Introduction
Background
China's civilization dates from at least 1200 B.C. From the 3rd century B.C. and for the next two millennia, China alternated between periods of unity and disunity under a succession of imperial dynasties. After World War II, the Chinese Communist Party under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system.
Geography
Area
total : 9,596,960 sq km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km
Climate
extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, helium, petroleum, natural gas, arsenic, bismuth, cobalt, cadmium, ferrosilicon, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, lithium, mercury, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, antimony, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest), arable land
People and Society
Population
total: 1,416,043,270
Ethnic groups
Han Chinese 91.1%, ethnic minorities 8.9% (includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)
Languages
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (official; Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages; note - Zhuang is official in Guangxi Zhuang, Yue is official in Guangdong, Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uyghur is official in Xinjiang Uygur, Kyrgyz is official in Xinjiang Uyghur, and Tibetan is official in Xizang (Tibet)
Religions
folk religion 21.9%, Buddhist 18.2%, Christian 5.1%, Muslim 1.8%, Hindu < 0.1%, Jewish < 0.1%, other 0.7% (includes Daoist (Taoist)), unaffiliated 52.1% (2021 est.)
Population growth rate
0.23% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
communist party-led state
Capital
name: Beijing
Executive branch
chief of state: President XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)
head of government: Premier LI Qiang (since 11 March 2023)
Legislative branch
summary: unicameral National People's Congress (maximum of 3,000 seats)
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador XIE Feng (since 30 June 2023)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Nicholas BURNS (since 2 April 2022)
Economy
Economic overview
one of the world’s top two economies; sustained growth due to export relations, its manufacturing sector, and low-wage workers; only major economy to avoid COVID-19 economic decline; recovery efforts slowing due to longstanding poverty imbalances and other institutional issues; state-sponsored economic controls
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$31.227 trillion (2023 est.)
$29.683 trillion (2022 est.)
$28.822 trillion (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$22,100 (2023 est.)
$21,000 (2022 est.)
$20,400 (2021 est.)
Exports
$3.511 trillion (2023 est.)
$3.719 trillion (2022 est.)
$3.555 trillion (2021 est.)
Exports - partners
US 15%, Hong Kong 7%, Japan 5%, Germany 4%, South Korea 4% (2022)
Exports - commodities
broadcasting equipment, integrated circuits, computers, garments, machine parts (2022)
Imports
$3.125 trillion (2023 est.)
$3.142 trillion (2022 est.)
$3.094 trillion (2021 est.)
Imports - partners
US 7%, South Korea 7%, Japan 6%, Australia 6%, China 6% (2022)
Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, integrated circuits, iron ore, natural gas, gold (2022)
Page last updated: Tuesday, September 03, 2024
