For centuries China
stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in
the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the
country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats,
and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO
Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring
China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and
cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor
DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic
development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population,
living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal
choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.
Geography
China
Location:
Eastern Asia, bordering
the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between
North Korea and Vietnam
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 9,596,960
sq km land: 9,326,410 sq km water: 270,550 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than
the US
Land boundaries:
total: 22,117
km border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185
km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan
858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523
km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan
414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
Coastline:
14,500 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
margin
Climate:
extremely diverse; tropical
in south to subarctic in north
Terrain:
mostly mountains, high
plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Turpan Pendi -154 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
frequent typhoons (about
five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods;
tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence
Environment - current
issues:
air pollution (greenhouse
gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces
acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution
from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth
of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development;
desertification; trade in endangered species
Environment - international
agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
world's fourth largest
country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border
with Nepal is the world's tallest peak
total: 32.26
years male: 31.87 years female: 32.67 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.58% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
13.14 births/1,000 population
(2005 est.)
Death rate:
6.94 deaths/1,000 population
(2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.12
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.18
deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.21 deaths/1,000 live births female: 27.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at
birth:
total population:
72.27 years male: 70.65 years female: 74.09 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.72 children born/woman
(2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence
rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living
with HIV/AIDS:
840,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
44,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Chinese
(singular and plural) adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups:
Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang,
Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other
nationalities 8.1%
Religions:
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist,
Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Languages:
Standard Chinese or
Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese),
Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang,
Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Literacy:
definition: age
15 and over can read and write total population: 90.9% male: 95.1% female: 86.5% (2002)
Government
China
Country name:
conventional long
form: People's Republic of China conventional short form: China local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo local short form: Zhong Guo abbreviation: PRC
Government type:
Communist state
Capital:
Beijing
Administrative divisions:
23 provinces (sheng,
singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and
plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural) : provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan,
Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin,
Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang
: autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang,
Xizang (Tibet) : municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate
entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Independence:
221 BC (unification
under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced
by a Republic); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic established)
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Founding
of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949)
Constitution:
most recent promulgation
4 December 1982
Legal system:
a complex amalgam of
custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in
effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January
1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative,
criminal, and commercial law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG
Qinghong (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003);
Vice Premiers HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), WU Yi (17 March 2003),
ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March
2003) cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress
(NPC) elections: president and vice president elected by the National
People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 15-17 March
2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president,
confirmed by the National People's Congress election results: HU Jintao elected president by the Tenth
National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (four delegates
voted against him, four abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong
elected vice president by the Tenth National People's Congress with
a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained,
and 38 did not vote); two seats were vacant
Legislative branch:
unicameral National
People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members
elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses
to serve five-year terms) elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be
held late 2007-February 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA
Judicial branch:
Supreme People's Court
(judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples
Courts (comprise higher, intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples
Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts)
Political parties and
leaders:
Chinese Communist Party
or CCP [HU Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight
registered small parties controlled by CCP
Political pressure
groups and leaders:
no substantial political
opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the
Falungong spiritual movement and the China Democracy Party as subversive
groups
chief of mission:
Ambassador YANG Jiechi chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York,
and San Francisco consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation
from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr. embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831 FAX: [86] (10) 6532-6929 consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai,
Shenyang
Flag description:
red with a large yellow
five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged
in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side
corner
Anthem
China
The
Chinese National Anthem
This
song was composed by Nieh Erh in 1932, one year after the Japanese
invasion of Manchuria and was dedicated to the volunteers who rose
to defend the nation long before Japan formally declared war on
China. In 1934 Nieh Erh went to continue his musical studies in
Japan, where he was murdered. He was 24 years old at the time of
his death. His song was later adopted as the national anthem of
the People's Republic of China. The lyrics are by Tian Han.
Arise,
Ye who refuse to be slaves!
With our very flesh and blood,
Let us build our new Great Wall!
The peoples of China are in the most critical time,
Everybody must roar his defiance.
Arise!
Arise!
Arise!
Millions of hearts with one mind,
Brave the enemy's gunfire, March on!
Brave the enemy's gunfire, March on!
March on!
March on!
on!
Economy
China
Economy - overview:
In late 1978 the Chinese
leadership began moving the economy from a sluggish, inefficient,
Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented system.
