Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/50.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 14.3 KB | 452 lines

@node Header (China)
@section Header (China)

@display

Affiliation:
  (also see separate Taiwan entry)



@end display

@node Geography (China)
@section Geography (China)

@display

Location:
  East Asia, between India and Mongolia
Map references:
  Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  9,596,960 km2
 land area:
  9,326,410 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly larger than the US
Land boundaries:
  total 22,143.34 km, Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, Hong
  Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km,
  Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia 4,673 km, Nepal
  1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest)
  40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
Coastline:
  14,500 km
Maritime claims:
 continental shelf:
  claim to shallow areas of East China Sea and Yellow Sea
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  boundary with India; bilateral negotiations are under way to resolve
  disputed sections of the boundary with Russia; boundary with Tajikistan
  under dispute; a 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, as does Taiwan, (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu
  Tai)
Climate:
  extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Terrain:
  mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills
  in east
Natural resources:
  coal, iron ore, petroleum, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese,
  molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, world's
  largest hydropower potential
Land use:
 arable land:
  10%
 permanent crops:
  0%
 meadows and pastures:
  31%
 forest and woodland:
  14%
 other:
  45%
Irrigated land:
  478,220 km2 (1991 - Chinese statistic)



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@node Geography (China 2. usage)
@section Geography (China 2. usage)

@display

Environment:
  frequent typhoons (about five times per year along southern and eastern
  coasts), damaging floods, tsunamis, earthquakes; deforestation; soil
  erosion; industrial pollution; water pollution; air pollution;
  desertification
Note:
  world's third-largest country (after Russia and Canada)



@end display

@node People (China)
@section People (China)

@display

Population:
  1,177,584,537 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.1% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  18.29 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  7.34 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  52.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  67.74 years
 male:
  66.78 years
 female:
  68.8 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.85 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Chinese (singular and plural)
 adjective:
  Chinese
Ethnic divisions:
  Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol,
  Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Religions:
  Daoism (Taoism), Buddhism, Muslim 2-3%, Christian 1% (est.)
 note:
  officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic
Languages:
  Standard Chinese (Putonghua) or Mandarin (based on the Beijing dialect), Yue
  (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese),
  Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic divisions entry)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
 total population:
  73%
 male:
  84%
 female:
  62%
Labor force:
  567.4 million
 by occupation:
  agriculture and forestry 60%, industry and commerce 25%, construction and
  mining 5%, social services 5%, other 5% (1990 est.)



@end display

@node Government (China)
@section Government (China)

@display

Names:
 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
Digraph:
  CH
Type:
  Communist state
Capital:
  Beijing
Administrative divisions:
  23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu,,   singular and
plural), and 3 municipalities** (shi, singular and plural);,   Anhui, Beijing Shi**, Fujian, Gansu,,
Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan,,   Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi,
Jilin, Liaoning,
  Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai Shi**, Shanxi,,   Sichuan, Tianjin
Shi**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet), Yunnan, Zhejiang,  note:
  China considers Taiwan its 23rd province
Independence:   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)
Constitution:
  most recent promulgated 4 December 1982
Legal system:
  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
National holiday:
  National Day, 1 October (1949)
Political parties and leaders:
  Chinese Communist Party (CCP), JIANG Zemin, general secretary of the Central
  Committee (since 24 June 1989); eight registered small parties controlled by
  CCP
Other political or pressure groups:
  such meaningful opposition as exists consists of loose coalitions, usually
  within the party and government organization, that vary by issue
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Elections:
 National People's Congress:
  last held March 1993 (next to be held March 1998); results - CCP is the only
  party but there are also independents; seats - (2,977 total) (elected at
  county or xian level)
 President:
  last held 27 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); results - JIANG Zemin was
  nominally elected by the Eighth National People's Congress
Executive branch:
  president, vice president, premier, four vice premiers, State Council



@end display

@node Government (China 2. usage)
@section Government (China 2. usage)

@display

Legislative branch:
  unicameral National People's Congress (Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui)
Judicial branch:
  Supreme People's Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  President JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993); Vice President RONG Yiren
  (since 27 March 1993)
 Chief of State and Head of Government (de facto):
  DENG Xiaoping (since NA 1977)
 Head of Government:
  Premier LI Peng (Acting Premier since 24 November 1987, Premier since 9
  April 1988) Vice Premier ZHU Rongji (since 8 April 1991); Vice Premier ZOU
  Jiahua (since 8 April 1991); Vice Premier QIAN Qichen (since 29 March 1993);
  Vice Premier LI Lanqing (29 March 1993)
Member of:
  AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
  IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM
  (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UN Security
  Council, UNTAC, UNTSO, UN Trusteeship Council, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador LI Daoyu
 chancery:
  2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone:
  [phone] through 2502
 consulates general:
  Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador J. Stapleton ROY
 embassy:
  Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, Beijing
 mailing address:
  100600, PSC 461, Box 50, Beijing or FPO AP 96521-0002
 telephone:
  [86] (1) 532-3831
 FAX:
  [86] (1) 532-3178
 consulates general:
  Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang
Flag:
  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



@end display

@node Economy (China)
@section Economy (China)

