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{{Short description|Country in East Asia}}
{{Redirect2|People's Republic of China|PRC|the present-day Republic of China|Taiwan|other uses|PRC (disambiguation)|and|China (disambiguation)}}
{{Pp|small=yes}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024|cs1-dates=ly
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = People's Republic of China
| common_name = China
| native_name = {{native name|zh-Hans-CN|中华人民共和国|italic=no}}<br/>{{resize|90%|{{transliteration|zh|Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó}} ([[pinyin]])}}
| image_flag = Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
| image_coat = National Emblem of the People's Republic of China (2).svg
Line 21 ⟶ 20:
| largest_settlement = [[Shanghai]]
| largest_settlement_type = city {{normal|by [[List of cities in China by population|urban population]]}}
|admin_center_type = Largest city {{normal|by
|admin_center = [[Chongqing]]{{efn|The size of Chonqging Municipality is about that of the country of [[Austria]]. [[University of Washington]] professor Kam Wing Chan argued that Chongqing's status is more akin to that of a province rather than a city.<ref name=BBCHowdoyoumeasure>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16761784|title=The world's biggest cities: How do you measure them?|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=29 January 2012|access-date=8 August 2024}}</ref>}}
| official_languages = [[Standard Chinese]] {{nwr|(de facto)<ref name="Adamson & Feng">{{Cite book |last1=Adamson |first1=Bob
| languages_type = [[Official script]]
| languages_sub = yes
Line 30 ⟶ 29:
| religion_ref = <ref name="religion2023">2023 approximations of the statistics from the [[China Family Panel Studies]] (CFPS) of the year 2018, as contained in the following analyses:
* {{Cite web |date=30 August 2023 |title=Measuring Religion in China |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/08/PF_2023.08.30_religion-china_REPORT.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909075729/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/08/PF_2023.08.30_religion-china_REPORT.pdf |archive-date=9 September 2023 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/08/30/measuring-religion-in-china/|title=Measuring Religions in China|date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930132002/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/08/30/measuring-religion-in-china/|archive-date=30 September 2023|url-status=live}} A compilation of statistics from reliable surveys held throughout the 2010s and early 2020s, with an emphasis on the CFPS 2018.
* {{cite journal|last=Wenzel-Teuber|first=Katharina|title=Statistics on Religions and Churches in the People's Republic of China – Update for the Year 2022|journal=Religions & Christianity in Today's China|volume=XIII|pages=18–44|
* {{cite journal|last1=Zhang|first1=Chunni|last2=Lu|first2=Yunfeng|last3=He|first3=Sheng|title=Exploring Chinese folk religion: Popularity, diffuseness, and diversities|journal=Chinese Journal of Sociology|volume=7|number=4|pages=575–592|
| religion_year = 2023
| ethnic_groups = {{ubl|item_style=white-space:nowrap|91.1% [[Han Chinese]]|8.9% [[List of ethnic groups in China|others]]}}
| ethnic_groups_year = 2020
| ethnic_groups_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Main Data of the Seventh National Population Census |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817185.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511031334/http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817185.html |archive-date=
| demonym = Chinese
|<!-- Do not change this without consensus; see the past discussions on the talk page. In 2018, the Chinese government added the CCP's leadership to the constitution, which makes China a de jure one-party state. -->government_type = Unitary [[Marxist–Leninist]] one-party [[socialist republic]]
| leader_title1 = [[CCP General Secretary]] and [[President of China|President]]{{efn|[[Paramount leader]] of China, who
* [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party]]
* [[President of China]]
* [[Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)|Chairman of the Central Military Commission]]}}
Line 58:
| established_event3 = [[1911 Revolution|Establishment of the Republic of China]]
| established_date3 = 1 January 1912
| established_event4 = [[
▲| established_date5 = 1 October 1949
| area_km2 = 9,596,961
| area_footnote = {{efn|UN figure for mainland China, which excludes Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.<ref name="UN Stat">{{Cite web |
| area_rank = 3rd{{\}}4th
| area_sq_mi = 3,705,407 <!-- per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]] -->
| percent_water = 2.8<ref name="CIA"
| population_estimate = {{decreaseNeutral}} 1,409,670,000<ref>{{Cite news |last=Master |first=Farah |date=17 January 2024
| population_estimate_year = 2023
| population_estimate_rank = 2nd
| population_census_year = 2020
| population_census_rank = 2nd
| population_density_km2 = 145<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population density (people per km2 of land area) |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516215445/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST |archive-date=
| population_density_sq_mi = 373 <!-- per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]] -->
| population_density_rank = 83rd
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $35.291 trillion{{efn|GDP figures exclude Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.}}<ref name="IMFWEO.CN">{{Cite web |date=16 April 2024 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2024 Edition. (China) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/April/weo-report?c=924,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2029&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501135551/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/April/weo-report?c=924,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2029&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |archive-date=1 May 2024
| GDP_PPP_year = 2024
| GDP_PPP_rank = 1st
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $25,015<ref name="IMFWEO.CN"
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 73rd
| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $18.533 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.CN"
| GDP_nominal_year = 2024
| GDP_nominal_rank = 2nd
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $13,136<ref name="IMFWEO.CN"
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 68th
| Gini =
| Gini_year =
| Gini_change = decrease
| Gini_ref = <ref name="GINI">{{Cite web |title=Gini index – China |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=CN&most_recent_year_desc=true |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319005643/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=CN&most_recent_year_desc=true |archive-date=
| HDI = 0.788 <!-- number only -->
| HDI_year = 2022 <!-- The year of the data, not the publication year -->
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=13 March 2024 |title=Human Development Report 2023/24 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313164319/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf |archive-date=
| HDI_rank = 75th
| currency = [[Renminbi]] (元/¥){{efn|The [[Hong Kong dollar]] is used in Hong Kong and Macau, while the [[Macanese pataca]] is used in Macau only.}}
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| time_zone = [[Time in China|CST]]
| utc_offset = [[UTC+08:00|+8]]
▲| date_format = [[YMD]]
| calling_code = {{ubl|[[+86]] (mainland)|[[+852]] (Hong Kong)|[[+853]] (Macau)}}
| cctld = {{hlist|[[.cn]]|[[.中国]]|[[.中國]] (mainland)}}{{hlist|[[.hk]]|[[.香港]] (Hong Kong)}}{{hlist|[[.mo]]|[[.澳门]]|[[.澳門]] (Macau)}}
}}
'''China''',{{efn|{{zh|s=中国<!-- Do not add traditional characters. -->|p=Zhōngguó}}}} officially the '''People's Republic of China''' ('''PRC'''),{{efn|{{zh|s=中华人民共和国|p=Zhōnghuá rénmín gònghéguó}}}} is a country in [[East Asia]]. With [[population of China|a population]] exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the
# The ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' lists China as world's third-largest country (after Russia and Canada) with a total area of 9,572,900 km
# The [[The World Factbook|CIA ''World Factbook'']] lists China as the fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada and the United States) with a total area of 9,596,960 km
Both sources exclude both Taiwan and coastal and territorial waters from the area of China. However, the CIA ''World Factbook'' includes the United States coastal and territorial waters, while Encyclopædia Britannica excludes them.
<br
Notably, the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' specifies the United States' area (excluding coastal and territorial waters) as 9,525,067 km
<br
The [[United Nations Statistics Division]]'s figure for the United States is {{cvt|9,833,517|km2}} and China is {{cvt|9,596,961|km2}}. These closely match the CIA ''World Factbook'' figures and similarly ''include'' coastal and territorial waters for the United States, but ''exclude'' coastal and territorial waters for China.{{Overly detailed inline|date=March 2024}}}} The country is divided into 33 [[Province-level divisions of China|province-level divisions]]: 22 [[provinces of China|provinces]],{{efn|Excluding the disputed [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Taiwan Province]]. See {{section link||Administrative divisions}}.}} five [[autonomous regions of China|autonomous regions]], four [[direct-administered municipalities of China|municipalities]], and two semi-autonomous [[special administrative regions]]. [[Beijing]] is the country's capital, while [[Shanghai]] is [[List of cities in China by population|its most populous city by urban area]] and largest [[financial center]].
China is considered one of the [[cradles of civilization]]: the first human inhabitants in the region arrived during the [[Paleolithic]]
After decades of struggle, the [[1911 Revolution]] resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] (ROC) the following year. The country under the nascent [[Beiyang government]] was unstable and ultimately fragmented during the [[Warlord Era]], which was ended upon the [[Northern Expedition]] conducted by the [[Kuomintang]] (KMT) to reunify the country. The [[Chinese Civil War]] began in 1927, when KMT forces [[Shanghai massacre|purged]] members of the rival [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP), who proceeded to engage in sporadic fighting against the KMT-led [[Nationalist government]]. Following the country's invasion by the [[Empire of Japan]] in 1937, the
China is a [[Unitary state|unitary]] one-party [[socialist republic]] led by the CCP. It is one of the five [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent members]] of the [[UN Security Council]]; the UN representative for China was changed from the ROC to the PRC in 1971. It is a founding member of several multilateral and regional organizations such as the [[AIIB]], the [[Silk Road Fund]], the [[New Development Bank]], and the [[RCEP]]. It is a member of the [[BRICS]], the [[G20]], [[APEC]], the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation|SCO]], and the [[East Asia Summit]]. Making up around one-fifth of the world economy, the [[Chinese economy]] is the world's [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|largest economy by GDP]] at [[purchasing power parity]], the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|second-largest economy by nominal GDP]], and the [[List of countries by total wealth#Total wealth by country|second-wealthiest country]], albeit [[International rankings of China|ranking poorly]] in measures of [[Democracy in China|democracy]], [[Human rights in China|human rights]] and [[Freedom of religion in China|religious freedom]]. The country has been one of the [[List of countries by real GDP growth rate|fastest-growing]] major economies and is the world's [[List of countries by manufacturing output|largest manufacturer]] and [[List of countries by exports|exporter]], as well as the [[List of countries by imports|second-largest importer]]. China is a [[nuclear-weapon state]] with the world's [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|largest standing army by military personnel]] and the [[List of countries by military expenditures|second-largest defense budget]]. It is a [[great
{{TOC limit|4}}
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[[File:CEM-09-Asiae-Nova-Descriptio-China-2510.jpg|thumb|''China'' (today's [[Guangdong]]), ''Mangi'' (inland of ''[[Shandong|Xanton]]''), and ''Cataio'' (inland of ''China'' and ''[[Zhejiang|Chequan]]'', and including the capital ''[[Khanbaliq|Cambalu]]'', ''[[Shangdu|Xandu]]'', and a [[Marco Polo Bridge|marble bridge]]) are all shown as separate regions on this 1570 map by [[Abraham Ortelius]].]]
