Introduction: China Background:

For centuri es China stood as a leading civili zation, outpacing the rest of the world in t he arts and sciences , but i n the 19t h and early 20th c ent uri es, the c ountry was bes et by ci vil unrest, major f ami nes, military defeats, and f oreign occupation. After W orld War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist syst em that, whil e ensuri ng Chi na's soverei gnt y, impos ed strict controls over ever yday life and cost the lives of t ens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xi aopi ng and other leaders focus ed on market - oriented economic development and by 2000 out put had quadrupl ed. For much of the popul ati on, li ving standar ds have improved dramaticall y and the room f or personal choice h as expanded, yet political control s remai n tight. China since the earl y 1990s has i ncreased its gl obal outr eac h and participation i n int ernati onal or gani zati ons.

Geography: China
Locati on: Easter n Asi a, bordering t he East Chi na Sea, Kor ea Bay, Yell ow Sea, and So uth Chi na Sea, bet ween North Kor ea and Viet nam Easter n Asi a, bordering t he East Chi na Sea, Kor ea Bay, Yell ow Sea, and South Chi na Sea, bet ween North Kor ea and Viet nam

Geogr aphic coordi nat es : 35 00 N, 105 00 E

Map r efer ences: Asia

Ar ea: total: 9, 596, 961 sq km countr y comparison t o the worl d: 4 land: 9, 569,901 sq km water: 27, 060 sq km

Ar ea - comparati ve: slightl y small er than t he US

Land boundari es: total: 22,117 km border countries: Af ghani stan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2, 185 km, I ndi a 3, 380 km, Kazak hstan 1, 533 km, Nort h Korea 1, 416 km, Kyr gyzs tan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1, 236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia ( nort heast) 3, 605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Viet nam 1, 281 km regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0. 34 km Coastline: 14, 500 km

Maritime clai ms: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusi ve economi c zone: 200 nm

continent al shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of t he c onti nent al mar gin

Climat e: extr emely di verse; tr opic al in south t o subarctic in nor th

Terrain: mostly mount ai ns, high plateaus, deserts in west; pl ai ns, delt as, and hills in east

Elevati on extr emes: lowest point: Tur pan Pendi -154 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natur al resources: coal, iron ore, petr oleum, natur al gas, merc ury, tin, t ungst en, anti mony, manganese, mol ybdenum, vanadi um, magnetite, alumi num, l ead, zinc, rare eart h el ements, ur ani um, hydropower potenti al (worl d's largest)

Land use: arable l and: 14.86% permanent crops: 1.27% other: 83. 87% (2005)

Irrigated land: 641, 410 sq km (2003)

Total renewable wat er resour ces : 2,829.6 cu km ( 1999)

Freshwat er withdrawal (domestic/i ndustrial/agricul tural) : total: 549. 76 cu km/yr ( 7%/26%/ 68%) per capita: 415 cu m/ yr (2000)

Natur al hazar ds: frequent typhoons (about fi ve per year along southern and easter n coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; dr oughts; land s ubsi dence vol canism: China contai ns some historicall y acti ve volcanoes incl udi ng Changbaishan (also known as Bait oushan, Baegdu, or P'aektu -san), Hainan Dao, and Kunl un alt hough most have been rel ativel y inactive in r ecent cent uries

Environment - current i ssues: air polluti on (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxi de particulates) from r eliance on coal produc es acid rai n; wat er short ages, particul arly i n t he nort h; water poll ution from untreat ed wastes; def orest ation; estimated l oss of one -fifth of agricultur al land si nce 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade i n endangered species

Environment - inter nati onal agreement s : part y t o: Antarctic-Envir onmental Prot ocol, Ant arctic Treaty, Biodi versity, Climat e Change, Climat e Change- Kyot o Pr ot ocol, Desertificati on, Endangered Species, Envir onment al Modification, Hazar dous W astes, Law of the Sea, Mar ine Dumpi ng, Ozone Layer Prot ection, Shi p Polluti on, Tr opic al Ti mber 83, Tropical Timber 94, W etlands, W haling signed, but not ratified: none of the select ed agreements

Geogr aphy - note: worl d's fourt h lar gest count ry (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on t he border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak

People and Nationality: China

Introducti on :: CHINA Geogr aphy :: CHINA Peopl e and Soci et y :: CHI NA Nationalit y: noun: Chi nes e (singul ar and pl ural) adj ecti ve: Chi nese

Ethni c gr oups: Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Mi ao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibet an, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Kor ean, and ot her nati onaliti es 8. 5% (2000 census)

Languages: Standar d Chi nese or Mandarin (Put onghua, based on the Bei ji ng di alect), Yue (Cant onese), W u (Shanghai nes e), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien -Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dial ects, minority l anguages (see Ethnic gr oups entry) not e: Mongoli an is official in Nei Mongol, Uighur is of ficial in Xi njiang Uygur, and Ti bet an is official in Xizang ( Tibet)

Religi ons: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3% -4%, Muslim 1%-2% not e: officiall y at heist (2002 est.)