@display

Overview:
  Beginning in late 1978 the Chinese leadership has been trying to move the
  economy from the sluggish Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more
  productive and flexible economy with market elements, but still within the
  framework of monolithic Communist control. To this end the authorities have
  switched to a system of household 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
  enterprise in services and light manufacturing, and opened the foreign
  economic sector to increased trade and joint ventures. The most gratifying
  result has been a strong spurt in production, particularly in agriculture in
  the early 1980s. Industry also has posted major gains, especially in coastal
  areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, where foreign investment and
  modern production methods have helped spur production of both domestic and
  export goods. Aggregate output has more than doubled since 1978. On the
  darker side, the leadership has often experienced in its hybrid system the
  worst results of socialism (bureaucracy, lassitude, corruption) and of
  capitalism (windfall gains and stepped-up inflation). Beijing thus has
  periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals and
  thereby lessening the credibility of the reform process. In 1991, and again
  in 1992, output rose substantially, particularly in the favored coastal
  areas. Popular resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority
  by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is
  essential to the nation's long-term economic viability.
National product:   GNP $NA
National product real growth rate:
  12.8% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5.4% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
  2.3% in urban areas (1992)
Budget:
  deficit $16.3 billion (1992)
Exports:
  $85.0 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
 commodities:
  textiles, garments, telecommunications and recording equipment, petroleum,
  minerals
 partners:
  Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, US, Germany, South Korea, Russia (1992)
Imports:
  $80.6 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
 commodities:
  specialized industrial machinery, chemicals, manufactured goods, steel,
  textile yarn, fertilizer
 partners:
  Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, US, Taiwan, Germany, Russia (1992)
External debt:
  $69.3 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 20.8% (1992)
Electricity:
  158,690,000 kW capacity; 740,000 million kWh produced, 630 kWh per capita
  (1992)



@end display

@node Economy (China 2. usage)
@section Economy (China 2. usage)

@display

Industries:
  iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles, petroleum,
  cement, chemical fertilizers, consumer durables, food processing
Agriculture:
  accounts for 26% of GNP; among the world's largest producers of rice,
  potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, and pork; commercial crops
  include cotton, other fibers, and oilseeds; produces variety of livestock
  products; basically self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 13.35 million
  metric tons (including fresh water and pond raised) (1991)
Illicit drugs:
  illicit producer of opium in at least 18 provinces and administrative
  regions; bulk of production is in Yunnan Province; transshipment point for
  heroin produced in the Golden Triangle
Economic aid:
  donor - to less developed countries (1970-89) $7.0 billion; US commitments,
  including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $220.7 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA
  and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $13.5 billion
Currency:
  1 yuan (Y) = 10 jiao
Exchange rates:
  yuan (Y) per US$1 - 5.7640 (January 1993), 5.5146 (1992), 5.3234 (1991),
  4.7832 (1990), 3.7651 (1989), 3.7221 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year



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@node Communications (China)
@section Communications (China)

@display

Railroads:
  total about 64,000 km; 54,000 km of common carrier lines, of which 53,400 km
  are 1.435-meter gauge (standard) and 600 km are 1.000-meter gauge (narrow);
  11,200 km of standard gauge common carrier route are double tracked and
  6,900 km are electrified (1990); an additional 10,000 km of varying gauges
  (0.762 to 1.067-meter) are dedicated industrial lines
Highways:
  about 1,029,000 km (1990) total; 170,000 km (est.) paved roads, 648,000 km
  (est.) gravel/improved earth roads, 211,000 km (est.) unimproved earth roads
  and tracks
Inland waterways:
  138,600 km; about 109,800 km navigable
Pipelines:
  crude oil 9,700 km (1990); petroleum products 1,100 km; natural gas 6,200 km
Ports:
  Dalian, Guangzhou, Huangpu, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Xingang,
  Zhanjiang, Ningbo, Xiamen, Tanggu, Shantou
Merchant marine:
  1,478 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,029,320 GRT/21,120,522 DWT;
  includes 25 passenger, 42 short-sea passenger, 18 passenger-cargo, 6
  cargo/training, 811 cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 81 container, 18
  roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 multifunction/barge carrier, 177 oil tanker, 11
  chemical tanker, 263 bulk, 3 liquefied gas, 1 vehicle carrier, 9 combination
  bulk, 1 barge carrier; note - China beneficially owns an additional 227
  ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling approximately 6,187,117 DWT that operate
  under Panamanian, British, Hong Kong, Maltese, Liberian, Vanuatu, Cypriot,
  Saint Vincent, Bahamian, and Romanian registry
Airports:
 total:
  330
 usable:
  330
 with permanent-surface runways:
  260
 with runways over 3,500 m:
  fewer than 10
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  90
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  200
Telecommunications:
  domestic and international services are increasingly available for private
  use; unevenly distributed internal system serves principal cities,
  industrial centers, and most townships; 11,000,000 telephones (December
  1989); broadcast stations - 274 AM, unknown FM, 202 (2,050 repeaters) TV;
  more than 215 million radio receivers; 75 million TVs; satellite earth
  stations - 4 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 INMARSAT,
  and 55 domestic



@end display

@node Defense Forces (China)
@section Defense Forces (China)

@display

Branches:
  People's Liberation Army (PLA), PLA Navy (including Marines), PLA Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 343,361,925; fit for military service 190,665,512; reach
  military age (18) annually 10,844,047 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GNP



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