The word "China" has been used in English since the 16th century; however, it was not used by the Chinese themselves during this period. Its origin has been traced through [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Malay language|Malay]], and [[Persian language|Persian]] back to the [[Sanskrit]] word {{transliteration|sa|Cīna}}, used in [[ancient India]].<ref name="OED">{{
The official name of the modern state is the "People's Republic of China" ({{zh|s={{linktext|中华人民共和国}}|p=Zhōnghuá rénmín gònghéguó|t={{linktext|中華人民共和國}}}}).<!--Do NOT remove Traditional. Simplified is the official script in China but Traditional is found in [[Xiandai Hanyu Cidian]],
[[Table of General Standard Chinese Characters]], and other important CCP documents, as well as being the official script in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Traditional characters are an important though secondary part of mainland China's script system.--> The shorter form is "China" ({{zh|s={{linktext|中国}}|t={{linktext|中國}}|p=Zhōngguó|labels=no}}), from {{transliteration|zh|zhōng}} ('central') and {{transliteration|zh|guó}} ('state'), a term which developed under the [[Western Zhou]] dynasty in reference to its [[demesne|royal demesne]].{{efn|Its earliest extant use is on the [[ritual bronze]] vessel [[He zun]], where it apparently refers to only the [[Shang dynasty|Shang]]'s immediate demesne conquered by the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chen |first=Zhi |
== History ==
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[[File:National Museum of China 2014.02.01 14-43-38.jpg|thumb|10,000-year-old pottery, [[Xianren Cave]] culture (18000–7000 BCE)]]
[[Archaeological excavation|Archaeological evidence]] suggests that early [[Hominidae|hominids]] inhabited China 2.25 million years ago.<ref>{{
=== Early dynastic rule ===
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[[File:甲骨文发现地 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Yinxu]], the ruins of the capital of the late [[Shang dynasty]] (14th century BCE)]]
According to traditional [[Chinese historiography]], the [[Xia dynasty]] was established during the late third millennium BC, marking the beginning of the dynastic cycle that was understood to underpin China's entire political history. In the modern era, the Xia's historicity came under increasing scrutiny, in part due to the earliest known attestation of the Xia being written millennia after the date given for their collapse. In 1958, archaeologists discovered sites belonging to the [[Erlitou culture]] that existed during the early [[Bronze Age]]; they have since been characterized as the remains of the historical Xia, but this conception is often rejected.<ref>{{
The Shang were overthrown by the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]], who ruled between the 11th and 5th {{nowrap|centuries BCE}}, though the centralized authority of [[Son of Heaven]] was slowly eroded by ''[[fengjian]]'' lords. Some principalities eventually emerged from the weakened Zhou and continually waged war with each other during the 300-year [[Spring and Autumn period]]. By the time of the [[Warring States period]] of the 5th–3rd centuries BCE, there were seven major powerful states left.<ref>{{
=== Imperial China ===
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[[File:Han Expansion.png|Map showing the [[Southward expansion of the Han dynasty|expansion]] of [[Han dynasty]] in the 2nd century BC|thumb|upright=1.1]]
The Warring States period ended in 221 BCE after the [[Qin (state)|state of Qin]] conquered the other six states, reunited China and established the dominant order of [[autocracy]]. [[King Zheng of Qin]] proclaimed himself the Emperor of the [[Qin dynasty]], becoming the first emperor of a unified China. He enacted Qin's [[Legalism (Chinese philosophy)|legalist]] reforms, notably the standardization of Chinese characters, [[Chinese units of measurement|measurements]], road widths, and [[history of Chinese currency|currency]]. His dynasty also [[Qin campaign against the Baiyue|conquered the Yue tribes]] in [[Guangxi]], [[Guangdong]], and [[Northern Vietnam]].<ref>Sima Qian, Translated by Burton Watson. ''Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty I'', pp. 11–12. {{ISBN|0-
Following [[Chu–Han Contention|widespread revolts]] during which the imperial library [[List of destroyed libraries#Human action|was burned]],{{efn|Owing to Qin Shi Huang's earlier policy involving the "[[burning of books and burying of scholars]]", the destruction of the confiscated copies at [[Xianyang]] was an event similar to the [[destruction of the Library of Alexandria|destructions]] of the [[Library of Alexandria]] in the west. Even those texts that did survive had to be painstakingly reconstructed from memory, luck, or forgery.<ref>{{
==== Three Kingdoms, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties ====
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==== Sui, Tang and Song ====
The Sui restored the Han to power through China, reformed its agriculture, economy and [[imperial examination]] system, constructed the [[Grand Canal of China|Grand Canal]], and patronized [[Chinese Buddhism|Buddhism]]. However, they fell quickly when their conscription for public works and a [[Goguryeo–Sui War|failed war]] in [[Goguryeo|northern Korea]] provoked widespread unrest.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Ki-Baik |title=A new history of Korea |date=1984 |publisher=Harvard University Press
Under the succeeding [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] and [[Song dynasty|Song dynasties]], Chinese economy, technology, and culture entered a golden age.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Adshead |first=S. A. M. |title=T'ang China: The Rise of the East in World History |date=2004 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |
Between the 10th and 11th century CE, the population of China doubled to around 100 million people, mostly because of the expansion of rice cultivation in central and southern China, and the production of abundant food surpluses. The Song dynasty also saw a [[Neo-Confucianism|revival of Confucianism]], in response to the growth of Buddhism during the Tang,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huang |first=Siu-Chi
===== Yuan =====
[[File:Badaling China Great-Wall-of-China-01.jpg|China's first emperor, [[Qin Shi Huang]], is famed for having united the [[Warring States]]' walls to form the [[Great Wall of China]]. Most of the present structure dates to the [[Ming dynasty]].|thumb|upright=1.1]]
The [[Mongol conquest of China]] began in 1205 with the [[Mongol conquest of Western Xia|campaigns]] against [[Western Xia]] by [[Genghis Khan]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=May |first=Timothy
==== Ming ====
In the early Ming dynasty, China's capital was moved from [[Nanjing]] to Beijing. With the budding of capitalism, philosophers such as [[Wang Yangming]] critiqued and expanded Neo-Confucianism with concepts of [[individualism]] and equality of [[four occupations]].<ref>{{
==== Qing ====
[[File:Qing Empire circa 1820 EN.svg|The [[Qing conquest of the Ming]] and expansion of the empire|thumb|upright=1.1]]
The Qing dynasty, which lasted from 1644 until 1912, was the last imperial dynasty of China. The [[Transition from Ming to Qing|Ming-Qing transition]] (1618–1683) cost 25 million lives, but the Qing appeared to have restored China's imperial power and inaugurated another flowering of the arts.<ref>{{
=== Fall of the Qing dynasty ===
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[[File:EightNationsCrime02.jpg|thumb|The [[Eight-Nation Alliance]] invaded China to defeat the anti-foreign [[Boxer Rebellion|Boxers]] and their Qing backers. The image shows a celebration ceremony inside the Chinese imperial palace, the [[Forbidden City]] after the signing of the [[Boxer Protocol]] in 1901.]]
In the mid-19th century, the [[Opium Wars]] with Britain and [[France]] forced China to pay compensation, open treaty ports, allow [[extraterritoriality]] for foreign nationals, and cede [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] to the British<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Embree |first1=Ainslie |author-link=Ainslie Embree |url=https://archive.org/details/asiainwesternwor00ains |title=Asia in Western and World History: A Guide for Teaching |last2=Gluck |first2=Carol |author-link2=Carol Gluck |date=1997 |publisher=[[M.E. Sharpe]]
In the 19th century, the great [[Chinese emigration|Chinese diaspora]] began. Losses due to emigration were added to by conflicts and catastrophes such as the [[Northern Chinese Famine of 1876–1879]], in which between 9 and 13 million people died.<ref>{{
=== Establishment of the Republic and World War II ===
{{Main|Republic of China (1912–1949)}}{{Further|1911 Revolution|Second Sino-Japanese War|Chinese Civil War|Chinese Communist Revolution}}
On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China was established, and [[Sun Yat-sen]] of the [[Kuomintang]] (KMT) was proclaimed provisional president.<ref>
[[File:1945 Mao and Chiang.jpg|thumb|left|[[Chiang Kai-shek]] and [[Mao Zedong]] toasting together in 1945 following the [[End of World War II in Asia|end of World War II]]]]In the late 1920s, the Kuomintang under [[Chiang Kai-shek]] was able to reunify the country under its own control with a series of deft military and political maneuverings known collectively as the [[Northern Expedition]].<ref>{{
In 1931, Japan [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria|invaded and occupied Manchuria]]. Japan invaded other parts of China in 1937, precipitating the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] (1937–1945), a [[Theater (warfare)|theater]] of [[World War II]]. The war forced an [[Second United Front|uneasy alliance]] between the Kuomintang and the CCP. Japanese forces committed numerous [[Japanese war crimes|war atrocities]] against the civilian population; as many as 20 million Chinese civilians died.<ref>{{
=== People's Republic ===
{{Main|History of the People's Republic of China (1949–1976)}}
[[File:Mao Proclaiming New China.JPG|thumb|[[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|The founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China]] was held at 3:00 pm on
China emerged victorious but war-ravaged and financially drained. The continued distrust between the [[Kuomintang]] and the [[Chinese Communist Party|Communists]] led to the resumption of civil war. Constitutional rule was established in 1947, but because of the ongoing unrest, many provisions of the [[Constitution of the Republic of China|ROC constitution]] were never implemented in mainland China.<ref name=":1" /> Afterwards, the CCP took control of most of mainland China, and the [[Retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan|ROC government retreated offshore to Taiwan]].
