Sharp rise in GM's China sales

If only it were the United States. GM's sales in China rose 78 percent last month to 144,593, a record for the month for the American car company in that market. According toDow Jones, GM increased unit sales in the world's most populous country by 43 percent for the first seven months of 2009 to 959,035.

GM's China operations are quickly becoming the firm's most valuable asset. The U.S. government may want to keep that in mind as it looks for a way to get taxpayer money back. One of China's large car firms may be convinced to buy the unit, and the Chinese government certainly has the capital to fund a transaction.