Whereas the system operates within a political framework of strict
Communist control, the economic influence of non-state organizations
and individual citizens has been steadily increasing. The authorities
switched to a system of household and village responsibility in agriculture
in place of the old collectivization, increased the authority of local
officials and plant managers in industry, permitted a wide variety
of small-scale enterprises in services and light manufacturing, and
opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The
result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing
power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2004 stood as the second-largest
economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the
country is still poor. Agriculture and industry have posted major
gains especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan
and in Shanghai, where foreign investment has helped spur output of
both domestic and export goods. The leadership, however, often has
experienced - as a result of its hybrid system - the worst results
of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism (growing
income disparities and rising unemployment). China thus has periodically
backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals. The government
has struggled to (a) sustain adequate jobs growth for tens of millions
of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new
entrants to the work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic
crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises, many
of which had been shielded from competition by subsidies and had been
losing the ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 100 to 150
million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and
the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. Popular
resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by rural
cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is
essential to maintaining long-term growth in living standards. At
the same time, one demographic consequence of the "one child" policy
is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the
world. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in
the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady
fall of the water table especially in the north. China continues to
lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. As part
of its effort to gradually slow the rapid economic growth seen in
2004, Beijing says it will reduce somewhat its spending on infrastructure
in 2005, while continuing to focus on poverty relief and through rural
tax reform. Accession to the World Trade Organization helps strengthen
its ability to maintain strong growth rates but at the same time puts
additional pressure on the hybrid system of strong political controls
and growing market influences. China has benefited from a huge expansion
in computer Internet use, with 94 million users at the end of 2004.
Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable
economic growth. Shortages of electric power and raw materials may
affect industrial output in 2005. More power generating capacity is
scheduled to come on line in 2006. In its rivalry with India as an
economic power, China has a lead in the absorption of technology,
the rising prominence in world trade, and the alleviation of poverty;
India has one important advantage in its relative mastery of the English
language, but the number of competent Chinese English-speakers is
growing rapidly.
GDP:
purchasing power parity
- $7.262 trillion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
9.1% (official data)
(2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity
- $5,600 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by
sector:
agriculture:
13.8% industry and construction: 52.9% services:
33.3% (2004 est.)
Currency:
yuan (CNY) note::
also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB)
Currency code:
CNY
Exchange rates:
yuan per US dollar -
8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001), 8.2785 (2000)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
China
Telephones - main lines
in use:
263 million (2003)
Telephones - mobile
cellular:
269 million (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
domestic and international services are increasingly available for
private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal
cities, industrial centers, and many towns domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular
telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system
with 55 earth stations is in place international: country code - 86; satellite earth stations
- 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions);
several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong
Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 369, FM 259, shortwave
45 (1998)
Radios:
417 million (1997)
Television broadcast
stations:
3,240 (of which 209
are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations
and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997)
Televisions:
400 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.cn
Internet hosts:
160,421 (2003)
Internet Service Providers
(ISPs):
3 (2000)
Internet users:
94 million (2004)
Transportation
China
Railways:
total: 70,058
km standard gauge: 70,058 km 1.435-m gauge (18,668 km
electrified) dual gauge: 22,640 km (multiple track not
included in total) (2001)
Highways:
total: 1,765,222
km paved: 395,410 km (with at least 25,130 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,369,812 km (2002 est.)
Waterways:
121,557 km (2002)
Pipelines:
gas 15,890 km; oil 14,478
km; refined products 3,280 km (2004)
total: 1,649
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,724,653 GRT/27,749,784 DWT by
type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 362, cargo 696, chemical tanker
38, combination ore/oil 1, container 135, liquefied gas 30, passenger
7, passenger/cargo 81, petroleum tanker 246, refrigerated cargo 30,
roll on/roll off 11, vehicle carrier 10 foreign-owned:
9 (Hong Kong 4, Japan 2, South Korea 2, United States 1) registered
in other countries: 872 (2005)
Airports:
472 (2004 est.)
Heliports:
15 (2004 est.)
Transnational
Issues
China
Disputes - international:
in 2005, China and India
initiate drafting principles to resolve all aspects of their extensive
boundary and territorial disputes together with a security and foreign
policy dialogue to consolidate discussions related to the boundary,
regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; recent talks and
confidence-building measures have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir,
site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute
with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin),
India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern
Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir
lands to China in 1964; about 90,000 ethnic Tibetan exiles reside
primarily in India as well as Nepal and Bhutan; China asserts sovereignty
over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan,
Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct
of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratlys
but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties;
in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines,
and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in
the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also
claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan have become more vocal
in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto
(Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic
zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting;
certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested
dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu
is considered indefinite; China seeks to stem illegal migration of
tens of thousands of North Koreans; in 2004, China and Russia divided
up the islands in the Amur, Ussuri, and Argun Rivers, ending a century-old
border dispute; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds
slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries
agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed;
environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's
construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween
River in Yunnan Province
Refugees and internally
displaced persons:
refugees (country
of origin): 299,287 (Vietnam) estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea)
(2004)
Illicit drugs:
major transshipment
point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic
drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine
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