On 1 October 1949, [[Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP Chairman]] [[Mao Zedong]] formally [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|proclaimed the People's Republic of China]] in [[Tiananmen Square]], [[Beijing]].<ref>{{
The Chinese population increased from 550 million in 1950 to 900 million in 1974.<ref>{{
=== Reforms and contemporary history ===
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[[File:Události na náměstí Tian an men, Čína 1989, foto Jiří Tondl.jpg|thumb|The [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests]] was ended by a military-led massacre.]]
After Mao's death, the [[Gang of Four]] was arrested by [[Hua Guofeng]] and held responsible for the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution was rebuked, with millions rehabilitated. [[Deng Xiaoping]] took power in 1978, and instituted large-scale [[Boluan Fanzheng|political]] and [[Chinese economic reform|economic reforms]], together with the "[[Eight Elders]]", most senior and influential members of the party. The government loosened its control and the [[People's commune|communes]] were gradually disbanded.<ref name="Hamrin-1995">{{Cite book |last1=Hamrin |first1=Carol Lee
In 1989,
== Geography ==
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China's landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from the [[Gobi Desert|Gobi]] and [[Taklamakan Desert]]s in the arid north to the [[subtropical]] forests in the wetter south. The [[Himalaya]], [[Karakoram]], [[Pamir Mountains|Pamir]] and [[Tian Shan]] mountain ranges separate China from much of [[South Asia|South]] and [[Central Asia]]. The [[Yangtze River|Yangtze]] and Yellow Rivers, the third- and sixth-longest in the world, respectively, run from the [[Tibetan Plateau]] to the densely populated eastern seaboard. China's coastline along the [[Pacific Ocean]] is {{cvt|14500|km}} long and is bounded by the [[Bohai Sea|Bohai]], [[Yellow Sea|Yellow]], [[East China Sea|East China]] and [[South China Sea|South China]] seas. China connects through the Kazakh border to the [[Eurasian Steppe]].
The territory of China lies between [[latitude]]s [[18th parallel north|18°]] and [[54th parallel north|54° N]], and [[longitude]]s [[73rd meridian east|73°]] and [[135th meridian east|135° E]]. The [[geographical center]] of China is marked by the Center of the Country Monument at {{coord|35|50|40.9|N|103|27|7.5|E|region:CN-62_type:landmark|name=Geographical center of China}}. China's landscapes vary significantly across its vast territory. In the east, along the shores of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, there are extensive and densely populated [[alluvium|alluvial plains]], while on the edges of the Inner Mongolian plateau in the north, broad [[grassland]]s predominate. Southern China is dominated by hills and low mountain ranges, while the central-east hosts the [[river delta|deltas]] of China's two major rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. Other major rivers include the [[Xi River|Xi]], [[Mekong]], [[Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra]] and [[Amur River|Amur]]. To the west sit major mountain ranges, most notably the Himalayas. High [[plateau]]s feature among the more arid landscapes of the north, such as the Taklamakan and the Gobi Desert. The world's highest point, [[Mount Everest]] (8,848 m), lies on the Sino-Nepalese border.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8608913.stm|title=Nepal and China agree on Mount Everest's height|date=8 April 2010|work=BBC News|access-date=18 January 2020|archive-date=
=== Climate ===
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{{Further|Great Green Wall (China)}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map CHN present.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen-Geiger climate classification]] map for mainland China<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Beck|first1=Hylke E.|last2=Zimmermann|first2=Niklaus E.|last3=McVicar|first3=Tim R.|last4=Vergopolan|first4=Noemi|last5=Berg|first5=Alexis|author6-link=Eric Franklin Wood|last6=Wood|first6=Eric F.|title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution|journal=Scientific Data|date=30 October 2018|volume=5|page=180214|doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214|pmid=30375988|pmc=6207062|bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B
China's climate is mainly dominated by [[dry season]]s and wet [[monsoons]], which lead to pronounced temperature differences between winter and summer. In the winter, northern winds coming from high-latitude areas are cold and dry; in summer, southern winds from coastal areas at lower latitudes are warm and moist.<ref>{{cite book|title=Regional Climate Studies of China|
A major environmental issue in China is the continued [[desertification|expansion of its deserts]], particularly the Gobi Desert.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/terrywaghorn/2011/03/07/fighting-desertification/|title=Fighting Desertification|last=Waghorn|first=Terry|date=7 March 2011|newspaper=Forbes|access-date=21 January 2020|archive-date=29 July 2017
Official government statistics about Chinese agricultural productivity are considered unreliable, due to exaggeration of production at subsidiary government levels.<ref>Chow, Gregory (2006) Are Chinese Official Statistics Reliable? CESifo Economic Studies 52. 396–414. 10.1093/cesifo/ifl003.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Liu G, Wang X, Baiocchi G, Casazza M, Meng F, Cai Y, Hao Y, Wu F, Yang Z |date=October 2020 |title=On the accuracy of official Chinese crop production data: Evidence from biophysical indexes of net primary production |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]] |volume=117|issue=41|pages=25434–25444 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1919850117|pmc=7568317|pmid=32978301 |bibcode=2020PNAS..11725434L |doi-access=free}}</ref> Much of China has a climate very suitable for agriculture and the country has been the world's largest producer of rice, wheat, tomatoes, eggplant, grapes, watermelon, spinach, and many other crops.<ref>{{cite web|title=Countries by commodity|website=[[FAOSTAT]]|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/countries_by_commodity|access-date=16 January 2020|archive-date=
=== Biodiversity ===
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[[File:Giant Panda Eating.jpg|thumb|A [[giant panda]], China's most famous [[List of endangered and protected species of China|endangered]] and [[endemic]] species, at the [[Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding|Chengdu Panda Base]] in [[Sichuan]]]]
China is one of 17 [[megadiverse countries]],<ref name="Ref_2009a">{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2001/publications/theme-reports/biodiversity/biodiversity01-3.html|title=Biodiversity Theme Report|last=Williams|first=Jann|date=10 December 2009|website=Environment.gov.au|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811045957/http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2001/publications/theme-reports/biodiversity/biodiversity01-3.html|archive-date=11 August 2011|access-date=27 April 2010}}</ref> lying in two of the world's major [[biogeographic realm]]s: the [[Palearctic realm|Palearctic]] and the [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]]. By one measure, China has over 34,687 species of animals and vascular plants, making it the third-most biodiverse country in the world, after [[Brazil]] and [[Colombia]].<ref>[http://rainforests.mongabay.com/03highest_biodiversity.htm Countries with the Highest Biological Diversity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326060253/http://rainforests.mongabay.com/03highest_biodiversity.htm|date=26 March 2013
China is home to at least 551 species of [[List of mammals of China|mammals]] (the third-highest in the world),<ref>[http://www.iucnredlist.org/initiatives/mammals/analysis/geographic-patterns IUCN Initiatives – Mammals – Analysis of Data – Geographic Patterns 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512150801/http://www.iucnredlist.org/initiatives/mammals/analysis/geographic-patterns|date=12 May 2013
China has over 32,000 species of vascular plants,<ref>[http://rainforests.mongabay.com/03plants.htm Countries with the most vascular plant species] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112001508/http://rainforests.mongabay.com/03plants.htm|date=12 January 2014
=== Environment ===
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[[File:ThreeGorgesDam-China2009.jpg|thumb|The [[Three Gorges Dam]] is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world.]]
In the early 2000s, China has suffered from [[environmental issues in China|environmental deterioration and pollution]] due to its rapid pace of industrialization.<ref name="Ma2002">{{Cite book |last1=Ma |first1=Xiaoying
China has prioritized clamping down on pollution, bringing a significant decrease in air pollution in the 2010s.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Jayaram |first1=Kripa |last2=Kay |first2=Chris |last3=Murtaugh |first3=Dan |date=14 June 2022 |title=China Reduced Air Pollution in 7 Years as Much as US Did in Three Decades |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-14/china-s-clean-air-campaign-is-bringing-down-global-pollution |access-date=13 January 2024 |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |archive-date=7 November 2023
China is the world's leading investor in [[renewable energy]] and [[Renewable energy commercialization|its commercialization]], with [[US$|$]]546 billion invested in 2022;<ref name="Schonhardt-2023">{{Cite news |last=Schonhardt |first=Sara |date=30 January 2023 |title=China Invests $546 Billion in Clean Energy, Far Surpassing the U.S. |work=[[Scientific American]] |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-invests-546-billion-in-clean-energy-far-surpassing-the-u-s/#:~:text=The%20country%20spent%20%24546%20billion,billion%20in%20clean%20energy%20investments. |access-date=19 May 2023 |archive-date=
=== Political geography ===
{{Main|Borders of China|Coastline of China|Territorial changes of the People's Republic of China}}China is the [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third-largest]] country in the world by land area after [[Russia]], and the third- or fourth-largest country in the world by total area.{{efn|According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', the total area of the United States, at {{convert|9522055|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sp=us}}, is slightly smaller than that of China. Meanwhile, the ''CIA World Factbook'' states that China's total area was greater than that of the United States until the coastal waters of the [[Great Lakes]] was added to the United States' total area in 1996. From 1989 through 1996, the total area of US was listed as {{convert|9372610|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sp=us}} (land area plus inland water only). The listed total area changed to {{convert|9629091|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sp=us}} in 1997 (with the Great Lakes areas and the coastal waters added), to {{convert|9631418|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sp=us}} in 2004, to {{convert|9631420|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sp=us}} in 2006, and to {{convert|9826630|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sp=us}} in 2007 (territorial waters added).}} China's total area is generally stated as being approximately {{convert|9600000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ma|first1=Jin Shuang|last2=Liu|first2=Quan Riu|title=The Present Situation and Prospects of Plant Taxonomy in China|journal=[[Taxon (journal)|Taxon]]|volume=47|number=1|date=February 1998|pages=67–74|publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]]|doi=10.2307/1224020|jstor=1224020}}</ref> Specific area figures range from {{convert|9572900|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|sp=us}} according to the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'',<ref name="United States"
China has resolved its land borders with 12 out of 14 neighboring countries, having pursued substantial compromises in most of them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Groundless to view China as expansionist, says Beijing after PM Modi's Ladakh visit |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/groundless-to-view-china-as-expansionist-says-beijing-after-pm-modi-s-ladakh-visit-1696727-2020-07-03 |access-date=13 August 2020 |website=[[India Today]] |date=3 July 2020 |archive-date=
== Government and politics ==
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| caption_align = center
| image1 = Great Hall Of The People At Night.JPG
| caption1 = The [[Great Hall of the People]]<br
| image2 = Xinhuamen Gate of Zhongnanhai across Changan Street.JPG
| caption2 = The [[Zhongnanhai]], headquarters of the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|Chinese government]] and [[Chinese Communist Party]]
}}
The People's Republic of China is a [[one-party state]] governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
The PRC [[Democracy in China|officially terms itself as a democracy]], using terms such as "socialist consultative democracy",<ref>{{
=== Chinese Communist Party ===
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[[File:18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.jpg|thumb|The [[Chinese Communist Party]] is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China.]]
