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CHINA
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FACTS
ABOUT CHINA:
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Background:
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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.
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Location:
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Eastern Asia, bordering the
East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between
North Korea and Vietnam |
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Geographic coordinates:
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35 00 N, 105 00 E |
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Map references:
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ASIA |
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Area:
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total: 9,596,960 sq
km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than the
US |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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14,500 km |
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Maritime claims:
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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 |
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Climate:
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extremely diverse; tropical
in south to subarctic in north |
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains, high
plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Turpan
Pendi -154 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal, iron ore, petroleum,
natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum,
vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential
(world's largest) |
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Land use:
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arable land: 15.4%
permanent crops: 1.25%
other: 83.36% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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525,800 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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frequent typhoons (about
five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods;
tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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world's fourth largest
country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with
Nepal is the world's tallest peak;
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Population:
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1,298,847,624 (July 2004
est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total: 31.8 years
male: 31.5 years
female: 32.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.57% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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12.98 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.92 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 25.28
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population:
71.96 years
male: 70.4 years
female: 73.72 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.69 children born/woman
(2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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840,000 (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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44,000 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Chinese
(singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang,
Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other
nationalities 8.1% |
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Religions:
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Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist,
Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.) |
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Languages:
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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) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15
and over can read and write
total population: 90.9%
male: 95.1%
female: 86.5% (2002)
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Country name:
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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 |
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Government type:
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Communist state |
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Capital:
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Beijing |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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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) |
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National holiday:
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Anniversary of the Founding
of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949) |
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Constitution:
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most recent promulgation 4
December 1982 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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 (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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Chinese Communist Party or
CCP [HU Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight
registered small parties controlled by CCP |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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no substantial political
opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the
Falungong spiritual movement and the China Democracy Party as subversive
groups |
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International organization participation:
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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, WTO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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 |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity -
$6.449 trillion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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9.1% (official data) (2004
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity -
$5,000 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 14.8%
industry and construction: 52.9%
services: 32.3% (2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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43.4% of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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10% (2001 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 30.4% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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40 (2001) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.2% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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778.1 million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 50%, industry
22%, services 28% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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10.1% urban unemployment
roughly 10%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas
(2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $265.8
billion
expenditures: $300.2 billion, including capital expenditures of
$NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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30.1% of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice, wheat, potatoes,
sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed, pork, fish |
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Industries:
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iron and steel, coal,
machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement,
chemical fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles,
consumer electronics, telecommunications |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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30.4% (2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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1.42 trillion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.312 trillion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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10.3 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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1.8 billion kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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3.3 million bbl/day (2004
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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4.57 million bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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151,200 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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1.207 million bbl/day
(2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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26.75 billion bbl (2004) |
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Natural gas - production:
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30.3 billion cu m (2001
est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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27.4 billion cu m (2001
est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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1.29 trillion cu m (2004) |
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Current account balance:
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$31.17 billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$436.1 billion f.o.b. (2004
est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment,
textiles and clothing, footwear, toys and sporting goods, mineral fuels |
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Exports - partners:
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US 21.1%, Hong Kong 17.4%,
Japan 13.6%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany 4% (2003) |
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Imports:
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$397.4 billion f.o.b. (2003
est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment,
mineral fuels, plastics, iron and steel, chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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Japan 18%, Taiwan 11.9%,
South Korea 10.4%, US 8.2%, Germany 5.9% (2003) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$412.7 billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$197.8 billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA |
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Currency:
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yuan (CNY)
note:: also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB) |
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Currency code:
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CNY |
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Exchange rates:
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yuan per US dollar - 8.277
(2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001), 8.2785 (2000), 8.2783 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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263 million (2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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269 million (2003) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 369, FM 259, shortwave
45 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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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) |
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Internet country code:
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.cn |
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Internet hosts:
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160,421 (2003) |
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Internet users:
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79.5 million (2003)
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Railways:
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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) |
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Highways:
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total: 1,402,698 km
paved: 314,204 km (with at least 16,314 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,088,494 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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121,557 km (2002) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 15,890 km; oil 14,478
km; refined products 3,280 km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou,
Haikou, Huangpu, Lianyungang, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao,
Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shantou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Xiamen,
Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang (2001) |
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Merchant marine:
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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.) |
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Airports:
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507 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 332
over 3,047 m: 49
2,438 to 3,047 m: 97
1,524 to 2,437 m: 129
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 35 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 175
over 3,047 m: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 36
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 66 (2003 est.) |
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Heliports:
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15 (2003 est.)
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Military branches:
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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 |
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Military manpower - military age and obligation:
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18 years of age for
compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no
minimum age for voluntary service; 17 years of age for women who meet
requirements for specific military jobs (2004) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49:
379,524,688 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49:
208,143,352 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 12,494,201
(2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$60 billion (2003 est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
3.5-5.0% (FY03 est.)
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Disputes - international:
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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 |
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
|
refugees (country of
origin): 299,287 (Vietnam) (2004) |
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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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