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Countries |
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Guide to DXing |
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Real Radio |
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Background:
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For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the
rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and
early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major
famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War
II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic
socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed
strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of
millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and
other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by
2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living
standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal
choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.
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Location:
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Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea,
and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
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Geographic coordinates:
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35 00 N, 105 00 E
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Map references:
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Asia
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Area:
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total: 9,596,960 sq km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than the US
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Land boundaries:
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total: 22,117 km
border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma
2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea
1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km,
Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605
km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam
1,281 km
regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
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Coastline:
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14,500 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin
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Climate:
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extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains,
deltas, and hills in east
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
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Natural resources:
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coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten,
antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum,
lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
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Land use:
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arable land: 14.86%
permanent crops: 1.27%
other: 83.87% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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545,960 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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2,829.6 cu km (1999)
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Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 549.76 cu km/yr (7%/26%/68%)
per capita: 415 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and
eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes;
droughts; land subsidence
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates)
from reliance on coal produces acid rain; 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
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, 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
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Geography - note:
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world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US);
Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest
peak
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Population:
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1,330,044,605 (July 2008 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 20.1% (male 142,085,665/female
125,300,391)
15-64 years: 71.9% (male 491,513,378/female 465,020,030)
65 years and over: 8% (male 50,652,480/female 55,472,661)
(2008 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 33.6 years
male: 33.1 years
female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.629% (2008 est.)
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Birth rate:
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13.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Death rate:
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7.03 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 21.16 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 19.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.18 years
male: 71.37 years
female: 75.18 years (2008 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.77 children born/woman (2008 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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840,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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44,000 (2003 est.)
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever,
Japanese encephalitis, and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been
identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with
extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have
close contact with birds (2008)
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Nationality:
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noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese
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Ethnic groups:
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Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao,
Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
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Religions:
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Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
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Languages:
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Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing
dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou),
Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority
languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.9%
male: 95.1%
female: 86.5% (2000 census)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhongguo
abbreviation: PRC
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Government type:
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Communist state
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Capital:
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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
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Administrative divisions:
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23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions
(zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi,
singular and plural)
provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou,
Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu,
Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi,
Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)
autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia,
Xinjiang Uygur, Xizang (Tibet)
municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see
separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong
Kong and Macau
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Independence:
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221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January
1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949
(People's Republic established)
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National holiday:
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Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1
October (1949)
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Constitution:
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most recent promulgation 4 December 1982
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental
civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to
interpret statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of
legislation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March
2003); Vice President XI Jinping (since 15 March 2008)
head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March
2003); Executive Vice Premier LI Keqiang (17 March 2008),
Vice Premier HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premier
ZHANG Deijiang (since 17 March 2008), and Vice Premier WANG
Qishan (since 17 March 2008)
cabinet: State Council appointed by National People's
Congress (NPC)
elections: president and vice president elected by
National People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible
for a second term); elections last held 15-17 March 2008
(next to be held in mid-March 2013); premier nominated by
president, confirmed by National People's Congress
election results: HU Jintao elected president by National
People's Congress with a total of 2,963 votes; XI Jinping
elected vice president with a total of 2,919 votes
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao
Dahui (2,987 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and
provincial people's congresses, and People's Liberation Army to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held December 2007-February 2008; date of
next election - NA
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 2,987
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National
People's Congress); Local People's Courts (comprise higher,
intermediate, and basic courts); Special People's Courts
(primarily military, maritime, railway transportation, and
forestry courts)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight registered
small parties controlled by CCP
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the
government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and
the China Democracy Party as subversive groups
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International organization participation:
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ADB, AfDB, APEC, APT, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN
(dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, EAS, FAO, G-24 (observer), G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO,
ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG,
OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO,
UN, UN Security Council, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU,
WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong
chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New
York, San Francisco
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.
embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831
FAX: [86] (10) 6532-3178
consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and
Macau, Shanghai, Shenyang
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a
centrally planned system that was largely closed to international
trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing
private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms
started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized
agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of
prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state
enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the
development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state
sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has
generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion,
including the sale of minority shares in four of China's largest
state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange
and bond markets in 2005. After keeping its currency tightly linked
to the US dollar for years, China in July 2005 revalued its currency
by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system
that references a basket of currencies. Cumulative appreciation of
the renminbi against the US dollar since the end of the dollar peg
reached 15% in January 2008. The restructuring of the economy and
resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold
increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity
(PPP) basis, China in 2007 stood as the second-largest economy in
the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is
still lower middle-income. Annual inflows of foreign direct
investment in 2007 rose to $75 billion. By the end of 2007, more
than 5,000 domestic Chinese enterprises had established direct
investments in 172 countries and regions around the world. The
Chinese government faces several economic development challenges:
(a) to sustain adequate job growth for tens of millions of workers
laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to
the work force; (b) to reduce corruption and other economic crimes;
and (c) to contain environmental damage and social strife related to
the economy's rapid transformation. Economic development has been
more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior, and
approximately 200 million rural laborers have relocated to urban
areas to find work. One demographic consequence of the "one child"
policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries
in the world. Deterioration in the environment - notably air
pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table,
especially in the north - is another long-term problem. China
continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic
development. In 2007 China intensified government efforts to improve
environmental conditions, tying the evaluation of local officials to
environmental targets, publishing a national climate change policy,
and establishing a high level leading group on climate change,
headed by Premier WEN Jiabao. The Chinese government seeks to add
energy production capacity from sources other than coal and oil as
its double-digit economic growth increases demand. Chinese energy
officials in 2007 agreed to purchase five third generation nuclear
reactors from Western companies. More power generating capacity came
on line in 2006 as large scale investments - including the Three
Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River - were completed.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$7.043 trillion (2007 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$3.249 trillion (2007 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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11.4% (2007 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$5,300 (2007 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 11.7%
industry: 49.2%
services: 39.1%
note: industry includes construction (2007 est.)
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Labor force:
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803.3 million (2007 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 43%
industry: 25%
services: 32% (2006 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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4% unemployment in urban areas; substantial unemployment and
underemployment in rural areas (2007 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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8%
note: 21.5 million rural population live below the
official "absolute poverty" line (approximately $90 per year);
and an additional 35.5 million rural population above that but
below the official "low income" line (approximately $125 per
year) (2006 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
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lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 34.9% (2004)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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47 (2007)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.7% (2007 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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42.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $640.6 billion
expenditures: $634.6 billion (2007 est.)
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Public debt:
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18.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley,
apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish
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Industries:
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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, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment,
commercial space launch vehicles, satellites
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Industrial production growth rate:
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12.9% (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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3.256 trillion kWh (2007)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 80.2%
hydro: 18.5%
nuclear: 1.2%
other: 0.1% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption:
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2.859 trillion kWh (2006)
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Electricity - exports:
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11.27 billion kWh (2006)
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Electricity - imports:
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5.39 billion kWh (2006)
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Oil - production:
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3.73 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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6.93 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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79,060 bbl/day (2007)
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Oil - imports:
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3.19 million bbl/day (2007)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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12.8 billion bbl (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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58.6 billion cu m (2006 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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55.6 billion cu m (2006 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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2.874 billion cu m (2006)
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Natural gas - imports:
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976 million cu m (2006)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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2.45 trillion cu m (2006 est.)
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Current account balance:
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$363.3 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports:
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$1.221 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery, electrical products, data processing equipment,
apparel, textile, steel, mobile phones
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Exports - partners:
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US 21%, Hong Kong 16%, Japan 9.5%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany
4.2% (2006)
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Imports:
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$917.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, LED
screens, data processing equipment, optical and medical
equipment, organic chemicals, steel, copper
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Imports - partners:
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Japan 14.6%, South Korea 11.3%, Taiwan 10.9%, US 7.5%, Germany
4.8% (2006)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$1.641 billion (FY07)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$1.493 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$363 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
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$758.9 billion (2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
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$93.75 billion ( 2007 est.)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$4.477 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Currency (code):
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Renminbi (RMB); note - also referred to by the unit yuan (CNY)
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Currency code:
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CNY
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Exchange rates:
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yuan per US dollar - 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005),
8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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368 million (2006)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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461.1 million (2006)
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Telephone system:
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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, and is
partnering with foreign providers to expand its global
reach; 3 of China's 6 major telecommunications operators are