Popul ation: 1,343,239, 923 (Jul y 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1

Age structur e: 0-14 years: 17. 6% (male 126, 634, 384/f emal e 108, 463,142) 15- 64 year s: 73.6% (mal e 505, 326,577/femal e 477,953,883) 65 year s and over: 8. 9% ( mal e 56,823,028/femal e 61,517,001) (2011 est.)

Medi an age: total: 35.5 years

male: 34.9 years femal e: 36. 2 years (2011 est.)

Popul ation growth rat e: 0.481% (2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 152

Birth rate: 12. 31 birt hs/1,000 popul ati on ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 158

Death rat e: 7.17 deaths/ 1,000 popul ati on (Jul y 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 126

Net mi gration rat e: -0.33 mi grant(s)/1,000 populati on ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 131

Urbanization: urban popul ation: 47% of total populati on (2010) rate of urbanizati on: 2.3% annual r ate of change (2010 -15 est.)

Major cities - population: Shanghai 16.575 million; BEIJING (capital) 12. 214 mil lion; Chongqing 9.401 milli on; Shenzhen 9.005 million; Guangzhou 8.884 million (2009)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1. 13 male(s)/female under 15 year s: 1. 17 mal e(s)/female 15- 64 year s: 1. 06 mal e(s)/femal e 65 year s and over: 0. 92 male(s)/femal e total populati on: 1.06 mal e(s)/femal e (2011 est.)

Mater nal mortalit y rat e : 38 deat hs/100, 000 li ve birt hs (2008) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 105

Infant mortalit y rat e: total: 15.62 deat hs/1,000 l ive births countr y comparison t o the worl d: 111 male: 15.38 deaths/1, 000 l ive births femal e: 15. 9 deat hs/1, 000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth :

total populati on: 74. 84 years countr y comparison t o the worl d: 96 male: 72.82 years femal e: 77. 11 years (2011 est.)

Total fertilit y rat e: 1.55 chil dren bor n/woman ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 179

Health expendit ures: 4.6% of GDP ( 2009) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 148

Physi cians densit y: 1.415 physicians/1, 000 popul ation ( 2009)

Hospit al bed densit y: 4.06 beds/1, 000 popul ati on (2009)

HIV/ AI DS - adult preval ence r ate: 0.1% ( 2009 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 117

HIV/ AI DS - peopl e living with HIV/ AIDS : 740, 000 (2009 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 13

HIV/ AI DS - deaths: 26, 000 ( 2009 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 14

Major i nfectious diseases : degree of risk: int ermedi ate food or waterborne di seases: bacteri al di arrhea, hepatitis A, and t yphoid f ever vector bor ne diseases: J apanese encephalitis and dengue f ever soil contact di sease: hant avir al hemorrhagic fever wi th renal s yndrome (HFRS) animal contact di sease: r abi es not e: hi ghl y pat hogenic H5N1 avi an infl uenza has been identified in t his country; it poses a negli gibl e risk with extr emely r are cas es possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Obesit y - adult pr eval ence rat e: 2.9% ( 2002) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 66

Childr en under t he age of 5 year s underweight : 8.7% ( 2000) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 69

Education expenditur es : NA

Literacy: definiti on: age 15 and over can read and write total populati on: 92. 2% male: 96% femal e: 88. 5% (2007)

School life expectancy ( primar y to t ertiar y educati on) : total: 12 years male: 11 years femal e: 12 years (2009)

Government: China
Introducti on :: CHINA Geogr aphy :: CHINA Peopl e and Soci et y :: CHI NA Gover nment :: CHI NA Countr y name: conventional long f orm: Peopl e's Republic of China conventional short form: Chi na local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo local short form: Zhongguo abbreviati on: PRC

Gover nment t ype: Communist state

Capital: name: Bei ji ng geogr aphic coordi nat es: 39 55 N, 116 23 E time differ ence: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of W ashingt on, DC duri ng Standar d Ti me) not e: despite its size, all of Chi na f alls withi n one time zone; many people i n Xi nji ang Provinc e obser ve an unoffi cial " Xi njiang time zone" of UTC+6, two hours behind Bei ji ng Admi nistr ative di visi ons : 23 provi nces (sheng, singular and pl ural), 5 autonomous regi ons (zizhi qu, si ngul ar and pl ural), and 4 municipalities (shi, s ingul ar and plur al) provinces: Anhui, Fuji an, Gansu, Guangdong, Gui zhou, Hai nan, Hebei, Heil ongji ang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qi nghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sic huan,

