The researchers say China also had a sharp drop.

VOA: special.2010.04.14

But he said China's sharp increases in military spending in recent years are defensive in nature, and still leave its spending and military capability far behind the United States.

VOA: standard.2009.10.27

The University of Rochester's Simon Graduate School of Business has received a sharp uptick in interest from China, particularly for its relatively young master's degrees in finance and accounting.

WSJ: Chinese Flock to the GMAT

What of a sharp slowdown in America or even China later this year and next?

ECONOMIST: Twitchy foreign hedge funds have sold too soon

The issue came into sharp relief in 2011, when China's food-safety inspectors discovered in pork products from a Shuanghui subsidiary the chemical clenbuterol, which speeds muscle growth in pigs but can cause headache, nausea and an irregular heartbeat when consumed by humans.

WSJ: 'China's No. 1 Butcher' Turns to U.S.