At the end of March 2010, a diabetes prevalence survey attracted the attention of the world’s general media. Diabetes prevalence surveys are not usually terribly exciting to audiences outside the world of epidemiology but the number of people in China estimated to have diabetes now was so large that it took the news world by surprise. The findings of the study have a number of important implications for China and beyond. International Diabetes Federation epidemiologist, David Whiting describes why this study is important and how it adds to our knowledge about the diabetes pandemic.