Yunnan, Zheji ang; (see not e on Taiwan) aut onomous regi ons: Guangxi, Nei Mongol (Inn er Mongoli a), Ningxia, Xinji ang Uygur, Xizang (Tibet) muni cipalities: Bei jing, Chongqi ng, Shanghai, Ti anji n not e: Chi na considers Tai wan its 23r d provinc e; see separat e entries for t he s pecial administrati ve regions of Hong Kong and Macau

Independence: 1 October 1949 (Peopl e's Republic of Chi na establis hed); not abl e earlier dates: 221 BC (unificati on under the Qi n Dynast y); 1 Januar y 1912 ( Qing Dynasty r epl aced by t he Republic of Chi na)

National holi day: Anniversar y of t he f oundi ng of t he People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949)

Constituti on: most recent pr omulgati on 4 December 1982; amended several times

Legal syst em: civil law i nfluenced by Sovi et and c onti nent al European civil law systems; legisl ature ret ai ns power t o int erpr et stat utes; not e - criminal pr ocedur e l aw revised i n early 2012

International l aw organiz ation participation : has not submitt ed an ICJ jurisdiction declar ation; non -part y state t o the ICCt

Suffrage: 18 years of age; uni versal

Executive br anch: chi ef of st ate: Presi dent HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003); Vice Presi dent XI Ji nping (since 15 March 2008) head of government: Premier W EN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Executi ve Vi ce Premi er LI Keqiang (17 March 2008), Vice Pr emi er HUI Liangyu ( since 17 March 2003), Vice Premi er ZHANG Deji ang (since 17 March 2008), and Vice Pr emier W ANG Qishan (since 17 March 2008) cabinet: St ate Council appoint ed by National Peopl e's Congress elections: presi dent and vi ce presi dent el ected by National Peopl e's Congress for a fi ve - year term (eli gibl e f or a second term); el ections last held on 15 -17 March 2008 (next t o be hel d in mid-March 2013); premi er nominated b y presi dent, confirmed by Nati onal Peopl e's Congress election result s: HU Ji ntao el ected pr esident by Nati onal Peopl e's Congress wit h a t otal of 2,963 votes; XI Ji npi ng el ected vic e pr esident with a t otal of 2, 919 vot es

Legisl ative br anch: unic ameral Nati onal Peopl e's Congr ess or Quanguo Renmi n Daibi ao Dahui (2, 987 s eats; members elected by municipal, r egi onal, and provinci al people's congr e sses, and Peopl e's Liberati on Army to s erve fi ve - year ter ms) elections: l ast held i n December 2007 -Febr uar y 2008 (next to be held i n lat e 2012 t o earl y

2013) election result s: percent of vote - NA; seats - 2,987 not e: in practice, onl y members of the CCP, its ei ght allied parties, and CCP - approved independent candi dates ar e el ected

Judici al br anch: Supreme People's Court ( judges appoint ed by the National Peopl e's Congress); Loc al Peopl e's Courts (comprise hi gher, intermedi ate, and basic court s); Special People's Courts (primaril y military, maritime, railway t ransport ation, and for estry courts)

Political parties and l eaders : Chi nes e Communist Part y or CCP [HU Ji ntao]; ei ght nomi nall y independent small parti es ultimat el y controll ed by the CCP

Political pr essure groups and leaders : no s ubstanti al political opposition gr oups exist

International organiz ation participation : ADB, AfDB (nonr egi onal member), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dial ogue part ner), BI S, CDB, CICA, EAS, FAO, FATF, G -20, G- 24 ( obs erver), G-77, IADB, IAEA, I BRD, I CAO, ICC, I CRM, IDA, IFAD, I FC, IFRCS, IH O, I LO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, I nter pol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA ( obs erver), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM ( obs erver), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW , PCA, PIF ( partner), SAARC ( obs erver), SCO, SICA ( obs erver), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFI CYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNI FIL, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNMI T, UNOCI, UNSC ( permanent), UNTSO, UNW TO, UPU, W CO, W HO, W IPO, W MO, W TO, ZC

Diplomati c representati on in the US : chi ef of mi ssi on: Ambassador ZHANG Yesui chancer y: 3505 I nt ernational Plac e NW , W ashingt on, DC 20008 telephone: [1] ( 202) 495-2266 FAX: [ 1] (202) 495- 2190 consulat e(s) general: Chi cago, Houston, Los Angel es, New York, San Francisco

Diplomati c representati on from the US : chi ef of mi ssi on: Ambassador Gary LOCKE embassy: 55 An Jia Lou Lu, 100600 Bei ji ng mailing addr ess: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521- 0002 telephone: [86] (10) 8531- 3000 FAX: [ 86] ( 10) 8531-3300 consulat e(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, W uhan

