As the US economy continues to struggle along, China’s “has handled the downturn with ease and appears to be leading the world out of recession, while increasing its influence in Asia.”  Here is an interesting article at NPR.

The Honolulu Advertiser also posted a recent article about Chinese Tourists.

Beset by one of the worst recessions in decades, the U.S. tourist destinations are spending significant sums on marketing campaigns in China’s most populous regions and are urging U.S. Embassy officials and Chinese airlines to ease logistical burdens of flying to the United States. The payoff could be substantial, particularly in Hawaii, the closest U.S. destination to China. At least for now, however, Hawaii is more difficult for the Chinese to reach by air than the other locations. Attracting more Chinese tourists “will bring back a lot of jobs” to Hawaii, Gov. Linda Lingle said recently, after returning from a tourism and economic mission to China. About a half-million Chinese traveled to all U.S. destinations last year, and that number is expected to grow by double digits in each of the next four years mainly because of China’s growing economy and new wealth, according to the U.S. Travel Association.