For every piece of plastic the U.S. exports to China, the Chinese produce another Barbie doll.

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The lightweight plastic device has a texture reminiscent of China's Birds Nest Olympic stadium, with a predictable array of connections on the back side.

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There's the China-doll sheen of Bo Peep, the molded plastic finish of the T-Rex, and a tiny troop of khaki green soldiers, to say nothing of the space-age sleek of Buzz Lightyear.

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Though the bing tuan is China's most efficient grower of cotton, thanks largely to its use of plastic strips (a Japanese invention) laid over the cotton seedlings to conserve moisture, it employs over 300, 000 workers for the harvest.

ECONOMIST: China

"It's not just more people driving, it's also every product that you buy is made of plastic or synthetic materials out of China is made with oil, " said Patrick Chovanec of Tsinghua University.

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