Flag descripti on: red wit h a lar ge yellow five -poi nted star and four smal ler yellow five -poi nted star s (arranged i n a vertical arc toward t he mi ddl e of the flag) in t he upper hoist -side cor ner; t he c olor red repr esents revol ution, whil e the stars symboli ze the f our soci al classes - the working class, the peasantr y, the ur ban petty bour geoisie, and the national bour geoisie (c apit al ists) - united under the Communist Part y of Chi na

National symbol(s) : dragon

National anthem: name: "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The Marc h of t he Vol unteers) l yrics/musi c: TIAN Han/ NI E Er not e: adopted 1949; the anthem, t hough banned duri ng t he Cult ural Revoluti on, is more commonl y known as "Zhongguo Guoge" (Chinese Nati onal Song); it was ori ginall y the theme song to t he 1935 Chinese movie, "Sons and Daughter s in a Ti me of St orm"

Economy: China
Introducti on :: CHINA Geogr aphy :: CHINA Peopl e and Soci et y :: CHI NA Gover nment :: CHI NA Economy :: CHINA Economy - over view: Since t he lat e 1970s Chi na has moved from a closed, centrall y planned system to a mor e market-ori ented one that pl ays a major gl obal r ole - i n 2010 China became t he world's lar gest exporter. Reforms began with the phasing out of coll ectivized agric ultur e, and expanded to include t he gradual li berali zati on of prices, fiscal dec entr alizati on, i ncreased aut onomy for state ent erprises, creation of a diversified banking system, devel opment of stoc k markets, rapi d gr owt h of t he pri vat e sector, and opening t o for eign tr ade and investment. Chi na has impl ement ed r eforms i n a gradualist f ashion. I n recent years, Chi na has renewed its support for state- owned ent erprise s in sectors it considers import ant t o "economic secur ity," explicitly looki ng t o fost er gl oball y competiti ve national c hampi ons. Aft er keepi ng its currency tightl y linked to t he US doll ar for years, in Jul y 2005 Chi na reval ued its currency by 2.1% agai nst the US doll ar and moved t o an exc hange r ate syst em t hat refer enc es a basket of c urrenci es. From mid 2005 t o lat e 2008 cumulati ve appr eciati on of the renmi nbi against the US dollar was more than 20%, but t he exchange rat e remai ned virtually pegged t o the d oll ar from t he onset of the global financi al crisis until June 2010, when Bei ji ng al lowed r esumpti on of a gradual appreci ation. The restructuring of the ec onomy and resulting efficiency gai ns have contributed to a more t han t enf ol d incr eas e in GDP si nce 19 78. Meas ured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis that adjusts for price diff erences, China i n 2010 stood as the sec ond -lar gest economy i n the world after the US, havi ng sur passed Japan i n 2001. The doll ar values of Chi na's agricult ural and i ndustrial output each exc eed those of the US; China is second to t he US in t he val ue of servic es it produc es. Still, per capit a inc ome is bel ow t he worl d average. The Chinese government f aces numerous economic chall enges, includi ng: ( a) reduci ng its hi gh domestic savi ngs rate and correspondi ngl y low domes tic demand; (b) sust aini ng adequate job growth f or tens of milli ons of migr ants and new entrants to the work force; (c) reduci ng corrupti on and ot her economic crimes; and (d) contai ning envir onmental damage and socia l strife relat ed t o the economy's rapi d transformati on. Economic development has progressed further in coastal provi nces than in t he int erior, and by 2011 mor e than 250 million migr ant workers and their dependents had r elocat ed to urban areas to find work. One consequence of populati on c ontr ol policy is that Chi na is now one of t he most rapidl y agi ng countries in the worl d. Det eri orati on i n the environment - notably air polluti on, s oil er osion, and t he steady f all of the water t abl e, es peci al ly in t he Nort h - is anot her long-term pr obl em. Chi na c onti nues to lose arable l and bec aus e of erosion and ec onomic devel opment. The Chinese gover nment is seeking to add ener gy production capacity fr om sources other than coal and oil, focusing on nucl ear and alter nati ve energy development. In 2010 - 11, Chi na f aced high infl ati on r esulti ng largely fr om its credit -f uel ed stimul us progr am. Some tight eni ng meas ures appear to have

controll ed infl ation, but GDP gr owt h cons equentl y slowed to near 9% for 2011. An ec onomic slowdown i n Europe is expected to f urther dr ag Chi nese growth i n 2012. Debt overhang from the stimulus program, particularly among l ocal governments, and a pr operty price bubbl e chall enge policy makers currentl y. The government's 12t h Fi ve -Year Plan, adopt ed i n Ma rch 2011, emphasi zes continued ec onomic ref orms and t he need t o increase domestic consumpti on i n order to make the economy less dependent on exports in the fut ur e. However, Chi na has made only mar gi nal progress towar d these rebalancing goals.

