PetroChina Now World's 2nd Biggest Company

In case you were unconvinced of China's rising world economic power, or what was fueling it, here's your proof: PetroChina, the mainland's top oil producer, overtook General Electric Co. as the world's second biggest company, by market share, according to the South China Morning Post.

General Electric is a fabled name in American business, and its long history and multi-faceted portfolio make it everything from one of the world's top producers of alternative energy technology and household appliances to one of the U.S. companies responsible for dozens of highly polluted Superfund sites, including New York's Hudson River, and one of the nation's most dogged fighters against toxic waste cleanup laws.

The numbers for any of these companies is staggering: ExxonMobil Corp. is valued at $518.46 billion. General Electric is at $420.4 billion. And PetroChina now stands at $430.77 billion.

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