Numbers of the Week

8.7 million

China's auto sales are likely to hit 8.7 million units in 2007, about 20 percent more than that in the previous year, said Zhu Yiping, an official with the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. In 2006, more than 7.2 million autos were sold in the country, surpassing Japan and trailing only the United States.

$3.18 billion

Venture capital institutions at home and abroad injected $3.18 billion in 428 deals on the mainland over the first 11 months in 2007, up 78.9 percent from 2006, according to Zero2IOP Group.