|
Background:
|
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,
China was beset by civil unrest, major famines,
military defeats, and foreign occupation. After
World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong
established a dictatorship 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
gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and
decentralized economic decision making. Output
quadrupled by 2000. Political controls remain tight
while economic controls continue to be relaxed. |
|
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 |
|
Coastline:
|
14,500
km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial
sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of
the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
|
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 |
|
Natural resources:
|
coal,
iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin,
tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium,
magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower
potential (world's largest) |
|
Land use:
|
arable
land: 15.4%
permanent crops: 1.25%
other: 83.36% (2001) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
525,800
sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
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;
|
|
Population:
|
1,298,847,624
(July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14
years: 22.3% (male 153,401,051; female
135,812,993)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 469,328,664; female
443,248,860)
65 years and over: 7.5% (male 46,308,923;
female 50,747,133) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total:
31.8 years
male: 31.5 years
female: 32.2 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.57%
(2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
12.98
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
6.92
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-0.4
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004
est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total:
25.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.)
male: 21.84 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 71.96 years
male: 70.4 years
female: 73.72 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.69
children born/woman (2004 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)
|
|
Country name:
|
conventional
long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
abbreviation: PRC
local short form: Zhong Guo |
|
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)
note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd
province; see separate entries for the special
administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
: municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing,
Shanghai, Tianjin |
|
Independence:
|
221 BC
(unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty 221 BC;
Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic on
12 February 1912; People's Republic established 1
October 1949) |
|
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)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the
National People's Congress (NPC)
election results: HU Jintao elected president
by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total
of 2,937 votes (4 delegates voted against him, 4
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); 2 seats were vacant
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
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) |
|
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 |
|
International organization participation:
|
AfDB,
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO,
MONUC, NAM (observer), OPCW, PCA, SCO, UN, UN
Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UPU,
WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief
of mission: Ambassador YANG Jiechi
chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500 |
|
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
|
|
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 2003 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, 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 80 to 120 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. 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. Beijing says it will intensify efforts
to stimulate growth through spending on
infrastructure - such as water supply and power
grids - and 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. Foreign investment remains a strong element in
China's remarkable economic growth. Growing
shortages of electric power and raw materials will
hold back the expansion of industrial output in
2004. |
|
GDP:
|
purchasing
power parity - $6.449 trillion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
9.1%
(official data) (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing
power parity - $5,000 (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture:
14.8%
industry and construction: 52.9%
services: 32.3% (2003) |
|
Investment (gross fixed):
|
43.4%
of GDP (2003) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
10%
(2001 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
|
lowest
10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 30.4% (1998) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
40
(2001) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
1.2%
(2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
778.1
million (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture
50%, industry 22%, services 28% (2001 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
10.1%
urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial
unemployment and underemployment in rural areas
(2003 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues:
$265.8 billion
expenditures: $300.2 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2003) |
|
Public debt:
|
30.1%
of GDP (2003) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
rice,
wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet,
barley, cotton, oilseed, pork, fish |
|
Industries:
|
iron
and steel, coal, machine building, armaments,
textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical
fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing,
automobiles, consumer electronics,
telecommunications |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
30.4%
(2003 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
1.42
trillion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 80.2%
hydro: 18.5%
other: 0.1% (2001)
nuclear: 1.2% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
1.312
trillion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
10.3
billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
1.8
billion kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
3.3
million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
4.57
million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
151,200
bbl/day (2001) |
|
Oil - imports:
|
1.207