part of an international consortium which, in December 2006,
signed an agreement with Verizon Business to build the first
next-generation fiber optic submarine cable system directly
linking the US mainland and China
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and
cellular telephone systems have been installed;
mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing rapidly; the
number of internet users reached 162 million in 2007; a
domestic satellite system with 55 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) (2007)
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)
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Radios:
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417 million (1997)
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Television broadcast stations:
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3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31
are provincial TV stations, and nearly 3,000 are local city
stations) (1997)
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Televisions:
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400 million (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.cn
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Internet hosts:
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10.637 million (2007)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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3 (2000)
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Internet users:
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162 million (2007)
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Airports:
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467 (2007)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 403
over 3,047 m: 58
2,438 to 3,047 m: 128
1,524 to 2,437 m: 130
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 67 (2007)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 64
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 26 (2007)
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Heliports:
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35 (2007)
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Pipelines:
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gas 26,344 km; oil 17,240 km; refined products 6,106 km (2007)
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Railways:
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total: 75,438 km
standard gauge: 75,438 km 1.435-m gauge (20,151 km
electrified) (2005)
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Roadways:
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total: 1,870,661 km
paved: 1,515,797 km (with at least 34,288 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 354,864 km (2004)
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Waterways:
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124,000 km navigable (2006)
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Merchant marine:
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total: 1,775 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,219,786
GRT/33,819,636 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 415, cargo 689,
carrier 3, chemical tanker 62, combination ore/oil 2,
container 157, liquefied gas 35, passenger 8,
passenger/cargo 84, petroleum tanker 250, refrigerated cargo
33, roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 8, vehicle
carrier 17
foreign-owned: 12 (Ecuador 1, Greece 1, Hong Kong 6,
Japan 2, South Korea 1, Norway 1)
registered in other countries: 1,366 (Bahamas 9,
Bangladesh 1, Belize 107, Bermuda 10, Bolivia 1, Cambodia
166, Cyprus 10, France 5, Georgia 4, Germany 2, Honduras 3,
Hong Kong 309, India 1, Indonesia 2, Liberia 32, Malaysia 1,
Malta 13, Marshall Islands 3, Mongolia 3, Norway 47, Panama
473, Philippines 2, Sierra Leone 8, Singapore 19, St Vincent
and The Grenadines 106, Thailand 1, Turkey 1, Tuvalu 25,
unknown 33) (2007)
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Ports and terminals:
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Dalian, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai,
Shenzhen, Tianjin
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Military branches:
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People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes
marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes airborne forces),
and Second Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed
Police (PAP); Reserve and Militia Forces (2008)
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Military service age and obligation:
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18-22 years of age for selective compulsory military service,
with 24-month 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 (2007)
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 16-49: 375,009,345
females age 16-49: 354,314,328 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 16-49: 313,321,639
females age 16-49: 295,951,438 (2008 est.)
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Manpower reaching military service age
annually:
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males age 16-49: 10,760,380
females age 16-49: 9,710,032 (2008 est.)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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4.3% (2006)
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Transnational Issues |
China |
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Disputes - international:
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based on principles drafted in 2005, China and India continue
discussions to resolve all aspects of their extensive boundary and
territorial disputes together with a security and foreign policy
dialogue to consolidate discussions related to the boundary,
regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; recent talks and
confidence-building measures have begun to defuse tensions over
Kashmir, site of the world's largest and most militarized
territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration
of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad
Kashmir and Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's
ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; lacking any treaty
describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue negotiations to
establish a boundary alignment to resolve substantial cartographic
discrepancies, the largest of which lies in Bhutan's northwest;
China asserts sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with
Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the
2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea"
eased tensions in the Spratly's but is not the legally binding "code
of conduct" sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to
expand construction of facilities in the Spratly's and in March
2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and
Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in the
Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also
claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan continue to reject
both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto
(Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared equidistance line in
the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting;
certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in dispute with
North Korea; China seeks to stem illegal migration of North Koreans;
China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at the
Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with
their 2004 Agreement; in 2006, China and Tajikistan pledged to
commence demarcation of the revised boundary agreed to in the
delimitation of 2002; demarcation of the China-Vietnam land boundary
proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and
fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation
remains stalled; in 2004, international environmentalist and
political pressure from Burma and Thailand prompted China to halt
construction of 13 dams on the Salween River
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
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refugees (country of origin): 300,897 (Vietnam),
estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea)
IDPs: 90,000 (2006)
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Trafficking in persons:
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current situation: China is a source, transit, and
destination country for women, men, and children trafficked
for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; the
majority of trafficking in China is internal, but there is
also international trafficking of Chinese citizens; women
are lured through false promises of legitimate employment
into commercial sexual exploitation in Taiwan, Thailand,
Malaysia, and Japan; Chinese men and women are smuggled to
countries throughout the world at enormous personal expense
and then forced into commercial sexual exploitation or
exploitative labor to repay debts to traffickers; women and
children are trafficked into China from Mongolia, Burma,
North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage,
and sexual slavery; most North Koreans enter northeastern
China voluntarily, but others reportedly are trafficked into
China from North Korea; domestic trafficking remains the
most significant problem in China, with an estimated minimum
of 10,000-20,000 victims trafficked each year; the actual
number of victims could be much greater; some experts
believe that the serious and prolonged imbalance in the
male-female birth ratio may now be contributing to Chinese
and foreign girls and women being trafficked as potential
brides
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China failed to show
evidence of increasing efforts to address transnational
trafficking; while the government provides reasonable
protection to internal victims of trafficking, protection
for Chinese and foreign victims of transnational trafficking
remain inadequate
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Illicit drugs:
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major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden
Triangle region of Southeast Asia; growing domestic drug abuse
problem; source country for chemical precursors, despite new
regulations on its large chemical industry
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This page was last updated on 1 May,
2008
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MW Guide:
Introduction
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