China Country Profile

China is the world's most populous country, with a culture of nearly 4,000 years.

Many of the elements that make up the foundation of the modern world originated in China, including paper, gunpowder, credit banking, the compass and paper money.

After decades under the rigid rule of Communist leader Mao Tse-Tung, China now has the world's fastest-growing economy and is undergoing what is described as a second industrial revolution.

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Facts

·         Full name: People's Republic of China

·         Population: 1.35 billion (UN, 2010)

·         Capital: Beijing

·         Largest city: Shanghai

·         Area: 9.6 million sq km (3.7 million sq miles)

·         Major language: Mandarin Chinese

·         Major religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism

·         Life expectancy: 72 years (men), 76 years (women) (UN)

·         Monetary unit: 1 Renminbi (yuan) (Y) = 10 jiao = 100 fen;

·         Main exports: Manufactured goods, including textiles, garments, electronics, arms

·         GNI per capita: US $3,590 (World Bank, 2009)

·         Internet domain: .cn

·         International dialling code: +86

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Overview

The People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded in 1949 after the Communist Party defeated the previously dominant nationalist Kuomintang in a civil war. The Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan, creating two rival Chinese states - the PRC on the mainland and the Republic of China based on Taiwan.

Beijing says the island of Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory that must be reunited with the mainland. The claim led to tension and threats of invasion, but since 2008 the two governments have moved towards a more cooperative atmosphere.

The leadership of Mao Tse-Tung supervised the often brutal implementation of a Communist vision of society. Millions died in the Great Leap Forward - a programme of state control over agriculture and rapid industrialisation - and the Cultural Revolution, a chaotic attempt to eliminate elements seen as hostile to Communist rule.

However, Mao's death in 1976 initiated in a new leadership and economic reform. In the early 1980s the government dismantled collective farming and again allowed private enterprise.

The rate of economic change hasn't been matched by political reform, with the Communist Party - the world's biggest political party - retaining its monopoly on power and maintaining strict control over the people. The authorities still look for any signs of opposition and send dissidents to labour camps.

Economy

Nowadays China is one of the world's top exporters and is attracting record amounts of foreign investment. In turn, it is investing billions of dollars abroad.

The collapse in international export during the global financial crisis of 2009 initially hit China hard, but its economy was among the first in the world to recover, quickly returning to growth. In February 2011 it formally overtook Japan to become the world's second-largest economy.

Some Chinese fear that the rise of private enterprise and the reduction of state-run industries carries heavy social costs such as unemployment and instability.

Moreover, the fast-growing economy has fuelled the demand for energy. China is the largest oil consumer after the US, and the world's biggest producer and consumer of coal. It spends billions of dollars in pursuit of foreign energy supplies. There has been a massive investment in hydro-power, including the $25bn Three Gorges Dam project.

Social discontent

The economic disparity between urban China and the rural hinterlands is among the largest in the world. In recent decades many poor rural dwellers have flocked to the country's eastern cities, which have enjoyed a construction boom.

China's economic transformation has not been joined by political change

Social discontent manifests itself in protests by farmers and workers.

Other pressing problems include corruption, which affects every level of society, and the growing rate of HIV infection. A downside of the economic boom has been environmental degradation; China is home to many of the world's most-polluted cities.

Human rights

Human rights campaigners continue to criticise China for executing hundreds of people every year and for failing to stop torture. The country rejects what it sees as dissent among its ethnic minorities, including Muslim Uighurs in the north-west.

Chinese rule over Tibet is controversial. Human rights groups accuse the authorities of the systematic destruction of Tibetan Buddhist culture and the persecution of monks loyal to the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader who is campaigning for autonomy within China.

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Media

China is the largest media market in the world, and has the world's largest online population.

Outlets operate under tight Communist Party control. The opening-up of the industry has extended to distribution and advertising, not to editorial content. However, there is certain freedom for independent coverage that is not perceived as a threat to social stability or the Party.

Thirty-four journalists across China were in prison in December 2010, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). They included Uighur and Tibetan journalists who covered ethnic issues and violent unrest.

Beijing tries to limit access to foreign news by restricting rebroadcasting and the use of satellite receivers. Ordinary readers have no access to foreign newspapers.

China online: Surveillance, censorship are extensive

457m internet users by end-2010 (official figure)

Reporters Without Borders lists China as an "enemy of the internet"

There are more than 2,000 newspapers. Each city has its own title, usually published by the local government, as well as a local Communist Party daily. There are an estimated 1,000 state-owned radio stations.

With nearly 1.2 billion viewers, TV is a popular news source and the sector is competitive, especially in cities. State-run Chinese Central TV (CCTV) is China's largest media company. Its provincial and municipal stations offer a total of around 2,100 channels. China is a major market for pay-TV, which is almost entirely delivered by cable.

China spends hugely on TV, radio, online and press outlets targeted at international audiences, aiming to extend its political influence and boost its image. It is less keen to allow foreign players into the domestic market.

With 457 million surfers at the end of 2010 (China Internet Network Information Centre), China has the world's largest net-using population. Social networking has seen phenomenal growth; the leader is Sina Weibo, a microblog platform. The top search engine is Baidu.

China has an extensive web filtering system. It blocks tens of thousands of sites.

Thousands of cyber-police watch the web. Internet cafes are closely monitored. Filtering targets material deemed politically and socially sensitive. Blocked resources include Facebook, Twitter, and human rights sites.

The press

·         Renmin Ribao (People's Daily) - Communist Party daily, web pages in English

·         Zhongguo Qingnian Bao (China Youth Daily) - state-run, linked to Communist Youth League

·         China Daily - state-run, English-language

·         Jiefangjun Bao - People's Liberation Army daily, web pages in English

·         Zhongguo Jingji Shibao (China Economic Times) - state-run, daily

·         Fazhi Ribao (Legal Daily) - state-run

·         Gongren Ribao (Workers' Daily) - state-run

·         Nongmin Ribao (Farmers' Daily) - state-run, agricultural and rural issues

·         Nanfang Ribao (Southern Daily) - Communist Party daily, Guangdong province

Television

·         Chinese Central TV (CCTV) - state-run national broadcaster, networks include English-language CCTV News

Radio

·         China National Radio - state-run

·         China Radio International - state-run external broadcaster, programmes in more than 40 languages, notably to Taiwan and Korea

News agency

·         Xinhua (New China News Agency) - state-run, web pages in English

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ACTIVITY

Read the information above and answer the following questions about China.

1)      What important event triggered China’s current economic revolution?

2)      Which aspect of China does not match such rapid growth?

3)      What other country became the world’s third largest economy?

4)      According to some Chinese people, what could cause unemployment?

5)      What is the reason for the construction boom in the eastern cities?

6)      What negative impact has the economic growth had?

7)      Is respect for human rights ensured? How?

8)      Nowadays China invests huge amounts of money on what kind of media?

9)      Why is Internet access limited to the Chinese?

10)  In your opinion, is China’s sudden growth a positive one?