China

• boundary with India in dispute;
• disputed sections of the boundary with Russia remain to be settled;
• boundary with Tajikistan in dispute;
• short section of the boundary with North Korea is indefinite;
• involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei;
• maritime boundary dispute with Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin;
• Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan;
• claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as does Taiwan

current issues:

• air pollution from the overwhelming use of high-sulfur coal as a fuel, produces acid rain which is damaging forests;
• water shortages experienced throughout the country, particularly in urban areas;
• future growth in water usage threatens to outpace supplies;
• water pollution from industrial effluents;
• much of the population does not have access to potable water;
• less than 10% of sewage receives treatment;
• deforestation;
• estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1957 to soil erosion and economic development;
• desertification;
• trade in endangered species

natural hazards:

• frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts);
• damaging floods;
• tsunamis;
• earthquakes;
• droughts

international agreements:

• party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands;
• signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea

0-14 years:

26% (male 167,448,148; female 151,601,650)

15-64 years:

67% (male 421,455,418; female 393,913,510)

65 years and over:

7% (male 35,056,409; female 40,529,821) (July 1996 est.)

at birth:

1.11 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.86 male(s)/female

all ages:

1.06 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

noun:

Chinese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Chinese

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

• 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 3 municipalities** (shi, singular and plural);
• Anhui, Beijing**, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet), Yunnan, Zhejiang

note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province

• 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

chief of state:

• President JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993) and Vice President RONG Yiren (since 27 March 1993) elected by the National People's Congress;
• election last held 27 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998);
• results - JIANG Zemin was nominally elected by the Eighth National People's Congress

head of government:

• Premier LI Peng (Acting Premier since 24 November 1987, Premier since 9 April 1988) nominated by the president, decided by the National People's Congress;
• Vice Premiers ZHU Rongji (since 8 April 1991), ZOU Jiahua (since 8 April 1991), QIAN Qichen (since 29 March 1993), LI Lanqing (29 March 1993), WU Bangguo (since 17 March 1995), and JIANG Chunyun (since 17 March 1995) nominated by the president, decided by the National People's Congress

cabinet:

State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)

• unicameral National People's Congress (Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui): elections last held NA March 1993 (next to be held NA March 1998);
• results - CCP is the only party but there are also independents;
• seats - (2,977 total) (elected at county or xian level)

chief of mission:

Ambassador LI Daoyu

chancery:

2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 328-2500 through 2502

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador James R. SASSER

embassy:

Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing

mailing address:

PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002

telephone:

[86] (10) 5323831

revenues:

$NA

expenditures:

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

• rice, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, other fibers, oilseed;
• pork and other livestock products;
• fish

donor:

to less developed countries (1970-89) $NA

recipient:

ODA, $1.977 billion (1993)

total:

58,399 km

standard gauge:

54,799 km 1.435-m gauge (7,174 km electrified; more than 11,000 km double track)

narrow gauge:

3,600 km 0.762-m gauge local industrial lines (1995)

total:

1.029 million km

paved:

170,000 km

unpaved:

859,000 km (1990 est.)

• domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use;
• unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and most townships

domestic:

• telephone lines are being expanded;
• interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed;
• a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place

international:

• 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, and Hong Kong

People's Liberation Army (PLA), which includes the Ground Forces, Navy (includes Marines and Naval Aviation), Air Force, Second Artillery Corps (the strategic missile force), People's Armed Police (internal security troops, nominally subordinate to Ministry of Public Security, but included by the Chinese as part of the "armed forces" and considered to be an adjunct to the PLA in wartime)

males age 15-49:

352,506,948

males fit for military service:

194,589,216

males reach military age (18) annually:

9,763,916 (1996 est.)

• the officially announced but suspect figure is 70.2 billion yuan, NA% of GDP (1995 est.);
• note - conversion of the defense budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results