According to the [[Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP constitution]], its highest body is the [[National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party|National Congress]] held every five years.<ref name="Ruwitch-2022">{{Cite news |last=Ruwitch |first=John |date=
=== Government ===
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| caption_align = center
| image1 = 习近平 Xi Jinping 20221023 02.jpg
| caption1 = [[Xi Jinping]]<br
and [[President of China|President]]</small>
| width1 = 120
| image2 = 李强 Li Qiang 20221023.jpg
| caption2 = [[Li Qiang]]<br
| width2 = 120
| image3 = 赵乐际 Zhao Leji 20221023.jpg
| caption3 = [[Zhao Leji]]<br
| width3 = 122
| total_width =
| image4 = 王沪宁 Wang Huning 20221023.jpg
| width4 = 122
| caption4 = [[Wang Huning]]<br
}}
The government in China is under the sole control of the CCP.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last=Ma |first=Josephine |date=17 May 2021 |title=Party-state relations under China's Communist Party: separation of powers, control over government and reforms
The [[National People's Congress]] (NPC), with nearly 3,000-members, is constitutionally the "[[highest organ of state power]]",<ref name="Constitution" /> though it has been also described as a "[[rubber stamp (politics)|rubber stamp]]" body.<ref name="BBC News-2009">{{
The [[President of China|president]] is elected by the NPC. The presidency is the ceremonial state representative, but not the constitutional head of state. The incumbent president is Xi Jinping, who is also the general secretary of the CCP and the [[Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)|chairman of the Central Military Commission]], making him China's [[paramount leader]] and [[Supreme Military Command of the People's Republic of China|supreme commander]] of the Armed Forces. The [[Premier of China|premier]] is the [[head of government]], with [[Li Qiang]] being the incumbent. The premier is officially nominated by the president and then elected by the NPC, and has generally been either the second- or third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). The premier presides over the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|State Council]], China's cabinet, composed of four vice premiers, [[State councillor|state councilors]], and the heads of ministries and commissions.<ref name="Constitution" /> The [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]] (CPPCC) is a political advisory body that is critical in China's "[[United Front (China)|united front]]" system, which aims to gather non-CCP voices to support the CCP. Similar to the people's congresses, CPPCC's exist at various division, with the National Committee of the CPPCC being chaired by [[Wang Huning]], fourth-ranking member of the PSC.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tiezzi |first=Shannon |date=4 March 2021 |title=What Is the CPPCC Anyway?
The governance of China is characterized by a high degree of political centralization but significant economic decentralization.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Jin |first=Keyu |author-link=Keyu Jin |title=The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism |date=2023 |publisher=Viking |isbn=978-1-9848-7828-1
=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of China|Districts of Hong Kong|Municipalities and parishes of Macau}}
The PRC is constitutionally a [[unitary state]] divided into 23 [[Provinces of China|provinces]],{{efn|The People's Republic of China claims the islands of [[Geography of Taiwan|Taiwan]] and [[Penghu]], which it does not control, as its disputed 23rd province, i.e. [[Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China|Taiwan Province]]; along with [[Kinmen]] and [[Matsu Islands]] as part of [[Fujian|Fujian Province]]. These are controlled by the Taipei-based [[Taiwan|Republic of China]] (ROC). See {{section link||Administrative divisions}} for more details.|name=TaiwanClaim}} five [[Autonomous regions of China|autonomous regions]] (each with a designated minority group), and four [[Direct-administered municipality|direct-administered municipalities]]—collectively referred to as "mainland China"—as well as the [[Special administrative regions of China|special administrative regions]] (SARs) of Hong Kong and Macau.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 August 2014 |title=Administrative Division |url=http://english.www.gov.cn/archive/china_abc/2014/08/27/content_281474983873401.htm |
{{PRC provinces big imagemap alt}}
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[[File:Diplomatic relations of the People's Republic of China.svg|upright=1.4|thumb|Diplomatic relations of China]]
The PRC has diplomatic relations with 179 United Nation members states and maintains [[List of diplomatic missions of China|embassies in 174]]. {{As of|2024}}, China has one of the largest diplomatic networks of any country in the world.<ref>{{
The PRC officially maintains the [[One China|one-China principle]], which holds the view that there is only one sovereign state in the name of China, represented by the PRC, and that Taiwan is part of that China.<ref name="Drun-2017">{{Cite web |last=Drun |first=Jessica |date=28 December 2017 |title=One China, Multiple Interpretations |url=https://www.ccpwatch.org/single-post/2017/12/29/one-china-multiple-interpretations |access-date=11 January 2023 |website=Center for Advanced China Research |archive-date=2020-03-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309224301/https://www.ccpwatch.org/single-post/2017/12/29/One-China-Multiple-Interpretations |url-status=live }}</ref> The unique status of Taiwan has led to countries recognizing the PRC to maintain unique "one-China policies" that differ from each other; some countries explicitly recognize the PRC's claim over Taiwan, while others, including the U.S. and Japan, only ''acknowledge'' the claim.<ref name="Drun-2017" /> Chinese officials have protested on numerous occasions when foreign countries have made diplomatic overtures to Taiwan,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mysinchew.com/node/33834|title=Taiwan's Ma to stopover in US: report|date=12 January 2010|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909170723/http://www.mysinchew.com/node/33834|archive-date=9 September 2015}}</ref> especially in the matter of armament sales.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-says-us-arms-sales-to-taiwan-could-threaten-wider-relations-pl2j2pdn667|title=China says US arms sales to Taiwan could threaten wider relations|last=Macartney|first=Jane|date=1 February 2010|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=18 January 2020|archive-date=2023-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712030509/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-says-us-arms-sales-to-taiwan-could-threaten-wider-relations-pl2j2pdn667|url-status=live}}</ref> Most countries have switched recognition from the ROC to the PRC since the latter replaced the former in the UN in 1971.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hale |first=Erin |date=25 October 2021 |title=Taiwan taps on United Nations' door, 50 years after departure |work=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/25/chinas-un-seat-50-years-on |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-date=2023-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129190345/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/25/chinas-un-seat-50-years-on |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Russia and China sign major gas deal.jpeg|thumb|On 21 May 2014, China and [[Russia]] signed a $400 billion [[Natural gas in Russia|gas deal]]. Currently,{{Since when|date=July 2024}} Russia is supplying [[List of countries by natural gas exports|natural gas]] to China.]]Much of current [[Foreign policy of China|Chinese foreign policy]] is reportedly based on Premier [[Zhou Enlai]]'s [[Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence]], and is also driven by the concept of "harmony without uniformity", which encourages diplomatic relations between states despite ideological differences.<ref name="Keith">{{Cite book|last=Keith|first=Ronald C.|title=China from the inside out – fitting the People's republic into the world|publisher=PlutoPress|pages=135–136}}</ref> This policy may have led China to support or maintain close ties with states that are [[rogue state|regarded as dangerous]] and repressive by Western nations, such as [[China–Sudan relations|Sudan]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Timothy Webster |date=17 May 2013 |title=China's Human Rights Footprint in Africa |url=https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1619&context=faculty_publications |website=[[Case Western Reserve University School of Law]] |pages=628 and 638 |access-date=2024-03-28 |archive-date=2024-02-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229040705/https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1619&context=faculty_publications |url-status=live }}</ref> [[China–North Korea relations|North Korea]] and [[China–Iran relations|Iran]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Martel |first=William C. |date=29 June 2012 |title=An Authoritarian Axis Rising? |newspaper=[[The Diplomat]] |url=https://thediplomat.com/2012/06/an-authoritarian-axis-rising/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216045110/https://thediplomat.com/2012/06/an-authoritarian-axis-rising/ |archive-date=16 December 2013}}</ref> China's close relationship with [[China–Myanmar relations|Myanmar]] has involved support for its ruling governments as well as for its ethnic rebel groups,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maria Siow |date=2021-03-27 |title=Could Myanmar's ethnic armed groups turn the tide against the junta, with a little help from Beijing? |url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3127236/could-myanmars-ethnic-armed-groups-turn-tide-against-junta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231127152703/https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3127236/could-myanmars-ethnic-armed-groups-turn-tide-against-junta |archive-date=2023-11-27 |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |language=en}}</ref> including the [[Arakan Army]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=DAVID BREWSTER |date=8 November 2022 |title=How China, India and Bangladesh could be drawn into Myanmar's conflict |url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/how-china-india-bangladesh-could-be-drawn-myanmar-s-conflict |website=[[Lowy Institute]] |language=en |access-date=2024-03-28 |archive-date=2024-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224140842/https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/how-china-india-bangladesh-could-be-drawn-myanmar-s-conflict |url-status=live }}</ref> China has a [[China–Russia relations|close political, economic and military relationship]] with Russia,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Helen |date=16 March 2022 |title=How close are China and Russia and where does Beijing stand on Ukraine? |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/16/how-close-are-china-and-russia-and-where-does-beijing-stand-on-ukraine |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-date=2022-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322172321/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/16/how-close-are-china-and-russia-and-where-does-beijing-stand-on-ukraine |url-status=live }}</ref> and the two states often vote in unison in the UN Security Council.