million bbl/day (2001) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
26.75
billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
30.3
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
27.4
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
1.29
trillion cu m (1 January 2002) |
|
Current account balance:
|
$31.17
billion (2003) |
|
Exports:
|
$436.1
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
machinery
and equipment, textiles and clothing, footwear, toys
and sporting goods, mineral fuels |
|
Exports - partners:
|
US
21.1%, Hong Kong 17.4%, Japan 13.6%, South Korea
4.6%, Germany 4% (2003 est.) |
|
Imports:
|
$397.4
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery
and equipment, mineral fuels, plastics, iron and
steel, chemicals |
|
Imports - partners:
|
Japan
18%, Taiwan 11.9%, South Korea 10.4%, US 8.2%,
Germany 5.9% (2003 est.) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
|
$412.7
billion (2003) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$197.8
billion (2003 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
NA |
|
Currency:
|
yuan (CNY)
note:: also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB) |
|
Currency code:
|
CNY |
|
Exchange rates:
|
yuan
per US dollar - 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771
(2001), 8.2785 (2000), 8.2783 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year
|
|
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:
|
79.5
million (2003)
|
|
Railways:
|
total:
70,058 km
standard gauge: 68,000 km 1.435-m gauge
(18,668 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 3,600 km 1.000-m and 0.750-m
gauge local industrial lines
dual gauge: 22,640 km (not included in total)
(2003) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
1,402,698 km
paved: 314,204 km (with at least 16,314 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 1,088,494 km (2000) |
|
Waterways:
|
121,557
km (2002) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas
13,845 km; oil 15,143 km; refined products 3,280 km
(2003) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Dalian,
Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu, Lianyungang,
Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao,
Shanghai, Shantou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou,
Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang (2001) |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
1,850 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,724,653 GRT/27,749,784
DWT
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 355, cargo
822, chemical tanker 28, combination bulk 10,
combination ore/oil 2, container 165, liquefied gas
28, multi-functional large load carrier 8, passenger
6, passenger/cargo 46, petroleum tanker 272, rail
car carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll
off 25, short-sea/passenger 39, specialized tanker
10, vehicle carrier 4
foreign-owned: Cambodia 1, Greece 2, Hong
Kong 12, Japan 1, South Korea 2, Liberia 1, Malaysia
1, Panama 1, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1
registered in other countries: 790 (2003
est.) |
|
Airports:
|
507
(2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
332
over 3,047 m: 49
2,438 to 3,047 m: 97
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 35 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 129 |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
175
under 914 m: 66 (2003 est.)
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 40
1,524 to 2,437 m: 36 |
|
Heliports:
|
15
(2003 est.)
|
|
Military branches:
|
People's
Liberation Army (PLA): comprises ground forces, Navy
(including naval infantry and naval aviation), Air
Force, and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile
force), People's Armed Police Force (internal
security troops, nominally a state security body but
included by the Chinese as part of the "armed
forces" and considered to be an adjunct to the
PLA), militia |
|
Military manpower - military age:
|
18
years of age (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males
age 15-49: 379,524,688 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males
age 15-49: 208,143,352 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age
annually:
|
males:
12,494,201 (2004 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$60
billion (2003 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
3.5-5.0%
(FY03 est.)
|
| Transnational
Issues |
China |
|
Disputes - international:
|
involved
in complex dispute with Malaysia, Philippines,
Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the
Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has
eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding
"code of conduct" desired by several of
the disputants; most of the rugged, militarized
boundary with India is in dispute, but the two sides
are committed to begin resolution with discussions
on the least disputed Middle Sector; Kashmir remains
the world's largest and highly 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), but recent discussion and
confidence-building measures among parties are
beginning to defuse tensions, India does not
recognize Pakistan's ceding lands to China in a 1964
boundary agreement; in 2003 China together with
Taiwan asserted their claims to the
Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai)
with increased media coverage and protest actions;
China and Kazakhstan have resolved their border
dispute and are working to demarcate their large
open borders to control population migration,
illegal activities, and trade; certain islands in
Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute
with North Korea and a section of boundary around
Mount Paektu is indefinite - China has been
attempting to stem mass illegal migration of North
Koreans escaping famine and oppression into northern
China; China continues to seek a mutually acceptable
solution to the disputed alluvial islands with
Russia at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri
rivers and a small island on the Argun river as part
of the 2001 Treaty of Good Neighborliness,
Friendship, and Cooperation; boundary delimitation
agreements signed in 2002 with Tajikistan cedes
1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in
return for China's relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq
km, but demarcation has not commenced; demarcation
of land boundary with Vietnam continues but maritime
boundary and joint fishing zone agreement remains
unratified; China occupies Paracel Islands also
claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; groups in Burma and
Thailand express concern over China's construction
of 13 hydroelectric dams on the Salween River in
Yunnan Province |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
major
transshipment point for heroin produced in the
Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse
problem; source country for chemical precursors and
methamphetamine
|
|