GDP ( pur chasi ng power parit y) : $11. 29 trillion ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 3 $10. 34 trillion ( 2010 est.) $9. 356 trillion ( 2009 est.) not e: data are i n 2011 US doll ars

GDP ( official exchange rate) : $6. 989 trillion not e: because Chi na's exc hange r ate is det ermine by fiat, rather than by market forces, the official exchange rat e measure of GDP is not an accurate measure of China's output; GDP at the official exc hange r ate s ubst anti ally understat es the actual l evel of Chi na' s output vis -a-vis the r est of the world; i n China's situation, GDP at purchasing power parit y pr ovi des the best measure f or comparing out put across countries (2011 est.)

GDP - real gr owt h rate: 9.2% ( 2011) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 7 10. 5% ( 2010) 9.2% ( 2009)

GDP - per capita (PPP) : $8, 400 ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 120 $7, 500 ( 2010 est.) $7, 000 ( 2009 est.) not e: data are i n 2011 US doll ars

GDP - composition by sector : agri cultur e: 10.1% industr y: 46.8% ser vices: 43.1% (2011 est .)

Labor for ce: 795. 5 million countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1 not e: by the end of 2011, populati on at working age (15 - 64 years) was 1.0024 bi llion ( 2011 est.)

Labor for ce - by occupati on: agri cultur e: 36.7%

industr y: 28.7% ser vices: 34.6% (2008 est .)

Unempl oyment rat e: 6.5% ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 70 6.1% ( 2010 est.) not e: regist ered ur ban unempl oyment, which excludes private enter prises and mi grants was 4.1% i n 2010

Popul ation below povert y line: 13. 4% not e: in 2011, Chi na set a new povert y line at RMB 2300 (approximatel y US $363; this new standar d is significantl y hi gher than the line set i n 2009, and as a res ult, 128 mi llion Chi nese are now considered bel ow the poverty li ne ( 2011)

Household i ncome or consumption by percentage share : lowest 10 %: 3.5% highest 10 %: 15% not e: data are f or ur ban househol ds only ( 2008)

Distribution of famil y income - Gi ni index: 48 ( 2009) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 27 41. 5 (2007)

Investment (gross fi xed) : 54. 2% of GDP (2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1

Budget: revenues: $1. 646 trillion expenditures: $1. 729 trilli on ( 2011 est.)

Taxes and ot her revenues : 23. 6% of GDP (2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 130

Budget surplus (+) or deficit ( -): -1.2% of GDP (2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 63

Public debt : 43. 5% of GDP (2011) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 66 43. 5% of GDP (2010)

not e: official dat a; dat a cover bo t h central government debt and l ocal government debt, whic h Chi na's National Audit Office estimat ed at RMB 10. 72 trillion (approximatel y US$1.66 trillion)in 2011; data excl ude polic y bank bonds, Mi nistry of Rai lway debt, Chi na Asset Management Company debt , and non- performing loans

Inflation rat e (consumer prices) : 5.4% ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 132 3.3% ( 2010 est.)

Central bank discount r ate : 2.25% ( 31 December 2010 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 100 3.25% ( 31 December 2010 est.)

Commer cial bank prime l ending rat e : 6.56% ( 31 December 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 144 5.81% ( 31 December 2010 est.)

Stock of narrow money: $4. 599 trillion ( 31 December 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 3 $4. 046 trillion ( 31 December 2010 est.)

Stock of broad money: $13. 52 trillion ( 31 December 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 2 $11. 01 trillion ( 31 December 2010 est.)

Stock of domestic credit : $10. 72 trillion ( 31 December 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 4 $8. 868 trillion ( 31 December 2010 est.)

Market val ue of publicl y t raded shares : $3. 408 trillion ( 30 December 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 3 $4. 028 trillion ( 31 December 2010) $5. 008 trillion ( 31 December 2009 est.)

Agricultur e - products: worl d leader in gr oss val ue of agricultur al out put; rice, wheat, pot at oes, cor n, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, appl es, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish

Industries:

worl d leader in gr oss val ue of industrial output; mi ning and or e pr ocessing, iron, steel, aluminum, and ot her met al s, coal; mac hine buil ding; armaments; t extiles and appar el; petr oleum; cement; chemic als; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportati on equi pment, includi ng automobil es, rail cars and locomotives, shi ps, and aircraft; telecommunic atio ns equi pment, commerci al space launch vehicles, sat ellites

Industrial production growth rat e: 13. 9% ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 6

Electricit y - production: 4.604 trillion kW h (2011) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1

Electricit y - consumption : 4.693 trillion kW h (2011) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1

Electricit y - export s: 19. 06 billi on kW h (2010)

Electricit y - import s: 55. 45 billi on kW h (2010)

Oil - producti on: 4.073 million bbl/ day (2011) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 5

Oil - consumption: 9.4 milli on bbl/day (2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 3

Oil - export s: 506, 500 bbl/ day (2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 29

Oil - imports: 5.08 milli on bbl/day ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 3

Oil - proved reser ves: 14. 8 billi on bbl (1 J anuary 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 14

Natur al gas - production: 102. 5 billi on c u m (2011) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 8

Natur al gas - consumption: 129 billion cu m ( 2011 est. ) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 5

Natur al gas - exports: 3.21 billi on cu m ( 2011 est. ) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 33

Natur al gas - import s: 30 billion cu m (2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 12

Natur al gas - proved reserves: 800 billion cu m ( 1 January 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 29

Current account bal ance : $280.6 billion (2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1 $305.4 billion (2010 est.)

