2012: The Year in China (74 images)

Newly hired North Korean hostesses, working at a North Korean restaurant next to their embassy, take an afternoon off to see their new neighborhood in Beijing on September 18, 2012. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A popular Chinese fashion and cultural magazine features a front page story on the U.S. Republican Party's presidential candidate Mitt Romney on sale at a news stand in Beijing on September 1, 2012. China's government-controlled news agency Xinhua critized what it called a "blame-China game" by Romney, a day after he formally secured the Republican nomination. UPI/Stephen Shaver

Empty traffic lanes lead to a dead end, which abound on the outskirts of Beijing on August 29, 2012. China's over-aggressive building boom has seen small ghosts town spring up around the capital as housing supply has far outpaced housing demand. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A Chinese store employee cleans the glass doors of a newly-opened Versace clothing boutique in Beijing on August 23, 2012. Chinese consumers are still spending heavily on luxury silk scarves, expensive handbags, French brandy, Italian sport cars and jewelry despite slowing economic growth in the country. UPI/Stephen Shaver