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| Government Type |
Communist state |
| 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 |
| Currency |
yuan (CNY) |
| Economic Overview |
In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy from a sluggish, Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within a political framework of strict Communist control, the economic influence of non-state organizations and individual citizens has been steadily increasing. The authorities switched to a system of household and village 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 enterprises in services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. In 2002, with its 1.3 billion people but a GDP of just $4,400 per capita, China stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US (measured on a purchasing power parity basis). Agriculture and industry have posted major gains, especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, where foreign investment has helped spur output of both domestic and export goods. The leadership, however, often has experienced - as a result of its hybrid system - the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism (windfall gains and growing income disparities). China thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals. The government has struggled to (a) collect revenues due from provinces, businesses, and individuals; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises, many of which had been shielded from competition by subsidies and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 80 to 120 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time low-paying jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is essential to maintaining long-term growth in living standards. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment, notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. Beijing says it will intensify efforts to stimulate growth through spending on infrastructure - such as water control and power grids - and poverty relief and through rural tax reform aimed at eliminating arbitrary local levies on farmers. Accession to the World Trade Organization helps strengthen China's ability to maintain strong growth rates but at the same time puts additional pressure on the hybrid system of strong political controls and growing market influences. Beijing has claimed 7%-8% annual growth in recent years, and while many observers believe the official figures over the past two decades overstated China's real economic growth by 2 to 3 percentage points, China's official national growth rates of the past two years are fairly close to actual GDP growth. |
| Natural Resources |
coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest) |
| Primary Industries |
iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics, telecommunications |
| Agricultural Products |
rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish |
| Import Commodities |
machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, plastics, iron and steel, chemicals |
| Export Commodities |
machinery and equipment; textiles and clothing, footwear, toys and sporting goods; mineral fuels |
| Export Partners |
US 22.5%, Hong Kong 18.0%, Japan 14.9%, South Korea 4.8%, Germany 3.5%, Netherlands 2.8%, UK 2.5%, Singapore 2.1%, Taiwan 2.0% (2002) |
| AIRPORTS of China |
| Beijing - Capital Airport |
International, Beijing 28km (17miles), Position 40°04´48"N, 116°35´04"E, Elevation 35m (114ft) |
Detals |
| Chengdu/Shuangliu Airport |
Near Chengdu, Sichuan, Position 30°34´43"N, 103°56´50"E, Elevation 495m (1,624ft) |
Detals |
| Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport |
International, Near Guangzhou, Guangdong, Position 23°11´03"N, 113°15´58"E, Elevation 11m (36ft) |
Detals |
| Shanghai - Hong Qiao International Airport |
International, Near Shanghai, Position 31°11´52"N, 121°20´11"E, Elevation 3m (9ft) |
Detals |
| Urumqi - Diwopu Airport |
International, Heliport, Urumqi, Xinjiang 17km (10miles), Position 43°54´26"N, 087°28´27"E, Elevation 648m (2,125ft),37 Aircraft Stands |
Detals |
| Xi´an - Xianyang Airport |
Near Xi´an, Shaanxi, Position 34°26´46"N, 108°45´09"E, Elevation 479m (1,571ft) |
Detals |
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