China’s auto imports grew rapidly in the first half, as world auto giants turned to the Chinese market after the U.S. economic slump and rocketing oil prices drove sales down on U.S. and European markets, the Chinese General Administration of Customs said recently. From January to June, China bought 212,000 motor vehicles from abroad, up 53.2 percent from the same period of last year. The growth rate was 18.3 percentage points higher than the year-earlier level…