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 June 2012 |title=Energy to dominate Russia President Putin's China visit |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18327632 |access-date=16 January 2020 |archive-date=2024-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214152040/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18327632 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/world/middleeast/russia-and-china-veto-un-sanctions-against-syria.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/world/middleeast/russia-and-china-veto-un-sanctions-against-syria.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited|title=Friction at the U.N. as Russia and China Veto Another Resolution on Syria Sanctions|last=Gladstone|first=Rick|date=19 July 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=15 November 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21911842|title=Xi Jinping: Russia-China ties 'guarantee world peace'|date=23 March 2013|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=23 March 2013|archive-date=2024-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120144520/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21911842|url-status=live}}</ref> [[China–United States relations|China's relationship with the United States]] is complex, and includes deep trade ties but significant political differences.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Eric |last2=Monteiro |first2=Ana |date=7 February 2023 |title=US-China Goods Trade Hits Record Even as Political Split Widens |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-07/us-china-trade-climbs-to-record-in-2022-despite-efforts-to-split |access-date=16 May 2023 |archive-date=2023-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502105302/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-07/us-china-trade-climbs-to-record-in-2022-despite-efforts-to-split |url-status=live }}</ref>▼
Since the early 2000s, China has followed a policy of [[Sino-African relations|engaging with African nations]] for trade and bilateral co-operation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Abraham |date=30 March 2005 |title=A rising China counters US clout in Africa |work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0330/p01s01-woaf.html |url-status=live |access-date=18 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816123236/http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0330/p01s01-woaf.html |archive-date=16 August 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lyman |first=Princeton |date=21 July 2005 |title=China's Rising Role in Africa |url=http://www.cfr.org/publication/8436/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715183929/http://www.cfr.org/publication/8436/ |archive-date=15 July 2007 |access-date=26 June 2007 |website=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Politzer |first=Malia |date=6 August 2008 |title=China and Africa: Stronger Economic Ties Mean More Migration |url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/china-and-africa-stronger-economic-ties-mean-more-migration |access-date=26 January 2013 |website=[[Migration Policy Institute]] |archive-date=2023-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202014823/https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/china-and-africa-stronger-economic-ties-mean-more-migration/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It maintains extensive and highly diversified trade links with the European Union, and became its largest trading partner for goods.<ref name="qz_EU_trade">{{cite news |last=Timsit |first=Annabelle |date=15 February 2021 |title=China dethroned the US as Europe's top trade partner in 2020 |work=Quartz |url=https://qz.com/1973067/china-dethroned-the-us-as-europes-top-trade-partner-in-2020/ |access-date=18 March 2021 |archive-date=2023-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002082249/https://qz.com/1973067/china-dethroned-the-us-as-europes-top-trade-partner-in-2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> China is increasing its influence in [[Central Asia]]<ref>{{cite web|date=2023-05-24|author=Stefan Wolff|url=https://theconversation.com/how-china-is-increasing-its-influence-in-central-asia-as-part-of-global-plans-to-offer-an-alternative-to-the-west-206035|title=How China is increasing its influence in central Asia as part of global plans to offer an alternative to the west|work=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]|access-date=2024-03-28 |archive-date=2024-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303040833/http://theconversation.com/how-china-is-increasing-its-influence-in-central-asia-as-part-of-global-plans-to-offer-an-alternative-to-the-west-206035|url-status=live}}</ref> and South Pacific.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Owen Greene|author2=Christoph Bluth|work=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]|title=China's increasing political influence in the south Pacific has sparked an international response|url=https://theconversation.com/chinas-increasing-political-influence-in-the-south-pacific-has-sparked-an-international-response-222105|date=2024-02-09|access-date=2024-03-28 |archive-date=2024-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303175200/https://theconversation.com/chinas-increasing-political-influence-in-the-south-pacific-has-sparked-an-international-response-222105|url-status=live}}</ref> The country has strong trade ties with [[ASEAN]] countries<ref>{{cite web |date=December 2022 |title=ASEAN Statistical Yearbook 2022 |url=https://www.aseanstats.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ASYB_2022_423.pdf |access-date=16 May 2023 |work=ASEAN |archive-date=2023-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516144951/https://www.aseanstats.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ASYB_2022_423.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and major South American economies,<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 February 2021 |title=The U.S. and China Are Battling for Influence in Latin America, and the Pandemic Has Raised the Stakes |magazine=Time |url=https://time.com/5936037/us-china-latin-america-influence |access-date=28 March 2021 |archive-date=2024-03-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323123844/https://time.com/5936037/us-china-latin-america-influence/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and is the largest trading partner of Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, and several others.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Garrison |first=Cassandra |date=14 December 2020 |title=In Latin America, a Biden White House faces a rising China |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-latam-usa-china-insight/in-latin-america-a-biden-white-house-faces-a-rising-china-idUSKBN28O18R |access-date=28 March 2021 |archive-date=2023-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108025932/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-latam-usa-china-insight/in-latin-america-a-biden-white-house-faces-a-rising-china-idUSKBN28O18R |url-status=live }}</ref>▼
▲The PRC officially maintains the [[One China|one-China principle]], which holds the view that there is only one sovereign state in the name of China, represented by the PRC, and that Taiwan is part of that China.<ref name="Drun-2017">{{Cite web |last=Drun |first=Jessica |date=28 December 2017 |title=One China, Multiple Interpretations |url=https://www.ccpwatch.org/single-post/2017/12/29/one-china-multiple-interpretations |
In 2013, China initiated the [[Belt and Road Initiative]] (BRI), a large global infrastructure building initiative with funding on the order of $50–100 billion per year.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dollar |first=David |date=October 2020 |title=Seven years into China's Belt and Road |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/10/01/seven-years-into-chinas-belt-and-road/ |access-date=1 December 2020 |website=Brookings |archive-date=2023-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530150820/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/10/01/seven-years-into-chinas-belt-and-road/ |url-status=live }}</ref> BRI could be one of the largest development plans in modern history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cai |first=Peter |title=Understanding China's Belt and Road Initiative |url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/understanding-belt-and-road-initiative |access-date=30 November 2020 |website=[[Lowy Institute]] |archive-date=2022-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901063800/http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/understanding-belt-and-road-initiative |url-status=live }}</ref> It has expanded significantly over the last six years and, {{As of|2020|April|lc=y}}, includes 138 countries and 30 international organizations. In addition to intensifying foreign policy relations, the focus is particularly on building efficient transport routes, especially the [[21st Century Maritime Silk Road|maritime Silk Road]] with its connections to East Africa and Europe. However many loans made under the program are unsustainable and China has faced a number of calls for [[debt relief]] from debtor nations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kynge |first1=James |author-link=James Kynge |last2=Sun |first2=Yu |date=30 April 2020 |title=China faces wave of calls for debt relief on 'Belt and Road' projects |work=[[Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/5a3192be-27c6-4fe7-87e7-78d4158bd39b |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 October 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/5a3192be-27c6-4fe7-87e7-78d4158bd39b |archive-date=10 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Harry G. Broadman |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7186 |title=Africa's Silk Road: China and India's New Economic Frontier |date=2007 |publisher=World Bank |isbn=9780821368350 |hdl=10986/7186 |access-date=2024-03-28 |archive-date=2024-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328160049/https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/ba2454cc-7c86-58e3-b0ad-c9b0968b70eb |url-status=live }}▼
▲Since the early 2000s, China has followed a policy of [[Sino-African relations|engaging with African nations]] for trade and bilateral co-operation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Abraham |date=30 March 2005 |title=A rising China counters US clout in Africa
*{{Cite book |author1=Wolf D. Hartmann |title=Chinas neue Seidenstraße Kooperation statt Isolation - der Rollentausch im Welthandel |author2=Wolfgang Maennig |author3=Run Wang |publisher=Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch |year=2017 |isbn=9783956012242 |page=59}}▼
*{{Cite book |author=Marcus Hernig |title=Die Renaissance der Seidenstrasse : der Weg des chinesischen Drachens ins Herz Europas |publisher=FinanzBuch Verlag (FBV) |year=2018 |isbn=9783959721387 |page=112}}▼
▲In 2013, China initiated the [[Belt and Road Initiative]] (BRI), a large global infrastructure building initiative with funding on the order of $50–100 billion per year.<ref>{{
*{{Cite journal |author=Harry de Wilt |date=17 December 2019 |title=Is 'One Belt, One Road' a China Crisis for North Sea Main Ports? |url=https://www.worldcargonews.com/news/news/is-one-belt-one-road-a-china-crisis-for-north-sea-main-ports-63544 |journal=World Cargo News |volume=17 |url-access=registration |access-date=2023-10-16 |archive-date=2023-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018024445/https://www.worldcargonews.com/news/news/is-one-belt-one-road-a-china-crisis-for-north-sea-main-ports-63544 |url-status=dead }}▼
