Official Name of Nation: People’s Republic of China
- 中华人民共和国 -- Zhongguo Renmin Gongheguo
Common Name of Nation: China
Capital: BeijingLargest City: ShanghaiOfficial Languages: Mandarin Chinese
Commonly Recognized Languages: Mongolian, Tibetan, Zhuang, Cantonese, English, Portuguese, and Uyghur
Official Written Language: Hanzi (Simplified Chinese Characters)
Ethnic Groups: 91.51% Han Chinese. Minorities inclued: Zhuang, Hui, Manchu, Uyghur Miao, Yi, Tuija, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Kazakh, Li, Dai, Qiang, Tajik, and Tatars.
Government Type: Single-Party, Socialist Republic.
President of China (addressed as "Zhuxi"): Xi Jinping
Premier: Li Keqiang
Vice Premiers (4): Zhang Gaoli (1st), Liu Yandong (2nd), Wang Yang (3rd), Ma Kai (4th)
Secretary General: Yang Jing
Fiance Minister: Lou Jiwei
Foreign Minister: Wang Yi
Defense Minister: Chang Wanquan
Education Minister: Yuan Guiren
Commerce Minister: Gao Hucheng
Health and Family Planning Chairperson: Li Bin
Development and Reform Chairperson: Xu Shaoshi
Transport Minister: Yang Chuantang
Civil Affairs Minister: Li Liguo
Labour Minister: Yin Weimin
Central Bank Governor: Zhou Xiaochuan
Ambassador to Afghanistan: Xu Feihong
Ambassador to Brazil: Li Jinzhang
Ambassador to India: Zhang Dan
Ambassador to Japan: Cheng Yonghua
Ambassador to North Korea: Liu Hongcai
Ambassador to South Korea: Zhang Xinsen
Ambassador to Pakistan: Liu Jian
Ambassador to Romania: Huo Yuzhen
Ambassador to Russia: Li Hui
Ambassador to South Africa: Zhong Jianhua
Ambassador to Tajikistan: Fan Xianrong
Ambassador to the United Kingdom: Liu Xiaoming
Ambassador to the United States: Cui Tiankai
General Chief of Staff, PLA: General Fang Fenghui
Supreme Admiral: Admiral Wu Shengli
Chief of Staff, PLAAF: General Ma Xiaotian
Legislature: National People's Congress, or NPC, with 2,987 members in 2013, it is the largest parliamentary body in the world. Under China's current Constitution, the NPC is structured as a unicameral legislature, with the power to legislate, the power to oversee the operations of the government, and the power to elect the major officers of state. The NPC and the People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a consultative body whose members represent various social groups, are the main deliberative bodies of China, and are often referred to as the Lianghui (Two Assemblies).
Formed China was originally formed in 221 BCE, but the current government was founded in October 1, 1949.
Square Land Area: 9,596,961 km2
Coastline Area: 14,500 km
Shared Border Area: 22,117 km
Waterways: 110,000 km
GDP (PPP): $14.9614 trillion
Defence Budget: $126 billion
External Debt: $728.9 billion
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold: $3.341 trillion
GDP (Nominal): $9.3253 trillion
Gini Index: 47.4
HDI Index: 0.699
Currency (and Value to the USD): The Chinese Renminbi, or Chinese Yuan (Yuan) is currently worth $0.16.
Drives on: The right.
STATSTotal Population 1,349,585,838
Available Manpower 749,610,775
Labour Forces: 798,500,000
Merchant Marine Strength: 2,030
Major Ports and Terminals: 15
Roadway Coverage: 3,860,800 km
Railway Coverage: 86,000 km
Serviceable Airports: 507
Oil Production (bbl/day): 4,075,000
Oil Consumption (bbl/day): 9,500,000
Proven Reserves in Total: 25,580,000,000
Tanks: 9,150
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 4,788
Self-Propelled Guns: 1,710
Towed Artillery Pieces: 6,246
Rocket Projectors (MLRS): 1,770
Fit for Military Service 618,588,627
Reaching Military Age Annually 19,538,534
Active Frontline Personnel[B] 2,285,000
[B]Reserve Personnel 2,300,000
Total Aircraft: 2,788
Helicopters: 856
Aircraft Carriers: 1
- Liaoning (Hull #16) (officially, the 中国人民解放军海军辽宁舰 (Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun Haijun Liaoning Jian)) The first aircraft carrier of the PLAN, she is classified as a training ship, intended to allow the Navy to practice with carrier usage. Originally laid down as the Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier Riga for the Soviet Navy, she was launched on December 4, 1988 and renamed Varyag in 1990. The stripped hulk was purchased in 1998 by the People's Republic of China and towed to Dalian Shipyard in north eastern China. After being completely rebuilt and undergoing sea trials, the ship was commissioned into the PLAN as Liaoning on September 25, 2012. On November 4, 2012 J-15s performed carrier touch-and-go training. In June 2013, a second round of flight tests began on board the Liaoning, with personnel from the fleet air arm of the Brazilian Navy providing carrier training support to the Chinese Navy, five Chinese pilots were certified for Carrier Operations during this training exercise.
