Saying it had overtaken Germany as the world's top exporter, the World Trade Organization Friday confirmed China's pre-eminence in global markets.

The London Times Online reported on Friday that China's exports in 2009 came to $1.2 trillion last year, while Germany exported $1.12 trillion in goods and services. The United States, with exports of $1.06 trillion, was third on the list.

With increasing frequency, China has been criticized for pegging its currency to the U. S. dollar, which has kept it undervalued by as much as 20 percent, giving its exporters that much more of an edge when selling products abroad.

Foreigners doing business in China have run into other controversies recently.

It would close down its Chinese search engine, Google had said, directing users to a site based in Hong Kong, after revealing a cyber attack had comprised e-mail accounts of human rights activists and in protest of China's censorship laws. This week, four Rio Tinto employees, including Australian Steven Hu, were on trial for taking bribes and stealing company secrets in negotiations with China. (With Inputs from Agencies)