China

§1. China Introduction

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, 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.

§2. China Geography

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 km²
  land: 9,326,410 km²
  water: 270,550 km²

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

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: 14.86%
  permanent crops: 1.27%
  other: 83.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  525,800 km² (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

§3. China People

Population:
  1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 20.8% (male 145,461,833/female 128,445,739)
  15-64 years: 71.4% (male 482,439,115/female 455,960,489)
  65 years and over: 7.7% (male 48,562,635/female 53,103,902) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 32.7 years
  male: 32.3 years
  female: 33.2 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.59% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  13.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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 (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 23.12 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 20.6 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 72.58 years
  male: 70.89 years
  female: 74.46 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.73 children born/woman (2006 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, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%
  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)

§4. China Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: People's Republic of China
  conventional short form: China
  local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
  local short form: Zhongguo
  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; (see note
    on Taiwan)
  : 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:
  based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental civil code
  legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret statutes;
  constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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 10th 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 10th 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

International organization participation:
  AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BCIE, BIS, CDB, EAS,
  FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
  IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),
  MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA,
  PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL,
  UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI,
  UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong
  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, 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) 6532-3178
  consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau, 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

§5. China Economy

Economy - overview:
  China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a
  centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to
  a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector
  and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late
  1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to
  include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization,
  increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified
  banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the
  non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China
  has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion. The
  process continues with key moves in 2005 including the sale of equity in
  China's largest state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign
  exchange and bond markets. The restructuring of the economy and resulting
  efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP
  since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in
  2005 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US,
  although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income and
  150 million Chinese fall below international poverty lines. Economic
  development has generally been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the
  interior, and there are large disparities in per capita income between
    regions. The government has struggled to: (a) sustain adequate job 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) contain environmental damage and social
    strife related to the economy's rapid transformation. From 100 to 150
    million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the
    cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. 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. China has benefited from a huge
    expansion in computer Internet use, with more than 100 million users at
    the end of 2005. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's
    remarkable expansion in world trade and has been an important factor in
    the growth of urban jobs. In July 2005, China revalued its currency by
    2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that
    references a basket of currencies. Reports of shortages of electric power
    in the summer of 2005 in southern China receded by September-October and
    did not have a substantial impact on China's economy. More power
    generating capacity is scheduled to come on line in 2006 as large scale
    investments are completed. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist
    Party in October 2005 approved the draft 11th Five-Year Plan and the
    National People's Congress is expected to give final approval in March
    2006. The plan calls for a 20% reduction in energy consumption per unit
    of GDP by 2010 and an estimated 45% increase in GDP by 2010. The plan
    states that conserving resources and protecting the environment are basic
    goals, but it lacks details on the policies and reforms necessary to
    achieve these goals.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $8.182 trillion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $1.79 trillion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  9.3% (official data) (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $6,300 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 14.4%
  industry: 53.1%
  services: 32.5%
  note: industry includes construction (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  791.4 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 49%, industry 22%, services 29% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  4.2% official registered unemployment in urban areas in 2004; substantial
  unemployment and underemployment in rural areas; an official Chinese
  journal estimated overall unemployment (including rural areas) for 2003 at
  20% (2004)

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:
  44 (2002)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1.9% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  43.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $392.1 billion
  expenditures: $424.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

Public debt:
  28.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
  rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton,
  oilseed; pork; fish

Industries:
  mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal;
  machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement;
  chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and
  electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including
  automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft;
  telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites

Industrial production growth rate:
  27.7% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  2.19 trillion kWh (2004)

Electricity - consumption:
  2.17 trillion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
  10.6 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  1.546 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  3.504 million bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
  6.391 million bbl/day (2004)

Oil - exports:
  340,300 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:
  3.226 million bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:
  18.26 billion bbl (2004)

Natural gas - production:
  35.02 billion m³ (2003)

Natural gas - consumption:
  33.44 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  2.79 billion m³ (2004)

Natural gas - imports:
  0 m³ (2004)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  2.53 trillion m³ (2004)

Current account balance:
  $129.1 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $752.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and
  steel

Exports - partners:
  US 21.1%, Hong Kong 17%, Japan 12.4%, South Korea 4.7%, Germany 4% (2004)

Imports:
  $631.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, optical and
  medical equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel

Imports - partners:
  Japan 16.8%, Taiwan 11.4%, South Korea 11.1%, US 8%, Germany 5.4% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $795.1 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $242 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $NA

Currency (code):
  yuan (CNY); note - also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB)

Exchange rates:
  yuan per US dollar - 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003), 8.277
  (2002), 8.2771 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. China Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  311.756 million (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  334.824 million (2004)

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)

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)

Internet country code:
  .cn

Internet hosts:
  187,508 (2005)

Internet users:
  111 million (2005)

§7. China Transportation

Airports:
  489 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 389
  over 3,047 m: 54
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 120
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 139
  914 to 1,523 m: 23
  under 914 m: 53 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 89
  over 3,047 m: 4
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
  914 to 1,523 m: 29
  under 914 m: 36 (2005)

Heliports:
  30 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 15,890 km; oil 14,478 km; refined products 3,280 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 71,898 km
  standard gauge: 71,898 km 1.435-m gauge (18,115 km electrified)
  dual gauge: 23,945 km (multiple track not included in total) (2002)

Roadways:
  total: 1,809,829 km
  paved: 1,447,682 km (with at least 29,745 km of expressways)
  unpaved: 362,147 km (2003)

Waterways:
  123,964 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
  total: 1,700 ships (1000 GRT or over) 20,441,123 GRT/30,808,417 DWT
  by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 367, cargo 709, chemical tanker 37,
    combination ore/oil 1, container 146, liquefied gas 29, passenger 8,
    passenger/cargo 84, petroleum tanker 255, refrigerated cargo 32, roll
    on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 13
  foreign-owned: 14 (Hong Kong 7, Japan 2, South Korea 3, UK 1, US 1)
  registered in other countries: 1,018 (The Bahamas 5, Bangladesh 1, Belize
    71, Cambodia 75, Cyprus 10, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 259, India 1, Liberia
    35, Malaysia 1, Malta 15, Mongolia 1, Norway 3, Panama 370, Saint Vincent
    and the Grenadines 106, Singapore 20, Tuvalu 13, unknown 29) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai

§8. China Military

Military branches:
  People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines and
    naval aviation), Air Force (includes Airborne Forces), and II Artillery
    Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (PAP); Reserve and
    Militia Forces (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
  18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month service
  obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are
  volunteers); 17 years of age for women who meet requirements for specific
  military jobs (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 342,956,265 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 281,240,272 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 13,186,433 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $81.48 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  4.3% (2005 est.)

§9. China Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  in 2005, China and India initiated 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; Vietnam and China
  continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratlys and 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 equidistance line 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; China and Russia
  prepare to demarcate the boundary agreed to in October 2004 between the
  long-disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri; 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) (2005)

Illicit drugs:
  major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle;
  growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors
  and methamphetamine


<Factbook 2006>