Exports: $1. 898 trillion ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1 $1. 578 trillion ( 2010 est.)

Exports - commodities: electrical and ot her mac hinery, i ncluding dat a pr ocessing equi pment, apparel, t extiles, iron and steel, optical and medical equi pment

Exports - part ner s: US 17. 7%, Hong Kong 14.1%, Japan 7. 8%, Sout h Kor ea 4.4%, Germany 4% ( 2009)

Import s: $1. 743 trillion ( 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 3 $1. 327 trillion ( 2010 est.)

Import s - commodities:

electrical and ot her mac hinery, oil and mineral f uels, optic al and medical equi pment, met al ores, pl astics, organic chemicals

Import s - part ner s: Japan 11. 2%, Sout h Korea 9.3%, US 7%, Germany 5.3%, Australi a 4.7% ( 2009)

Reser ves of forei gn exchange and gold : $3. 236 trillion ( 31 December 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1 $2. 895 trillion ( 31 December 2010 est.)

Debt - ext ernal: $697.2 billion (30 September 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 19 $548.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Stock of direct for eign investment - at home: $776 billi on ( 31 Dec ember 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 7 $578.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Stock of direct for eign investment - abroad: $322 billi on ( 31 Dec ember 2011 est.) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 15 $317.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Exchange rat es: Renmi nbi yuan (RMB) per US doll ar 6.4614 ( 2011 est.) 6.7695 ( 2010 est.) 6.8314 ( 2009) 6.9385 ( 2008) 7.61 (2007)

Fiscal year : calendar year

Communication: China
Introducti on :: CHINA Geogr aphy :: CHINA Peopl e and Soci et y :: CHI NA Gover nment :: CHI NA Economy :: CHINA

Communi cations :: CHINA Telephones - main lines i n use: 294. 383 milli on ( 2009) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1

Telephones - mobil e cellular : 859 milli on ( 2009) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1

Telephone syst em: gener al assessment: domestic and int ernati onal ser vices are i ncreasi ngl y avail able f or private use; unevenl y distri but ed domestic system ser ves principal cities, industrial centers, and many t owns; Chi na continues to devel op its telec ommunic ations infr astructure, and is part neri ng with f orei gn pr oviders to expand its gl obal reach; Chi na in t he s ummer of 2008 began a major r estructuring of its tel ecommunicat i ons industry, res ulting in t he cons olidation of its six t el ecom ser vice oper ators to t hree, Chi na Telecom, Chi na Mobil e and China Unicom, eac h pr ovi di ng bot h fi xed -li ne and mobile s ervices domestic: int erpr ovinci al fiber - optic trunk lines and c ellul ar tel ephone syst ems have been install ed; mobile-cell ul ar subscribershi p is increasing rapi dly; t he number of Int ernet users exc eeded 250 milli on by summer 2008; a domestic sat ellite syst em wit h 55 eart h stations is in plac e international: country code - 86; a number of s ubmar ine c abl es pr ovi de connectivity t o Asi a, the Mi ddle East, Eur ope, and t he US; sat ellit e earth s tations - 7 (5 I ntels at - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Oc ean; 1 I ntersputnik - Indi an Ocean r egion; and 1 Inmarsat - Pacifi c and Indian Ocean regi ons) (2008)

Broadcast medi a: all br oadcast medi a are owned by, or affili ated wit h, t he Communist Party of Chi na or a government agency; no pri vat el y -owned TV or radio s tations; state -run Chi nes e Central TV, provinci al, and municipal s tations off er mor e than 2, 000 c hannels; the Central Propaganda Department lists subjects that are off limits to domest ic broadcast medi a wit h the gover nment mai ntai ning aut horit y to approve all programming ; for eign-made TV programs must be approved prior t o br oadcas t (2008)

Internet countr y code: .cn

Internet host s: 19. 772 milli on (2010) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 6

Internet users: 389 milli on ( 2009) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1

Transportation: China
Introducti on :: CHINA

Geogr aphy :: CHINA Peopl e and Soci et y :: CHI NA Gover nment :: CHI NA Economy :: CHINA Communi cations :: CHINA Transport ation :: CHINA Air port s: 497 (2012) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 14

Air port s - with paved runways: total: 452 over 3, 047 m: 68 2,438 to 3, 047 m: 147 1,524 to 2, 437 m: 126 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 85 ( 2012)

