China's sizzling economy grew even faster in 2006 than previously reported, the government said Wednesday, moving it closer to overtaking Germany as the world's third-largest and possibly adding to fears of overheating.

The National Bureau of Statistics raised its estimate of China's 2006 growth rate from 10.7 percent to 11.1 percent. It nudged up its estimate of total output by 146.4 billion yuan ($18.8 billion) to 21.1 trillion yuan ($2.705 trillion).

The revision brought China closer to Germany, the world's third-largest economy after the United States and Japan. Germany's 2006 output was $3 trillion but its 2.5 percent growth rate was well below China's.

According to the International Monetary Fund, In 2006 Germany's GDP was $2.9 Trillion, Japan's was $4.4 Trillion, and the US's was a whopping 13.2 Trillion.  Behind China in the Trillionaires Club are the UK (2.4), France (2.2), Italy (1.9), Canada (1.3), Spain (1.2), Brazil (1.1), and Russia (1).

... In the most recent official forecast, the central bank's research bureau said last month the economy was expected to expand by 10.8 percent this year. That was in line with projections by the World Bank and other economists, and would be China's fifth straight year of growth in excess of 10 percent.