*{{Cite journal |author=Guido Santevecchi |date=November 2019 |title=Di Maio e la Via della Seta: «Faremo i conti nel 2020», siglato accordo su Trieste |url=https://www.informazione.it/a/F44F3D8B-F9F0-4058-B30F-8799E0A22A01/Di-Maio-e-la-Via-della-Seta-Faremo-i-conti-nel-2020-siglato-accordo-su-Trieste |journal=Corriere della Sera |volume=5 |access-date=2024-03-28 |archive-date=2023-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018024550/https://www.informazione.it/a/F44F3D8B-F9F0-4058-B30F-8799E0A22A01/Di-Maio-e-la-Via-della-Seta-Faremo-i-conti-nel-2020-siglato-accordo-su-Trieste |url-status=live }}</ref>▼
▲* {{Cite book |author1=Wolf D. Hartmann |title=Chinas neue Seidenstraße Kooperation statt Isolation - der Rollentausch im Welthandel |author2=Wolfgang Maennig |author3=Run Wang |publisher=Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch |
▲* {{Cite book |
▲* {{Cite journal |
▲* {{Cite journal |
=== Military ===
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[[File:J-20 at Airshow China 2016.jpg|thumb|[[Chengdu J-20]] [[Fifth-generation fighter|5th generation]] stealth fighter]]
The [[People's Liberation Army]] (PLA) is considered one of the world's most powerful militaries and has rapidly modernized in the recent decades.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maizland |first=Lindsay |date=5 February 2020 |title=China's Modernizing Military |url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-modernizing-military |
=== Sociopolitical issues and human rights ===
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[[File:港人燭光遊行至中聯辦悼念劉曉波 12.jpg|thumb|March in memory of Chinese [[2010 Nobel Peace Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]] laureate [[Liu Xiaobo]] who died of organ failure while in government custody in 2017]]
The situation of [[human rights in China]] has attracted significant criticism from foreign governments, foreign press agencies, and non-governmental organizations, alleging widespread civil rights violations such as detention without trial, forced confessions, torture, restrictions of fundamental rights, and [[Capital punishment in China|excessive use of the death penalty]].<ref name="freedomhouse" /><ref name="Amnesty-2023">{{
Although some criticisms of government policies and the ruling CCP are tolerated, censorship of political speech and information are amongst the harshest in the world and routinely used to prevent collective action.<ref>{{
[[File:Xinjiang Internment Map, US-Aus Gov Assessment.jpg|thumb|In [[Xinjiang]], China has been accused of committing genocide against Uyghurs and detaining more than one million [[Uyghurs]] and other ethnic minorities in camps.<ref name="BBC News-2021">{{Cite news |date=8 February 2021 |title=Uighurs: 'Credible case' China carrying out genocide
China is regularly accused of large-scale repression and human rights abuses in [[Human rights in Tibet|Tibet]] and Xinjiang,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Anna Morcom |date=June 2018 |title=The Political Potency of Tibetan Identity in Pop Music and Dunglen |url=https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2348&context=himalaya |url-status=live |journal=Himalaya |publisher=[[Royal Holloway, University of London]] |volume=38
[[File:Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protest (48108594957).jpg|thumb|[[2019–20 Hong Kong protests]]]]
In 2017 and 2020, the [[Pew Research Center]] ranked the severity of Chinese government restrictions on religion as being among the world's highest, despite ranking religious-related social hostilities in China as low in severity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=
=== Public views of government ===
Political concerns in China include the growing gap between rich and poor and government corruption.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 May 2002 |title=China sounds alarm over fast growing gap between rich and poor
== Economy ==
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{{For|Economic history of China|Economic history of China before 1912|Economic history of China (1912–1949)|Economic history of China (1949–present)}}
China has the world's [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|second-largest economy]] in terms of [[nominal GDP]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kollewe |first=Justin McCurry Julia |date=14 February 2011 |title=China overtakes Japan as world's second-largest economy
China [[Economic history of China before 1912|was one of the world's foremost economic powers]] throughout the arc of [[Economy of East Asia#China|East Asian]] and [[Economic history of China before 1912|global history]]. The country [[List of regions by past GDP (PPP)|had one of the largest economies]] in the world for most of the [[Pax Sinica|past two millennia]],<ref>{{
[[File:Graph of Major Developing Economies by Real GDP per capita at PPP 1990-2013.png|thumb|China and other major developing economies by [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP per capita at purchasing-power parity]], 1990–2013. The rapid economic growth of China (blue) is readily apparent.<ref>{{
Modern-day China is often described as an example of [[state capitalism]] or [[party-state capitalism]].<ref name="Pearson-2021">{{Cite journal |last1=Pearson |first1=Margaret |last2=Rithmire |first2=Meg |last3=Tsai |first3=Kellee S. |date=1 September 2021
China has been the world's [[Manufacturing#List of countries by manufacturing output|largest manufacturing nation]] since 2010, after overtaking the U.S., which had been the largest for the previous hundred years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Marsh |first=Peter |date=13 March 2011 |title=China noses ahead as top goods producer |url=https://www.ft.com/content/002fd8f0-4d96-11e0-85e4-00144feab49a |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/002fd8f0-4d96-11e0-85e4-00144feab49a |archive-date=10 December 2022 |
=== Tourism ===
{{Main|Tourism in China|3 = List of World Heritage Sites in China}}
China received 65.7 million international visitors in 2019,<ref name="WTO Tourism Highlights 2019 Edition">{{Cite journal |date=18 December 2020 |title=UNWTO World Tourism Barometer and Statistical Annex, December 2020 {{!}} World Tourism Organization |journal=UNWTO World Tourism Barometer (English Version) |volume=18 |issue=7 |pages=1–36 |doi=10.18111/wtobarometereng.2020.18.1.7 |doi-access=free}}</ref> and in 2018 was the [[World Tourism rankings|fourth-most-visited country]] in the world.<ref name="WTO Tourism Highlights 2019 Edition" /> It also experiences an enormous volume of [[domestic tourism]]; Chinese tourists made an estimated 6 billion travels within the country in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liang |first=Xinlu |date=19 August 2021 |title=How has China's travel industry been hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, and when will tourism recover?
=== Wealth ===
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[[File:20045-Shanghai-Pano (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Skyline of [[Lujiazui]] in Shanghai]]
China [[List of countries by total wealth|accounted for 17.9%]] of the world's total wealth in 2021, second highest in the world after the U.S.<ref name="databook20222">{{Cite book |last1=Shorrocks |first1=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Shorrocks |url=https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2022.pdf |title=Global Wealth Databook 2022 |last2=Davies |first2=James |last3=Lluberas |first3=Rodrigo |date=2022 |publisher=[[Credit Suisse]] Research Institute
From 1978 to 2018, the average standard of living multiplied by a factor of twenty-six.<ref name="Bergsten 2022">{{Cite book |last=Bergsten |first=C. Fred
{{As of|2024|March}}, China was second in the world, after the U.S., in [[List of countries by number of billionaires|total number of billionaires]] and [[List of countries by number of millionaires|total number of millionaires]], with 473 Chinese billionaires<ref>{{
=== China in the global economy ===
China has been a member of the [[World Trade Organization|WTO]] since 2001 and is the world's largest trading power.<ref>{{Cite news |last=He |first=Laura |date=13 January 2023 |title=China's exports plunge as global demand weakens, but trade with Russia hits record high
[[Foreign-exchange reserves of China|China's foreign exchange reserves]] reached US$3.246 trillion {{As of|2024|March|lc=y}}, making its reserves by far the world's largest.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 April 2024 |title=China forex reserves rise to $3.246 trln in March |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/china-forex-reserves-rise-3246-trln-march-2024-04-07
Economists have argued that the [[renminbi]] is undervalued, due to [[currency intervention]] from the Chinese government, giving China an unfair trade advantage.<ref>{{
The Chinese government has promoted the [[internationalization of the renminbi]] in order to wean off of its dependence on the U.S. dollar as a result of perceived weaknesses of the international monetary system.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Huang |first=Yukon |date=Fall 2013 |title=Does Internationalizing the RMB Make Sense for China? |url=http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-journal/2013/9/cjv33n3-18.pdf |journal=Cato Journal |access-date=28 July 2014}}</ref> The renminbi is a component of the IMF's [[special drawing rights]] and the world's fourth-most traded currency {{As of|2023|lc=y}}.<ref>{{
=== Science and technology ===
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{{Main|History of science and technology in China}}
[[File:Chinese Gunpowder Formula.JPG|thumb|Earliest known written [[History of gunpowder|formula for gunpowder]], from the ''[[Wujing Zongyao]]'' of 1044 CE]]
China was a world leader in science and technology until the [[Ming dynasty]].<ref>Tom (1989), 99; Day & McNeil (1996), 122; Needham (1986e), 1–2, 40–41, 122–123, 228.</ref> Ancient and medieval [[List of Chinese discoveries|Chinese discoveries]] and [[List of Chinese inventions|inventions]], such as [[papermaking]], [[History of typography in East Asia|printing]], the [[compass]], and [[gunpowder]] (the [[Four Great Inventions]]), became widespread across East Asia, the Middle East and later Europe. Chinese mathematicians were the first to use [[negative numbers#History|negative numbers]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 March 2006 |title=In Our Time: Negative Numbers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003hyd9
After [[Century of humiliation|repeated military defeats]] by the [[Eight-Nation Alliance|European colonial powers]] and [[First Sino-Japanese War|Imperial Japan]] in the 19th century, Chinese reformers began promoting modern science and technology as part of the [[Self-Strengthening Movement]]. After the Communists came to power in 1949, efforts were made to organize science and technology based on the model of the [[Soviet Union]], in which scientific research was part of central planning.<ref>{{
==== Modern era ====
Since the end of the [[Cultural Revolution]], China has made significant investments in scientific research<ref name="CWRD">{{
China is developing [[Education in China|its education system]] with an emphasis on [[science, technology, engineering, and mathematics]] (STEM).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Colvin |first=Geoff |date=29 July 2010 |title=Desperately seeking math and science majors
===== Space program =====
{{Main|Chinese space program}}
[[File:Launch of Shenzhou 13.jpg|thumb|upright|Launch of [[Shenzhou 13]] by a [[Long March 2F]] rocket. China is one of the only three countries with independent [[human spaceflight]] capability.]]
