China

total:

554.1 cu km/yr (12%/23%/65%)

per capita:

409.9 cu m/yr (2005)

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

volcanism:

China contains some historically active volcanoes including Changbaishan (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or P'aektu-san), Hainan Dao, and Kunlun although most have been relatively inactive in recent centuries

• air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain;
• China is the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels;
• 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

party to:

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, 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

• world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US) and largest country situated entirely in Asia;
• Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak

noun:

Chinese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Chinese

at birth:

1.11 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.16 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.13 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.92 male(s)/female

total population:

1.06 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

conventional long form:

People's Republic of China

conventional short form:

China

local long form:

Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo

local short form:

Zhongguo

abbreviation:

PRC

name:

Beijing

geographic coordinates:

39 55 N, 116 23 E

time difference:

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone; many people in Xinjiang Province observe an unofficial "Xinjiang time zone" of UTC+6, two hours behind Beijing

• 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established);
• notable earlier dates: 221 B.C. (unification under the Qin Dynasty);
• 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China)

• several previous;
• latest promulgated 4 December 1982;
• amended several times, last in 2005 (2005)

• civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems;
• legislature retains power to interpret statutes;
• note - criminal procedure law revised in early 2012

chief of state:

President XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013); Vice President LI Yuanchao (since 14 March 2013)

head of government:

• Premier LI Keqiang (since 16 March 2013);
• Executive Vice Premier ZHANG Gaoli (since 16 March 2013);
• Vice Premier LIU Yandong (since 16 March 2013);
• Vice Premier MA Kai (since 16 March 2013);
• Vice Premier WANG Yang (since 16 March 2013)

cabinet:

State Council appointed by National People's Congress; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president and vice president elected by National People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 5-17 March 2013 (next to be held in March 2018);
• premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress

election results:

XI Jinping elected president by National People's Congress with 2,952 votes; LI Yuanchao elected vice president with 2,940 votes

highest court(s):

Supreme People's Court (consists of over 340 judges including the chief justice, 13 grand justices organized into a civil committee and tribunals for civil, economic, administrative, complaint and appeal, and communication and transportation cases)

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice appointed by the People's National Congress;
• term limited to two consecutive 5-year terms;
• other justices and judges nominated by the chief justice and appointed by the Standing Committee of the People's National Congress;
• term of other justices and judges NA

subordinate courts:

• Higher People's Courts;
• Intermediate People's Courts;
• District and County People's Courts;
• Autonomous Region People's Courts;
• Special People's Courts for military, maritime, transportation, and forestry issues

; note - in October 2012, China issued a white paper on planned judicial reform

chief of mission:

Ambassador CUI Tiankai (since 3 April 2013)

chancery:

3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 495-2266

FAX:

[1] (202) 495-2138

consulate(s) general:

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Max Sieben BAUCUS (since 21 February 2014)

embassy:

55 An Jia Lou Lu, 100600 Beijing

mailing address:

PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002

telephone:

[86] (10) 8531-3000

FAX:

[86] (10) 8531-3300

consulate(s) general:

Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan

• 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;
• the color red represents revolution, while the stars symbolize the four social classes - the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie (capitalists) - united under the Communist Party of China

• world leader in gross value of agricultural output;
• rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed;
• pork;
• fish

• world leader in gross value of industrial output;
• 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, aircraft;
• telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites

agriculture:

33.6%

industry:

30.3%

services:

36.1%

(2012 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.7%

highest 10%:

30%

note: data are for urban households only (2009)

• electrical and other machinery, oil and mineral fuels;
• nuclear reactor, boiler, and machinery components;
• optical and medical equipment, metal ores, motor vehicles;
• soybeans

general assessment:

• domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use;
• unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns;
• China continues to develop its telecommunications infrastructure;
• China in the summer of 2008 began a major restructuring of its telecommunications industry, resulting in the consolidation of its six telecom service operators to three, China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom, each providing both fixed-line and mobile services

domestic:

• interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed;
• mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing rapidly;
• the number of Internet users exceeded 564 million by the end of 2012;
• a domestic satellite system with several earth stations is in place

international:

• country code - 86;
• a number of submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat - Pacific and Indian Ocean regions) (2012)

• all broadcast media are owned by, or affiliated with, the Communist Party of China or a government agency;
• no privately owned TV or radio stations;
• state-run Chinese Central TV, provincial, and municipal stations offer more than 2,000 channels;
• the Central Propaganda Department lists subjects that are off limits to domestic broadcast media with the government maintaining authority to approve all programming;
• foreign-made TV programs must be approved prior to broadcast

• condensate 9 km;
• gas 48,502 km;
• oil 23,072 km;
• oil/gas/water 31 km;
• refined products 15,298 km;
• water 9 km (2013)

total:

86,000 km

country comparison to the world: 3

standard gauge:

86,000 km 1.435-m gauge (36,000 km electrified) (2008)

total:

4,106,387 km

country comparison to the world: 3

paved:

3,453,890 km (includes 84,946 km of expressways)

unpaved:

652,497 km (2011)

major seaport(s):

Dalian, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin

river port(s):

Guangzhou (Pearl)

container port(s) (TEUs):

Dalian (6,400,300), Guangzhou (14,260,400), Ningbo (14,719,200), Qingdao (13,020,100), Shanghai (31,739,000), Shenzhen (22,570,800), Tianjin (11,587,600)(2011)

People's Liberation Army (PLA):

• Ground Forces, Navy (PLAN; includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun Kongjun, PLAAF; includes Airborne Forces), and Second Artillery Corps (strategic missile force);
• People's Armed Police (Renmin Wuzhuang Jingcha Budui, PAP);
• PLA Reserve Force (2012)

• 18-24 years of age for selective compulsory military service, with a 2-year service obligation;
• no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers);
• 18-19 years of age for women high school graduates who meet requirements for specific military jobs;
• a recent military decision allows women in combat roles;
• the first class of women warship commanders was in 2011 (2012)

males age 16-49:

385,821,101

females age 16-49:

363,789,674 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

318,265,016

females age 16-49:

300,323,611 (2010 est.)

male:

10,406,544

female:

9,131,990 (2010 est.)

refugees (country of origin):

estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea) (2012); 300,896 (Vietnam) (2013)

IDPs:

90,000 (2010)

current situation:

• China is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor;
• the majority of trafficking in China occurs within the country's borders, there are many reports that Chinese men, women, and children may be subjected to conditions of sex trafficking and forced labor in numerous countries and territories worldwide;
• women and children are trafficked to China from Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, Russia, North Korea, and even as far away as Europe and Africa for forced labor and prostitution;
• some Chinese adults and children are forced into prostitution and various forms of forced labor, including begging, stealing, and working in brick kilns, coal mines, and factories

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - China does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and was downgraded to Tier 3 after the maximum of two consecutive annual waivers;
• the government has not demonstrated significant efforts to comprehensively prohibit and punish all forms of trafficking and to prosecute traffickers;
• the government also has not reported providing comprehensive victim protection services to domestic or foreign, male or female victims of trafficking;
• in 2013, the government released an eight-year national action plan, which includes measures to improve interagency and other internal coordination among anti-trafficking stakeholders and victim protection (2013)

• major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle region of Southeast Asia;
• growing domestic consumption of synthetic drugs, and heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia;
• source country for methamphetamine and heroin chemical precursors, despite new regulations on its large chemical industry (2008)