2012: The Year in China (74 images)

A young Chinese girl hangs on to her father as they walk through a busy market in Beijing on July 23, 2012. Recent reports of women being coerced into late-term abortions by local officials have thrust China's population control policy into the spotlight and ignited an outcry among policy advisers and scholars who are seeking to push government officials to fundamentally change or repeal a law that penalizes families for having more than one child. UPI/Stephen Shaver

Chinese shop for deals at a Wal-Mart in Beijing on July 20, 2012. The Chinese government's recent penalties against foreign companies, including the closure of a dozen Wal-Marts, has provoked worries about the risks of doing business in China. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A Chinese fur trader, selling pelts from small bears, minks and foxes, waits for customers outside his shop in Beijing on July 23, 2012. China is the world's largest exporter of fur clothing, with industry analysts estimating China as the biggest fur trade production and processing base in the world. UPI/Stephen Shaver

Chinese security guards watch over installation art on display in front of a prominent international art and cultural district in Beijing on July 13, 2012. While China's economic rise is helping finance a museum-building boom across the country and the government is focusing on strengthening state-run strongholds of culture, an increasing number of wealthy philanthropists and patrons of experimental art are building new showcases for works by emerging Chinese artists. UPI/Stephen Shaver