- The PLAN plans to lay the foundation of the first Domestic Carrier, using traditional Carrier technology (i.e. catapults, etc.) in 2015 with projected commissioning taking place in 2020.
Amphibious Transport Docks: 3 Blue-Water LPDs and 26 Green-Water LPDs
- 3 Yuzhao class LPDs (blue-water)
- 9 Type 072A LPDs
- 10 Type 072III LPDs
- 4 Type 072II LPDs
- 3 Type 072 LPDs
Submarines: 56 (of which 14 are nuclear-powered).
- 5 Type 094 Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarines
- 1 Type 096 Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine UNDER DEVELOPMENT
- 8 Type 093 nuclear-powered Fleet Submarine
- 1 Type 095 nuclear-powered Fleet Submarine (13 more planned)
- 13 Type 039 conventional Attack Submarines
- 13 Type 035 conventional Attack Submarines
- 12 Type 041 conventional Attack Submarines
- 12 Kilo-Class conventional Attack Submarines
Destroyers: 23 (11 under construction)
- 1 Type 052D multi-role and air-defense Destroyer (11 under construction)
- 2 Type 051C long-range air-defense guided missile Destroyer
- 6 Type 052C long-range air-defense Destroyer
- 2 Type 052B multi-role missile Destroyer
- 4 Sovremenny class anti-surface Destroyer
- 1 Type 051B guided missile Destroyer
- 2 Type 052 multi-role guided missile Destroyer
- 7 Type 051 missile boat and anti-surface Destroyer
Frigates: 42
- 18 Type 054A multi-role warship
- 2 Type 054 multi-role warship
- 10 Type 053H3 anti-surface warship
- 4 Type 053H2G multi-role warships
- 8 Type 053 anti-surface warships
Corvettes: 15
- 15 Type 056 light anti-surface and anti-submarine warship
Missile Boats 230
Mine Countermeasures: 8
Fleet Replenishment: 8
Auxiliaries: 186
Nuclear Capabilities: China has a maximum missile range of 14,000km and an estimated stockpile of 240 nuclear warheads with a maximum yield of 4 megatons.
China and North Korea have, in the past, enjoyed close diplomatic relations. However, in recent years there has been growing concern in China over issues such as North Korea's nuclear weapons program, their sinking of the ROKS Cheonan, their impoundment of Chinese fishing boats, and their bombardment of Yeonpyeong.
China maintains an embassy in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and a consulate general in Chongjin. The Embassy of North Korea in China is located in Beijing's Chaoyang District, while a consulate general is in Shenyang.
China permitted the Yanbian Korean Ethnic Group Autonomous Prefecture to conduct border trade with the DPRK in August 1954. A barter contract between China and the DPRK was officially signed the same year. The contract stipulates the following:
- The two sides shall barter in the form of mutual exchange of materials.
- The two sides shall settle the accounts with Chinese Yuan.
- The sites of barter shall be in the Chinese city of Tumen and in the Korean cities of Namyang, Hoeryeong, Khyongwon and Musan.
China is North Korea's largest trade partner, while North Korea ranked 82nd on the list of China's trade partners. China provides about half of all North Korean imports and received a quarter of its exports. China's major imports from North Korea include mineral fuels (coal), ores, woven apparel, iron and steel, fish and seafood, and stone. North Korea's imports from China include mineral fuels and oil, machinery, electrical machinery, vehicles, plastic, and iron and steel. China is a major source for North Korean imports of petroleum. In 2009, exports to the DPRK of mineral fuel oil totaled $327 million and accounted for 17% of all Chinese exports to the DPRK.
In 2013, Bank of China, China's biggest foreign exchange bank, and other Chinese banks shut the account of North Korea's main foreign exchange bank. Since the end of the Korean conflict, the two states have closely cooperated in security and defense issues.
