China

agricultural land:

54.7%;

• arable land 11.3%;
• permanent crops 1.6%;
• permanent pasture 41.8%

forest:

22.3%

other:

23% (2011 est.)

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:

1.15 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.17 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.13 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.92 male(s)/female

total population:

1.06 male(s)/female (2015 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 2004 (2015)

• 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 Premiers ZHANG Gaoli (since 16 March 2013), LIU Yandong (since 16 March 2013), MA Kai (since 16 March 2013), WANG Yang (since 16 March 2013)

cabinet:

State Council appointed by National People's Congress

elections/appointments:

• president and vice president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-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;
• National People's Congress vote - 2,952 ;
• LI Yuanchao elected vice president with 2,940 votes

description:

• unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,987 seats; members indirectly elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses, and the People's Liberation Army; members serve 5-year terms);
• note - in practice, only members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its 8 allied parties, and CCP-approved independent candidates are elected

elections:

last held in December 2012-February 2013 (next to be held in late 2017 to early 2018)

election results:

percent of vote - NA; seats - 2,987

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 2 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 late 2014, China unveiled planned judicial reforms

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 18 March 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:

191,270 km

broad gauge:

100 km 1.520-m gauge

standard gauge:

190,000 km 1.435-m gauge (92,000 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

670 km 1.000-m gauge; 500 km 0.762-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 3

total:

4,106,387 km

paved:

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

unpaved:

652,497 km (2011)

country comparison to the world: 3

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)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanghai, Tangshan, Zhejiang

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):

300,896 (Vietnam); undetermined (North Korea) (2014)

IDPs:

undetermined (2014)

current situation:

• China is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor;
• Chinese adults and children are forced into prostitution and various forms of forced labor, including begging and working in brick kilns, coal mines, and factories;
• women and children are recruited from rural areas and taken to urban centers for sexual exploitation, often trafficked by criminal syndicates or gangs;
• state-sponsored forced labor continues to be an area of serious concern;
• Chinese men, women, and children also may be subjected to conditions of sex trafficking and forced labor worldwide, particularly in overseas Chinese communities;
• women and children are trafficked to China from neighboring countries, as well as Europe and Africa, for forced labor and prostitution

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - China does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government’s conflation of human trafficking with other crimes in 2013 made it difficult to assess law enforcement efforts to investigate and to prosecute trafficking offenses according to international law;
• authorities did not provide the data needed to ascertain the number of victims identified or assisted or the services provided;
• the National People’s Congress ratified a decision to abolish “reform through labor” (RTL);
• reports indicate some detainees were released and many RTL camps ceased operations, but others show that some RTL facilities have been converted into different types of detention centers;
• some North Korean refugees continued to be forcibly repatriated as illegal economic migrants, despite reports that some were trafficking victims (2014)

• 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;
• more people believed to be convicted and executed for drug offences than anywhere else in the world, according to NGOs (2008)