China - the world's fourth-largest economy - could overtake Germany in third place by 2010, said National Bureau of Statistics director Qiu Xiaohua .

Speaking at Peking University on Monday, Mr Qiu said China's gross domestic product per capita would reach US$3,000 by 2010, while 15 years from now, it would reach US$5,000, 'and that means our economy will match that of Japan'.

In another 30 to 35 years, the figure will hit US$10,000, 'and our economic scale will catch up with that of the US'.