Air port s - with unpaved r unways: total: 45 over 3, 047 m: 2 2,438 to 3, 047 m: 2 1,524 to 2, 437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 21 ( 2012)

Heliports: 50 ( 2012)

Pipelines: gas 38, 566 km; oil 23,470 km; refined products 13, 706 km (2010)

Railways: total: 86,000 km countr y comparison t o the worl d: 3 standard gauge: 86, 000 k m 1.435-m gauge (36, 000 km electrified) (2008)

Roadways: total: 3, 860, 800 km countr y comparison t o the worl d: 2 paved: 3, 056, 300 km (incl udes 65,000 km of express ways) unpaved: 804,500 km (2007)

Waterways: 110, 000 km (navi gabl e wat erways) (2011) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 1

Merchant marine: total: 2, 030 countr y comparison t o the worl d: 3 by t ype: barge carri er 7, bulk carrier 621, cargo 566, carrier 10, chemical t ank er 140, cont ainer 206, liquefi ed gas 60, passenger 9, passenger/car go 81, petrol eum tanker 264, refrigerat ed c argo 33, roll on/r oll off 8, specialized tanker 2, vehicl e carrier 23 foreign-owned: 22 (Hong Kong 18, Indonesia 2, Japan 2) regi ster ed in other count ries: 1, 559 ( Banglades h 1, Beli ze 61, Cambodia 177, Comoros 1, Cyprus 6, Georgi a 10, Hondur as 2, Hong Kong 500, I ndi a 1, Indonesia 1, Kiribat i 26, Liberia 4, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 14, North Kor ea 3, Panama 534, Phili ppi nes 4, Saint Ki tts and Nevis 1, Saint Vinc ent and t he Grenadines 65, Sao Tome and Pri ncipe 1, Si erra Leone 19, Singapore 29, Sout h Korea 6, Thail and 1, Togo 1, Tuval u 4, UK 7, Vanuatu 1, unknown 73) (2010)

Ports and termi nals: Dali an, Guangzhou, Ni ngbo, Qingdao, Qi nhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin

Military: China
Introducti on :: CHINA Geogr aphy :: CHINA Peopl e and Soci et y ::CHI NA Gover nment :: CHI NA Economy :: CHINA Communi cations :: CHINA Transport ation :: CHINA Militar y :: CHI NA Militar y br anches: Peopl e's Li ber ation Army ( PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes mari nes and naval aviati on), Air Forc e (Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun Kongjun, PLAAF; i ncludes Air bor ne Forces), and Second Artill ery Cor ps (strategic missile force); Peopl e's Armed Police ( PAP); PLA Reser ve Force ( 2010)

Militar y ser vice age and obligation : 18- 24 years of age f or selective compulsor y militar y service, with a 2 year ser vic e obligati on; no mi nimum age f or volunt ary ser vice ( all officers ar e vol unteers); 18 - 19 years of age for women hi gh sc hool gr aduat es who meet r equir ements for specific militar y jobs; a recent military decision allows women in combat rol es; the fi rst class of women warshi p commanders was in tr aini ng in 2011 (2010)

Manpower avail abl e for militar y servi ce :

males age 16- 49: 385, 821, 101 femal es age 16-49: 363, 789,674 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for militar y ser vice : males age 16- 49: 318, 265, 016 femal es age 16-49: 300, 323,611 (2010 est.)

Manpower r eaching militarily significant age annuall y : male: 10,406, 544 femal e: 9, 131, 990 ( 2010 est.)

Militar y expendit ures : 4.3% of GDP ( 2006) countr y comparison t o the worl d: 21

Transnational Issue: China

Introducti on :: CHINA Geogr aphy :: CHINA Peopl e and Soci et y :: CHI NA Gover nment :: CHI NA Economy :: CHINA Communi cations ::CHINA Transport ation :: CHINA Militar y :: CHI NA Transnati onal Issues :: CHINA Disput es - int ernational: conti nui ng t alks and confi denc e -buildi ng measur es work towar d reduci ng t ensi ons over Kashmir that nonet hel ess remains milit arized with p ortions under t he de facto administrati on of China (Aksai Chi n), Indi a (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kas hmir and Northern Areas); Indi a does not recogni ze Pakistan's ceding his toric Kashmir lands t o China in 1964; Chi na and I ndi a continue t heir s ec urity and f orei gn policy dial ogue started i n 2005 r elat ed to the dispute over most of t heir rugged, militari zed boundary, r egi onal nuclear proliferati on, and other matters; Chi na claims most of India's Ar unachal Prades h to t he bas e of t he Himal ayas; lacking any tr eat y describi ng t he boundar y, Bhut an and Chi na conti nue negotiat ions to establish a c ommon boundary alignment to res olve t erritorial dis put es arising from substanti al cartogr aphic discrepancies , the l argest of which li e in Bhutan's northwest and al ong t he Chumbi salient; Burmese f orces att empti ng to dig i n t o the lar gely aut onomous Shan Stat e t o rout l ocal militi as tied t o t he dr ug tr ade, prompts local residents to peri odic ally fl ee i nto nei ghboring Yunnan Pr ovi nce in Chi na; Chi nes e maps show an i nt ernational boundary s ymbol off the coasts of the littoral states of the South Chi na Seas, wher e China has int errupted Viet names e hydr ocar bon expl orati on; China asserts soverei gnty over Scarborough Reef al ong with the Phili ppi nes and Taiwan, and over t he Spr atl y Islands toget her wit h Malaysia, the Phili ppi nes, Tai wan, Vi et nam, and Br unei; t he 2002 Declarati on on the Conduct of Parties in the Sout h China Sea eased tensions in t he Spratl ys but is not t he l egall y binding code of conduct sought by some parties ; Viet nam and Chi na conti nue t o expand construc tion of

