While that volume is still a fraction of the 1.4 million vehicles GM sold in China during the same six months, the sales growth rate for GM Russia was two times faster than China, where first-half sales increased 11 percent from last year's period. Just two years ago, GM's China sales were growing at an annual pace of almost 50 percent. Those results, along with what Lee described as the company's strong presence in the Middle East region, South Korea and Australia, drove overall sales for GM International Operations to about 2 million vehicles in the first half, against 1.8 million sold in the same 2011 period and accounting approximately for 40 percent of GM's overall new vehicle sales, according to the company. GM International Operations is a GM unit based in Shanghai, and it oversees a host of emerging markets in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Russia, though the division's responsibility includes Australia, New Zealand, and Chevrolet Europe.