The Republic of Korea recognizes the People's Republic of China as the official government of Mainland China, and so the two enjoy bilateral relations. Trade between the two nations is strong and China has been acting as mediators between South and North Korea for years. After the formation of KORUS-FTA in 2007, the Chinese government has been seeking the formation of a Free Trade Agreement with South Korea, which is still under discussion. Trade surpluses between the two nations has hit record highs of more than $35 billion. Currently the relations between the two nations is at a tense point after China's newly extended Air Defense Identification Zone which overlapped South Korean territory.
Finland and China have had an agreement on economic, industrial, scientific and technological co-operation since 1973, and the agreement was last revised in 2005. The two principal trade organizations between the countries are Finland-China Trade Association and the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
One of the fastest growing areas of trade between the two countries are in environmental protection and information technology.
Linux, the open source code first developed by Finnish software engineer Linus Torvalds, is playing a major role in the development of China’s IT sector – and in the country’s rapid industrial development as a whole. Researcher, investor and open source code promoter Mikko Puhakka believes that Linux has established a good foundation for Finnish-Chinese cooperation.
The roots of the Chinese open source code are in Finland. Professor Gong Min started using and developing Linux when he was doing his Ph.D research at the Helsinki University of Technology in the early 1990s. Returning to China in 1996, Professor Gong Min took Linux with him on 20 floppy disks. This is seen as the birth of Chinese open source code development and Professor Gong Min is now among the 20 most influential people in China.
The first Linux server was started in May 1997 in Changzhou. Its domain name was cLinux.ml.org. Today a local distribution of Linux, the Red Flag Linux, is a compulsory subject in 1,000 Chinese universities by 2008. The Chinese view open source code as a critical factor in the country’s development.
Nokia is the largest Finnish investor in China.
China and Russia are suspected of large-scale spying of the IT networks at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The spying focused on data traffic between Finland and the European Union, and is believed to have continued for four years. The spying was uncovered in spring 2013, and as of October 2013 the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) is investigating the breach.
China and Britain enjoy a friendly, cooperative, and close relationship. China and Britain have established a full strategic partnership and close cooperation. This is however strained thanks to David Cameron's visit with the Dalai Lama, which has seen China threatening to halt trade and banning David Cameron from traveling to China.
Relations between Brazil and China began in the early eigthteenth century and continued until 1949, when they were disrupted by the creation of the People's Republic of China. Diplomatic relations between China and Brazil officially began in 1974 with agreement on the establishment and operation of Brazil’s Embassy in Beijing and China’s Embassy in Brasília. Since then, bilateral ties have witnessed a smooth development in all fields.
The growing economic and political relationship between the two countries was confirmed by Lula’s visit to China, which included 450 Brazilian business representatives. Brazilian foreign minister Celso Amorim noted that the growing relationship could be part of a ‘reconfiguration of the world’s commercial and diplomatic geography’.
China became Brazil's largest trading partner in 2009. Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and many in the Brazilian media consider China to be "Brazil’s most promising business partner and a strategic ally" due to China's "rapidly rising demand for raw materials and agricultural produce". Bilateral trade grew from US$ 6.7 billion in 2003 to US$ 36.7 billion in 2009.
China and Brazil cooperate economically on quite some mutual beneficial projects such as the already in 1988 preparations for a joint project to construct the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program, which in 1999 and 2002 successfully constructed two satellites providing key information on (new sources of) natural resources. Secondly, an International Satellite Communications company (INSCOM) was set up as a joint venture.
Other projects in the range of the Earth Resources Satellite are the construction of Porto do Açu near Rio de Janeiro, Vitória and Campos dos Goytacazes, which can handle Chinamax containerships to import and export raw materials and manufactures vice versa. Other major important infrastructure investment are the construction of a continental pipeline, roads and high speed trains.
Chinese investment in Brazil takes strategic approaches and does so in strategic areas to consolidate China’s role in the Brazilian economy, this creates economic leverage, expands the zone of influence of Chinese companies in Brazil and increases interdependence. Chinese investments in Brazil are concentrated mainly in the energy, mining, steel and oil industries.
In 2010, despite the generally friendly and close relationship, Brazil was one of the few emerging economies to publicly criticise China's policy in relation to the so-called Currency war. Brazil has called for China to allow a faster appreciation of its currency, which would help other countries to better compete against Chinese exports. Brazil also criticised US policy, saying both China and the US should seek to avoid escalating economic tension concerning trade and currency.
Militarily, the Brazilian Navy is working closely with the Chinese Navy at aiding them in building a blue-water capable navy by training their carrier-forces.