facilities in t he Spr atlys and in March 2005, the nati onal oil compani es of Chi na, the Phili ppi nes, and Viet nam signed a joint accord on mari ne s eismic activiti es in the Spr atly Islands; Chi na occupies some of t he Paracel Isl ands also claimed by Vi et nam and Tai wan; Chi na and Tai wan continue to reject bot h Japan's clai ms to the uninhabit ed islands of Senkaku-s hot o (Di aoyu Tai ) and Japan's unilat erall y declared equi distanc e line i n the East Chi na Sea, t he site of int ensive hydrocar bon expl orat ion and expl oitati on; c ertai n islands in the Yal u and Tumen ri vers are i n dis put e wit h North Korea; North Kor ea and Chi na s eek to stem illegal migr ation to China by Nort h Koreans, fl eeing privations and oppr ession, by buil di ng a fence along porti ons of the border and imprisoni ng Nort h Koreans deported by Chi na; Chi na and Russia have demarcat ed t he once disput ed islands at the Amur and Ussuri confl uence and i n the Ar gun Ri ver i n accor dance with their 2004 Agreement; Chi na and Tajikistan have begun demarcating t he r evis ed boundary agr eed t o in t he delimit ation of 2002; the dec ade-l ong demarcati on of the Chi na - Viet nam land boundar y was compl et ed in 2009; citing environment al, cult ur al, and s ocial concer ns, China has recons idered construction of 13 dams on t he Salween Ri ver , but energy -star ved Burma, with backing from Thail and, remai ns intent on buil di ng fi ve hydr o -el ectric dams downstream des pite r egi onal and i nternati onal prot ests; Chi nes e and Hong Kong aut horiti es met i n March 2008 to r esolve ownership and use of lands r ecover ed i n Shenzhen Ri ver channeli zati on, including 96 - hectar e Lok Ma Chau Loop; Hong Kong devel oping pl ans to reduce 2, 000 out of 2,800 hectar es of its restricted Clos ed Area by 2010

Refugees and inter nall y displ aced persons : refugees ( countr y of ori gi n): 300, 897 (Vi etnam); estimated 30, 000 - 50, 000 (Nort h Korea) IDPs: 90,000 ( 2007)

Trafficking in per sons : current sit uati on: Chi na i s a source, tr ansit, and destination country f or men, women, and children trafficked for t he purposes of s exual expl oit at ion and f orced l abor; t he majorit y of trafficking in Chi na occurs withi n the co untr y's bor ders, there are r eports in rec ent years that Chi nes e men, women, and children may be subject ed to conditi ons of sex tr afficking and forced l abor i n numerous countries and territ ories wor ldwi de; women and chil dren ar e trafficked to Chi na from Bur ma, Vi etnam, Laos, Mongolia, Russia, Nort h Korea, Romania, and Zimbabwe for f orced l abor, marriage, and prostituti on; some Chi nes e chil dren ar e forced i nto prostituti on, and various forms of forced labor, i ncludi ng begging, stealing, and work in brick kilns and fact ories tier rating: Tier 2 W atch List - China does not f ull y compl y with t he mini mum standards f or the elimi nati on of trafficking and di d not demonstrate evidenc e of significant eff orts to address all forms of trafficking or effec tivel y pr ot ect victims; however, Chi na has increased its attenti on to trafficking of women and childr en nationwi de; Chi na conti nues to l ack a formal, nationwi de procedure t o systematicall y identify victims of trafficking ( 2008)

Illicit drugs: major transshi pment point f or heroi n pr oduc ed i n the Gol den Tri angl e region of Southeast Asia; gr owi ng domestic consumption of synthetic drugs, and her oin fr om Southeast and Southwest Asi a; source countr y for met hamphet ami ne and her oin chemic al pr ecursors, despit e new regul ati ons on its lar ge chemical i ndustry (2008)