Читать книгу The 2009 CIA World Factbook - United States. Central Intelligence Agency - Страница 320

consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan

Flag description:

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

Economy ::China

Economy - overview:

China's economy during the past 30 years 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. Annual inflows of foreign direct investment rose to nearly $84 billion in 2007. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion. In recent years, China has re-invigorated its support for leading state-owned enterprises in sectors it considers important to "economic security," explicitly looking to foster globally competitive national champions. 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 was more than 20% by late 2008, but the exchange rate has changed little since the onset of the global financial crisis. 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 that adjusts for price differences, China in 2008 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income. The Chinese government faces numerous economic development challenges, including: (a) strengthening its social safety net, including pension and health system reform, to counteract a high domestic savings rate and correspondingly low domestic demand; (b) sustaining adequate job growth for tens of millions of migrants, new entrants to the work force, and workers laid off from state-owned enterprises deemed not worth saving; (c) reducing corruption and other economic crimes; and (d) containing 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 and their dependents have relocated to urban areas to find work - in recent years many have returned to their villages. 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. In late 2008, as China commemorated the 30th anniversary of its historic economic reforms, the global economic downturn began to slow foreign demand for Chinese exports for the first time in many years. The government vowed to continue reforming the economy and emphasized the need to increase domestic consumption in order to make China less dependent on foreign exports for GDP growth in the future.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$7.992 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 $7.332 trillion (2007 est.)

$6.489 trillion (2006 est.)

note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):

$4.327 trillion (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 13% (2007 est.)

11.6% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$6,000 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133 $5,500 (2007 est.)

$4,900 (2006 est.)

note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.3%

industry: 48.6%

services: 40.1% (2008 est.)

Labor force:

807.3 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 43%

industry: 25%

services: 32% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 46 4% (2007 est.)

note: official data for urban areas only; including migrants may boost total unemployment to 9%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas

Population below poverty line:

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.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.4%

highest 10%: 31.4% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

47 (2007) country comparison to the world: 36 40 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

40.5% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 4

Budget:

revenues: $847.8 billion

expenditures: $861.6 billion (2008 est.)

Public debt:

15.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 101 31.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99 4.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

2.79% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 130 3.33% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.31% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 136 5.58% (17 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.434 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 3 $2.09 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.523 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 4 $3.437 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$5.555 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 4 $4.653 trillion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$2.794 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 $6.226 trillion (31 December 2007)

$2.426 trillion (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish

Industries:

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

Industrial production growth rate:

9.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 15

Electricity - production:

3.041 trillion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Electricity - consumption:

2.835 trillion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Electricity - exports:

16.64 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports:

3.842 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Oil - production:

3.973 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 5

Oil - consumption:

7.85 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

Oil - exports:

419,200 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 32

Oil - imports:

4.21 million bbl/day (2007) country comparison to the world: 4

Oil - proved reserves:

16 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

Natural gas - production:

76.04 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 11

Natural gas - consumption:

77.18 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 12

Natural gas - exports:

3.36 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 29

Natural gas - imports:

4.5 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.265 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 17

Current account balance:

$426.1 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 $371.8 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.435 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 $1.22 trillion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textiles, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment

Exports - partners:

US 17.7%, Hong Kong 13.3%, Japan 8.1%, South Korea 5.2%, Germany 4.1% (2008)

Imports:

$1.074 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 $904.6 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

electrical and other machinery, oil and mineral fuels, optical and medical equipment, metal ores, plastics, organic chemicals

Imports - partners:

Japan 13.3%, South Korea 9.9%, US 7.2%, Germany 4.9% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.955 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 $1.534 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$400.6 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 23 $363 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$758.9 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 7

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$149.3 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 22 $95.8 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Exchange rates:

Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 6.9385 (2008 est.), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004)

Communications ::China

Telephones - main lines in use:

365.6 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 1

Telephones - mobile cellular:

634 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 1

Telephone system:

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; China in the summer of 2008 began a major restructuring of its telecommunications industry, resulting in the consolidation of its six telecom service operators to three, China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom, each providing both fixed-line and mobile services

domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing rapidly; the number of Internet users exceeded 250 million by summer 2008; 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) (2008)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:

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)

Internet country code:

.cn

Internet hosts:

14.156 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 7

Internet users:

298 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 1

Transportation ::China

Airports:

482 (2009) country comparison to the world: 15

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 425

over 3,047 m: 63

2,438 to 3,047 m: 132

1,524 to 2,437 m: 133

914 to 1,523 m: 25

under 914 m: 72 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 57

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 26 (2009)

Heliports:

45 (2009)

