to open for the 2008 Beijing Olympics to showcase China's economic power, in Beijing on August 5, 2012. Nearly 30 percent of Beijing's office space remains vacant, despite a continuing construction boom amid predictions of an impending construction crash by economic analysts. UPI/Stephen Shaver

Increasing numbers of high-voltage electrical power lines run to new housing and industrial areas in central Beijing on August 4, 2012. Chinese foreign policy is being increasing driven by China's growing and unprecedented need for energy resources. UPI/Stephen Shaver