It's not just China's economy that's booming. Invasive species are thriving there, too.

Non-native organisms are arriving in growing numbers thanks to increased trade. And they are penetrating once-isolated areas now accessible via new transportation routes

By any measure, China's trade and transportation infrastructure are growing like weeds.

This growth has brought with it exotic species -- some imported deliberately as garden plants or pets, and others introduced accidentally, hitchhiking in products or packaging materials.

Its roster of 400 invasive species costs China a minimum of $14.5 billion a year, according to an estimate cited by the researchers.

This is just what happens with international trade

For decades the United States has battled its own invaders, including increasing numbers of Chinese species like the Asian longhorned beetle, which arrived in 1996.

Aquatic plants may cause some of the worst damage

It will definitely be a hidden cost of the Olympics