DETROIT, SHANGHAI - General Motors sold 2,351,610 vehicles in China in 2010 compared to its U.S. sales of 2,215,227 vehicles. With this announcement GM’s China sales have surpassed its sales in the U.S. for the first time in history. GM grew its vehicle sales in China by 28.8 percent over its 2009 numbers, whereas in the U.S. sales only grew by 6.3 percent.

Globally GM reported that it delivered 8,389,769 vehicles in calendar year 2010, which was a 12.2 percent increase from 2009 deliveries of 7,477,178. The automaker’s top five markets globally by volume are China, the U.S., Brazil, the U.K. and Germany.

In another announcement, GM said it and its Shanghai General Motors joint venture signed a two-year $900 million agreement to export Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet vehicles and components to China. GM said this agreement is part of a series of trade and investment deals signed during the recent official visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to the U.S. The vehicle exports are valued at $500 million; the component exports valued at $400 million.

In still other GM-related news, the automaker said it is adding a third shift to its Flint Assembly plant to build more pickup trucks, specifically the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. This move will add 750 jobs at the plant, and the new shift will start in the third quarter of this year.