Pipelines:

gas 28,132 km; oil 20,204 km; refined products 9,746 km (2008)

Railways:

total: 77,834 km country comparison to the world: 3 standard gauge: 77,084 km 1.435-m gauge (24,433 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 750 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)

Roadways:

total: 1,930,544 km country comparison to the world: 3 paved: 1,575,571 km (includes 41,005 km of expressways)

unpaved: 354,973 km (2005)

Waterways:

110,000 km navigable (2008) country comparison to the world: 1

Merchant marine:

total: 1,826 country comparison to the world: 3 by type: barge carrier 4, bulk carrier 451, cargo 689, carrier 2, chemical tanker 69, combination ore/oil 1, container 162, liquefied gas 44, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 83, petroleum tanker 244, refrigerated cargo 33, roll on/roll off 10, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 17

foreign-owned: 20 (Ecuador 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 12, Indonesia 1, Japan 2, South Korea 1, Norway 1)

registered in other countries: 1,441 (Bahamas 10, Bangladesh 1, Belize 71, Bermuda 10, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 193, Cyprus 10, France 5, Georgia 10, Germany 2, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 324, India 1, Indonesia 2, Kiribati 15, South Korea 1, Liberia 11, Malta 12, Marshall Islands 7, Mongolia 1, Norway 36, Panama 532, Philippines 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 94, Sierra Leone 15, Singapore 14, Thailand 1, Tuvalu 16, unknown 39) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Dalian, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen,

Tianjin

Military ::China

Military branches:

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); PLA Reserve Force (2009)

Military service age and obligation:

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 (2009)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16–49: 375,009,345

females age 16–49: 354,314,328 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16–49: 314,459,083

females age 16–49: 296,763,134 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 10,621,373

female: 9,533,880 (2009 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.3% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 25

Transnational Issues ::China

Disputes - international:

continuing talks and confidence-building measures work toward reducing tensions over Kashmir that nonetheless remains militarized 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; China and India continue their security and foreign policy dialogue started in 2005 related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; China claims most of India's Arunachal Pradesh to the base of the Himalayas; lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes due to cartographic discrepancies; Chinese maps show an international boundary symbol off the coasts of the littoral states of the South China Seas, where China has interrupted Vietnamese hydrocarbon exploration; 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 exploration and exploitation; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in dispute with North Korea; North Korea and China seek to stem illegal migration to China by North Koreans, fleeing privations and oppression, by building a fence along portions of the border and imprisoning North Koreans deported by China; 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; China and Tajikistan have begun demarcating the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002; the decade-long demarcation of the China-Vietnam land boundary is expected to be completed by the end of 2008, while the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements in the Gulf of Tonkin, ratified in June 2004, have been implemented; citing environmental, cultural, and social concerns, China has reconsidered construction of 13 dams on the Salween River, but energy-starved Burma, with backing from Thailand, remains intent on building five hydro-electric dams downstream despite regional and international protests; Chinese and Hong Kong authorities met in March 2008 to resolve ownership and use of lands recovered in Shenzhen River channelization, including 96-hectare Lok Ma Chau Loop; Hong Kong developing plans to reduce 2,000 out of 2,800 hectares of its restricted Closed Area by 2010

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 300,897 (Vietnam); estimated 30,000–50,000 (North Korea)

IDPs: 90,000 (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: China is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking in China occurs within the country's borders, but there is also considerable international trafficking of Chinese citizens to Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America; Chinese women are lured abroad through false promises of legitimate employment, only to be forced into commercial sexual exploitation, largely in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan; women and children are trafficked to China from Mongolia, Burma, North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage, and prostitution; some North Korean women and children seeking to leave their country voluntarily cross the border into China and are then sold into prostitution, marriage, or forced labor

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China is on the Tier 2 Watch List for the fourth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of punishment of trafficking crimes and the protection of Chinese and foreign victims of trafficking; victims are sometimes punished for unlawful acts that were committed as a direct result of their being trafficked, such as violations of prostitution or immigration/emigration controls; the Chinese Government continued to treat North Korean victims of trafficking solely as economic migrants, routinely deporting them back to horrendous conditions in North Korea; additional challenges facing the Chinese Government include the enormous size of its trafficking problem and the significant level of corruption and complicity in trafficking by some local government officials (2008)

Illicit drugs:

major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle region of Southeast Asia; growing domestic consumption of synthetic drugs, and heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia; source country for methamphetamine and heroin chemical precursors, despite new regulations on its large chemical industry (2008)

page last updated on November 11, 2009

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@Christmas Island (Australia-Oceania)

Introduction ::Christmas Island

Background:

Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.

Geography ::Christmas Island

Location:

Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia

Geographic coordinates: