Overview of China

1.   Geography and Climate

The People’s Republic of China is located in the eastern part of the Asian continent, on the western Pacific Rim. Covering 9.6 million km2 of land area, it is the third largest country in the world. With a land boundary extending 22,800 km, China is bordered by 14 countries, including North Korea to the east; Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to the south and southeast; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and India to the west; and Russia and Mongolia to the north. Additionally, China shares maritime boundaries with 6 countries – South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The climate of China is extremely diverse. Geographically, its central and eastern regions are dominated by a typical continental monsoon climate, with northerly winds caused by the Mongolian anticyclone bringing cold and dry conditions in winter, and southerly winds generated by the Indian thermal lows carrying warm, moist air and heavy rainfalls in summer; while the western and northern regions are characterized by a temperate-continental climate, with large temperature differences between winter and summer. In terms of temperature, the country is traversed from south to north by six zones: equatorial, tropical, subtropical, warm-temperate, temperate and cold-temperate. By humidity levels, China can be divided from southeast to northwest into humid, semihumid, semiarid and arid zones, which account for 32%, 15%, 22% and 31% of the total land area respectively.

2.   Political and Economic Systems

China’s socialist political structure is fundamentally based on the system of people’s congresses and featured by regional ethnic autonomy, community-level self- governance, and multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The National People’s Congress (NPC), as the highest organ of state power in China, and its Standing Committee, as the permanent body of the NPC, exercise the legislative power of the state, and the power to elect or dismiss top officials of the state, including the President of China.

The President of the People’s Republic of China, on behalf of the People’s Republic of China, engages in activities involving State affairs and receives foreign diplomatic representatives and, in pursuance of the decisions of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, appoints or recalls plenipotentiary representatives abroad, and ratifies or abrogates treaties and important agreements concluded with foreign states.

The State Council, that is, the Central People’s Government, of the People’s Republic of China is the executive body of the supreme organ of state power; it is the supreme organ of State administration. The State Council is responsible and reports on its work to the NPC. It consists of 26 ministries and commissions in addition to the General Office of the State Council. And there is 1 special commission, 10 organizations, 9 institutions directly under the State Council and 2 administrative offices under its supervision, as well as 16 state administrations and bureaus administrated by ministry-level agencies.

The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and the people’s courts at various local levels are the judicial organs in China. The people’s courts exercise judicial power independently, in accordance with the provisions of law, and are not subject to interference by any administrative organ, public organization or individual.

The Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) and the people’s procuratorates at various local levels are the state organs for legal supervision. The people’s procuratorates exercise procuratorial power independently, in accordance with the provisions of law, and are not subject to interference by any administrative organ, public organization or individual.

China is a socialist market economy. The supply of resources and the pricing of most commodities and services are regulated by the market, while the prices of a select few are set or guided by the government. The workforce moves freely in the market, and enterprises operate independently within the law, without being subject to administrative intervention by the government. Statistics show that in recent years, China’s economy has witnessed continued high growth with its GDP on a sustained rise.

3.   Administrative Divisions and Economic Zones

In addition to the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs) and Taiwan, China has 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, which are divided into 8 economic zones as follows:

1)     The northeast comprehensive economic zone, which includes Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. It serves as China’s bases for heavy equipment, energy and raw material manufacturing, and is home to a national specialized agricultural production base;

2)     The north coastal comprehensive economic zone, which includes Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong. It is one of the hi-tech research, development and manufacturing bases in China;

3)     The east coastal comprehensive economic zone, which includes Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It is one of the most economically dynamic areas in China and a multi-functional manufacturing center with a national presence;

4)     The south coastal comprehensive economic zone, which includes Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan. It is a major export-oriented zone, and serves as a manufacturing base for high-end durable and non-durable goods and a hi-tech manufacturing center in China;

5)     The middle Yellow River comprehensive economic zone, which includes Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Inner Mongolia. It functions as a base for coal mining and processing, natural gas and hydro energy development, steel and non-ferrous metal manufacturing, and dairy production and processing;

6)     The middle Yangtze River comprehensive economic zone, which includes Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and Anhui. It is home to national bases for specialized production and intensive processing of agricultural crops (mainly rice and cotton), raw material manufacturing with focus on steel and non-ferrous metal, and auto manufacturing;

7)     The greater southwest comprehensive economic zone, which includes Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing and Guangxi. It is home to a heavy chemical cluster centered around Chongqing, a textile cluster around Chengdu, and a manufacturing base with focus on tourism and tourism-related services and products;

8)     The greater northwest comprehensive economic zone, which includes Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Tibet and Xinjiang. It is positioned as China’s next strategic energy supply base and is home to a comprehensive processing base for cotton, fruits, grain and livestock products. As a gateway to Central Asia, this region boasts a strong tourism industry.

4.   Demographics, Ethnic Groups and Culture

China has the largest population in the world. By the end of 2017, its population in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities totaled 1.39 billion (including active service members of the People’s Liberation Army, and excluding residents in HongKong, Macao, and Taiwan and overseas Chinese). The natural growth rate in 2017 was 5.32‰ and the birth rate was 12.43‰.

China’s long history has shaped a diverse culture with unique traditions and customs. The Chinese people always value the collective interests of the family and the society, and take modesty and frugality as their life philosophy.

The Chinese people comprises of 56 ethnic groups. The ethnic diversity in China has created a culture of diversity and inclusiveness to embrace and value differences, and to mingle with other cultures. The Chinese government supports the freedom of religion. Western religions, such as Christianity and Catholicism, are widely spread in China. Public holidays in China include the New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day (May 1), Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day (October 1).