The Chinese space program started in 1958 with some technology transfers from the Soviet Union. However, it did not launch the nation's first satellite until 1970 with the [[Dong Fang Hong I]], which made China the fifth country to do so independently.<ref>{{
In 2003, China became the third country in the world to independently send humans into space with [[Yang Liwei]]'s spaceflight aboard [[Shenzhou 5]]. As of 2023, [[List of Chinese astronauts|eighteen Chinese nationals]] have journeyed into space, including two women. In 2011, China launched its first space station testbed, [[Tiangong-1]].<ref>{{
In 2019, China became the first country to land a probe—[[Chang'e 4]]—on the [[far side of the Moon]].<ref>{{
In May 2023, China announced a plan to [[Moon landing|land humans on the Moon]] by 2030.<ref>{{
China sent [[Chang'e 6]] on 3 May 2024, which conducted the first lunar sample return from [[Apollo (crater)|Apollo Basin]] on the [[far side of the Moon]].<ref name="AJ_FI-20230425">{{
== Infrastructure ==
After a decades-long infrastructural boom,<ref>{{
=== Telecommunications ===
{{Main|Telecommunications in China}}
[[File:P1994-2011.gif|thumb|upright=1.35|Internet penetration rates in China in the context of [[East Asia]] and [[Southeast Asia]], 1995–2012]]
China is the largest telecom market in the world and currently has the [[List of countries by number of mobile phones in use|largest number of active cellphones of any country]], with over 1.7 billion subscribers, {{As of|2023|February|lc=y}}. It has the largest number of [[List of countries by number of Internet users|internet]] and [[List of sovereign states by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|broadband users]], with over 1.09 billion Internet users {{As of|2023|December|df=US|lc=y}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 2023 |title=The 50th Statistical Report on China's Internet Development |url=https://s.weibo.com/weibo?q=%23%E6%88%91%E5%9B%BD%E7%BD%91%E6%B0%91%E8%A7%84%E6%A8%A1%E5%B7%B2%E8%BE%BE10.79%E4%BA%BF%E4%BA%BA%23 |publisher=[[CNNIC]]}}</ref>—equivalent to around 77.5% of its population.<ref>{{Cite web |date=
[[China Mobile]], [[China Unicom]] and [[China Telecom]], are the three large providers of mobile and internet in China. China Telecom alone served more than 145 million broadband subscribers and 300 million mobile users; China Unicom had about 300 million subscribers; and China Mobile, the largest of them all, had 925 million users, {{As of|2018|lc=y}}.<ref>{{
China has developed its own [[satellite navigation]] system, dubbed [[BeiDou]], which began offering commercial navigation services across Asia in 2012<ref name="CustomersDec2012">{{
=== Transport ===
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[[File:CR400BF-Z-0312@BJI (20231009152047).jpg|thumb|A [[Fuxing (train)|Fuxing]] high-speed train running near the [[Beijing central business district|Beijing CBD]]]]
Since the late 1990s, China's national road network has been significantly expanded through the creation of a network of [[China National Highways|national highways]] and [[Expressways of China|expressways]]. In 2022, China's highways had reached a total length of {{convert|177000|km|mi|abbr=on|sp=us}}, making it the [[List of countries by road network size|longest highway system]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 November 2023 |title=多我国高速公路通车里程稳居世界第一 |trans-title=China's expressway mileage ranks first in the world
[[Rail transport in China|China's railways]], which are operated by the state-owned [[China Railway|China State Railway Group Company]], are among [[List of countries by rail usage|the busiest]] in the world, handling a quarter of the world's rail traffic volume on only 6 percent of the world's tracks in 2006.<ref>{{
The [[Civil aviation in China|civil aviation industry in China]] is mostly state-dominated, with the Chinese government retaining a majority stake in the majority of Chinese airlines. The top three airlines in China, which collectively made up 71% of the market in 2018, are all state-owned. Air travel has expanded rapidly in the last decades, with the number of passengers increasing from 16.6 million in 1990 to 551.2 million in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Du |first=Harry |date=
China has [[List of ports in China|over 2,000 river and seaports]], about 130 of which are open to foreign shipping.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 September 2021 |title=China's Global Network of Shipping Ports Reveal Beijing's Strategy |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/6224958.html |access-date=
▲China has [[List of ports in China|over 2,000 river and seaports]], about 130 of which are open to foreign shipping.<ref>{{Cite web |title=China's Global Network of Shipping Ports Reveal Beijing's Strategy |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/6224958.html |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=VOA |date=13 September 2021 }}</ref> Of the [[List of busiest container ports|fifty busiest container ports]], 15 are located in China, of which the busiest is the [[Port of Shanghai]], also the busiest port in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Top 50 Container Ports |url=https://www.worldshipping.org/top-50-ports |access-date=July 14, 2022 |work=[[World Shipping Council]] |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> The country's inland waterways are the world's [[List of countries by waterways length|sixth-longest]], and total {{convert|27700|km|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Waterways – The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/waterways/country-comparison |access-date=July 14, 2022 |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref>
=== Water supply and sanitation ===
{{Main|Water supply and sanitation in China}}
Water supply and sanitation infrastructure in China is facing challenges such as rapid urbanization, as well as [[Water resources of China|water scarcity, contamination, and pollution]].<ref name="Water Scarcity in China">{{
== Demographics ==
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[[File:China Population Density, 2000 (6171905307).jpg|thumb|right|Population density map of the People's Republic of China (2000)]]
The [[2020 Chinese census]] recorded the population as approximately 1,411,778,724. About 17.95% were 14 years old or younger, 63.35% were between 15 and 59 years old, and 18.7% were over 60 years old.<ref name="2020_census2">{{
Given concerns about population growth, China implemented a two-child limit during the 1970s, and, in 1979, began to advocate for an even stricter limit of one child per family. Beginning in the mid-1980s, however, given the unpopularity of the strict limits, China began to allow some major exemptions, particularly in rural areas, resulting in what was actually a "1.5"-child policy from the mid-1980s to 2015; ethnic minorities were also exempt from one-child limits.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Kızlak |first=Kamuran |date=
According to one group of scholars, one-child limits had little effect on population growth<ref name="Wang Judge">{{
▲Given concerns about population growth, China implemented a two-child limit during the 1970s, and, in 1979, began to advocate for an even stricter limit of one child per family. Beginning in the mid-1980s, however, given the unpopularity of the strict limits, China began to allow some major exemptions, particularly in rural areas, resulting in what was actually a "1.5"-child policy from the mid-1980s to 2015; ethnic minorities were also exempt from one-child limits.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Kızlak |first=Kamuran |date=2021-06-21 |title=Çin'de üç çocuk: Siz yapın, biz bakalım |trans-title=Three children in China: You do it, we'll see |url=https://www.birgun.net/haber/cin-de-uc-cocuk-siz-yapin-biz-bakalim-349097 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816120012/https://www.birgun.net/haber/cin-de-uc-cocuk-siz-yapin-biz-bakalim-349097 |archive-date=2022-08-16 |website=[[BirGün]] |language=Turkish}}</ref> The next major loosening of the policy was enacted in December 2013, allowing families to have two children if one parent is an only child.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 December 2013 |title=China formalizes easing of one-child policy |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/12/28/china-one-child-policy/4230785/ |access-date=16 May 2023}}</ref> In 2016, the one-child policy was replaced in favor of a [[two-child policy]].<ref name="Birtles-2021">{{Cite news |last=Birtles |first=Bill |author-link=Bill Birtles |date=31 May 2021 |title=China introduces three-child policy to alleviate problem of ageing population |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-31/china-introduces-three-child-policy/100179832 |access-date=31 May 2021}}</ref> A [[three-child policy]] was announced on 31 May 2021, due to [[Aging of China|population aging]],<ref name="Birtles-2021" /> and in July 2021, all family size limits as well as penalties for exceeding them were removed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cheng |first=Evelyn |date=21 July 2021 |title=China scraps fines, will let families have as many children as they'd like |work=[[CNBC]] |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/21/china-scraps-fines-for-families-violating-childbirth-limits.html |access-date=29 April 2022}}</ref> In 2023, the [[total fertility rate]] was reported to be 1.09, ranking [[List of countries by total fertility rate|among the lowest in the world]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Qi |first=Liyan |date=August 19, 2023 |title=China's Fertility Rate Dropped Sharply, Study Shows |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/china/chinas-fertility-rate-dropped-sharply-study-shows-e97e647f |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 12, 2023 |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, [[National Bureau of Statistics of China|National Bureau of Statistics]] estimated that the population fell 850,000 from 2021 to 2022, the first decline since 1961.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ng |first1=Kelly |date=17 January 2023 |title=China's population falls for first time since 1961 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64300190 |access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref>
The cultural preference for male children, combined with the one-child policy, led to an excess of female child orphans in China, and in the 1990s through around 2007, there was an active stream of adoptions of (mainly female) babies by American and other foreign parents.<ref name="GirlBabyAdoptions">[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/08/adoption200808 The Chinese Adoption Effect] by Diane Clehane, ''Vanity Fair'', August 2008 Issue. Last access 31 August 2024.</ref> However, increased restrictions by the Chinese Government slowed foreign adoptions significantly in 2007 and again in 2015.<ref name="AdoptionRestrictions">[https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2374&context=gjicl Adoption in China: Past, Present and Yet to Come] by Margaret Gyznar, Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, 17 May 2017. See pages 40-42. Last access 31 August 2024.</ref>
▲According to one group of scholars, one-child limits had little effect on population growth<ref name="Wang Judge">{{cite journal |last1=Feng |first1=Wang |last2=Yong |first2=Cai |last3=Gu |first3=Baochang |year=2012 |title=Population, Policy, and Politics: How Will History Judge China's One-Child Policy? |url=http://dragonreport.com/Dragon_Report/Challenges_files/Wang_pp115-129.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=[[Population and Development Review]] |volume=38 |pages=115–129 |doi=10.1111/j.1728-4457.2013.00555.x |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606203524/http://dragonreport.com/Dragon_Report/Challenges_files/Wang_pp115-129.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2019|access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> or total population size.<ref name="Whyte">{{cite journal |last1=Whyte |first1=Martin K.|last2=Wang|first2=Feng|last3=Cai|first3=Yong|year=2015|title=Challenging Myths about China's One-Child Policy |url=http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/martinwhyte/files/challenging_myths_published_version.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/martinwhyte/files/challenging_myths_published_version.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |journal=[[The China Journal]]|volume=74|pages=144–159 |doi=10.1086/681664 |pmc=6701844|pmid=31431804}}</ref> However, these scholars have been challenged.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Goodkind |first1=Daniel|year=2017|title=The Astonishing Population Averted by China's Birth Restrictions: Estimates, Nightmares, and Reprogrammed Ambitions|journal=[[Demography (journal)|Demography]] |volume=54|issue=4|pages=1375–1400 |doi=10.1007/s13524-017-0595-x|pmid=28762036 |s2cid=13656899 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The policy, along with traditional preference for boys, may have contributed to an imbalance in the [[human sex ratio|sex ratio]] at birth.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/1480778/Shortage-of-girls-forces-China-to-criminalise-selective-abortion.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/1480778/Shortage-of-girls-forces-China-to-criminalise-selective-abortion.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Shortage of girls forces China to criminalize selective abortion|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=9 January 2005|access-date=22 October 2012|first=Simon|last=Parry}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Ref_2007a">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6254763.stm |title=Chinese facing shortage of wives|date=12 January 2007|work=BBC News |access-date=23 March 2009}}</ref> The 2020 census found that males accounted for 51.2% of the total population.<ref name="NBS China-2021">{{Cite web |date=11 May 2021 |title=Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 4) |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817189.html |access-date=16 May 2023 |website=[[National Bureau of Statistics of China]]}}</ref> However, China's sex ratio is more balanced than it was in 1953, when males accounted for 51.8% of the population.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 October 2011 |title=Chinese mainland gender ratios most balanced since 1950s: census data |work=[[Xinhua News Agency]] |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-04/28/c_13850191.htm |access-date=19 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911115321/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-04/28/c_13850191.htm |archive-date=11 September 2011}}</ref>
=== Urbanization ===
{{See also|List of cities in China|List of cities in China by population|Megalopolises in China}}
[[File:China Top 10 Biggest Cities.png|thumb|Map of the ten [[List of cities in China by population|largest cities]] in China (2010)]]
China [[Urbanization in China|has urbanized]] significantly in recent decades. The percent of the country's population living in urban areas increased from 20% in 1980 to over 66% in 2023.<ref>{{
{{Most populous cities in the People's Republic of China|class=info}}
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[[File:China ethnolinguistic 1967.jpg|thumb|Ethnolinguistic map of China in 1967]]
China legally recognizes 56 distinct ethnic groups, who comprise the ''[[Zhonghua minzu]]''. The largest of these nationalities are the [[Han Chinese]], who constitute more than 91% of the total population.<ref name="2020_census2" /> The Han Chinese – the world's largest single ethnic group<ref>{{
=== Languages ===
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[[File:Lihaozhai High School - P1360829.JPG|thumb|left|Lihaozhai High School in [[Jianshui]], [[Yunnan]]. The sign is in [[Hani language|Hani]] (Latin alphabet), [[Nisu language|Nisu]] ([[Yi script]]), and Chinese.]]
There are as many as 292 [[living language]]s in China.<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=CN Languages of China] – from Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International.</ref> The languages most commonly spoken belong to the [[Sinitic languages|Sinitic branch]] of the [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan language]] family, which contains [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] (spoken by 80% of the population),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Over 80 percent of Chinese population speak Mandarin
[[Standard Chinese|Standard Mandarin]], a variety of Mandarin based on the [[Beijing dialect]], is the national language and ''de facto'' official language of China.<ref name="Adamson & Feng"/> It is used as a [[lingua franca]] between people of different linguistic backgrounds.<ref name="langlaw">{{
===Religion===
{{Main article|Religion in China}}
[[File:Distribution of religions in China.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Geographic distribution of religions in China:<br/><ref name="map1">{{
[[Freedom of religion]] is guaranteed by China's constitution (Chapter 2, Article 36), although religious organizations that lack official approval can be subject to state persecution.<ref name="Constitution"
Over the millennia, the Chinese civilization has been influenced by various religious movements. The "[[three teachings|three doctrines]]", including [[Confucianism]], [[Taoism]], and [[Buddhism]] ([[Chinese Buddhism]]), historically have a significant role in shaping Chinese culture,<ref name="Yao2011">{{
[[File:中国道教 拜章昇疏 01.jpg|thumb|Taoism has been nominated as a state religion a number of times throughout China's history.<ref>{{
Statistics on religious affiliation in China are difficult to gather due to complex and varying definitions of religion and the diffusive nature of Chinese religious traditions. Scholars note that in China there is no clear boundary between the three doctrines and local folk religious practices.<ref name="Yao2011" /> Chinese religions or some of their currents are also definable as [[nontheism|non-theistic]] and [[humanistic]], since they do not hold that divine creativity is completely transcendent, but that it is inherent in the world and in particular in the human being.<ref>{{
=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in China|Higher education in China}}
[[File:13 Peking University.jpg|alt=|thumb|Beijing's [[Peking University]], one of the [[Rankings of universities in China|top-ranked universities in China]]<ref>{{
Compulsory education in China comprises [[primary school|primary]] and [[middle school|junior secondary school]], which together last for nine years from the age of 6 and 15.<ref>{{
China has the largest education system in the world,
{{As of|
=== Health ===
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{{See also|Medicine in China|Pharmaceutical industry in China}}
[[File:China, Trends in the Human Development Index 1970-2010.png|thumb|upright=1.15|Chart showing the rise of China's [[Human Development Index]] from 1970 to 2010]]
The [[National Health Commission]], together with its counterparts in the local commissions, oversees the health needs of the population.<ref>{{
After [[Deng Xiaoping]] began instituting economic reforms in 1978, the health of the Chinese public improved rapidly because of better nutrition, although many of the free public health services provided in the countryside disappeared. [[Healthcare in China]] became mostly privatized, and experienced a significant rise in quality. In 2009, the government began a three-year large-scale healthcare provision initiative worth US$124 billion.<ref>{{
{{As of|2023||df=US}}, the life expectancy at birth exceeds 78 years.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=David Daokui |author-link=David Daokui Li |title=China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict |date=2024 |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |isbn=978-
== Culture and society==
{{Main|Chinese culture|Culture of the People's Republic of China}}
{{wide image|File:Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China - 010 edit.jpg|1000px|The [[Temple of Heaven]], a center of [[Chinese theology|heaven worship]] and an UNESCO [[World Heritage Site|World Heritage site]], symbolizes the Interactions Between Heaven and Mankind.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/881
[[File:瘦西湖小金山2017.jpg|thumb|A [[moon gate]] in a Chinese garden]]
Since [[Ancient China|ancient times]], Chinese culture has been heavily influenced by Confucianism. Chinese culture, in turn, has heavily influenced [[East Asia]] and [[Southeast Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bader |first=Jeffrey A. |date=6 September 2005 |title=China's Role in East Asia: Now and the Future |url=https://www.brookings.edu/on-the-record/chinas-role-in-east-asia-now-and-the-future
[[File:Fenghuang old town.JPG|thumb|[[Fenghuang County]], an ancient town that harbors many architectural remains of Ming and Qing styles<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Fenghuang Ancient City |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5337
Today, the Chinese government has accepted numerous elements of traditional Chinese culture as being integral to Chinese society. With the rise of [[Chinese nationalism]] and the end of the Cultural Revolution, various forms of traditional Chinese art, literature, music, film, fashion and architecture have seen a vigorous revival,<ref name="Ref_abcdef">{{
=== Architecture ===
{{Main|Chinese architecture|3 = List of World Heritage Sites in China}}
[[Chinese architecture]] has developed over millennia in China and has remained a vestigial source of perennial influence on the development of East Asian architecture,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goodrich |first=L. Carrington
Chinese architecture is characterized by bilateral symmetry, use of enclosed open spaces, [[feng shui]] (e.g. directional [[Hierarchy|hierarchies]]),<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tuobin
Chinese architecture varies widely based on status or affiliation, such as whether the structures were constructed for emperors, commoners, or for religious purposes. Other variations in Chinese architecture are shown in vernacular styles associated with different [[Geography|geographic]] regions and different ethnic heritages, such as the [[stilt house]]s in the south, the [[Yaodong|Yaodong buildings]] in the northwest, the [[Yurt|yurt buildings]] of nomadic people, and the [[Siheyuan|Siheyuan buildings]] in the north.<ref>{{Cite book |last=徐怡涛.
=== Literature ===
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[[File:Pekin przedstawienie tradycjnego teatru chinskiego 7.JPG|thumb|The stories in ''[[Journey to the West]]'' are common themes in [[Peking opera]].]]
Chinese literature has its roots in the Zhou dynasty's literary tradition.<ref>{{
In the wake of the [[New Culture Movement]] after the end of the Qing dynasty, Chinese literature embarked on a new era with [[written vernacular Chinese]] for ordinary citizens. [[Hu Shih]] and [[Lu Xun]] were pioneers in modern literature.<ref>{{
=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of China|C-pop|Chinese opera}}
Chinese music covers a highly diverse range of music from traditional music to modern music. Chinese music dates back before the pre-imperial times. [[Traditional Chinese musical instruments]] were traditionally grouped into eight categories known as ''bayin'' (八音). Traditional Chinese opera is a form of musical theatre in China originating thousands of years and has regional style forms such as Beijing and [[Cantonese opera]].<ref>{{
=== Fashion ===
{{Main|Chinese clothing|Hanfu}}
[[Hanfu]] is the historical clothing of the Han people in China. The [[Cheongsam|qipao]] or cheongsam is a popular Chinese female dress.<ref>{{
=== Cinema ===
{{Main|Cinema of China}}
Cinema was first introduced to China in 1896 and the first Chinese film, ''[[Dingjun Mountain (film)|Dingjun Mountain]],'' was released in 1905.<ref>{{
=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Chinese cuisine}}
[[File:Cuisines of China.png|thumb|Map showing major regional cuisines of China]]
Chinese cuisine is highly diverse, drawing on several millennia of culinary history and geographical variety, in which the most influential are known as the "Eight Major Cuisines", including [[Sichuan cuisine|Sichuan]], [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]], [[Jiangsu cuisine|Jiangsu]], [[Shandong cuisine|Shandong]], [[Fujian cuisine|Fujian]], [[Hunan cuisine|Hunan]], [[Anhui cuisine|Anhui]], and [[Zhejiang cuisine|Zhejiang]] cuisines.<ref>{{
=== Sports ===
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[[File:FloorGoban.JPG|thumb|[[Go (game)|Go]] is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent, and which was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago.]]
China has one of the [[Sport in China|oldest sporting cultures]]. There is evidence that [[archery]] (''shèjiàn'') was practiced during the [[Western Zhou dynasty]]. Swordplay (''jiànshù'') and ''[[cuju]]'', a sport loosely related to [[association football]]<ref>{{
[[Physical fitness]] is widely emphasized in Chinese culture, with morning exercises such as ''[[qigong]]'' and [[tai chi]] widely practiced,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Thornton |first1=E. W. |last2=Sykes |first2=K. S. |last3=Tang |first3=W. K. |
China has [[China at the Olympics|participated in the Olympic Games]] since 1932, although it has only participated as the PRC [[China at the 1952 Summer Olympics|since 1952]]. China hosted the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in Beijing, where its athletes received 48 gold medals – the [[2008 Summer Olympics medal table|highest number of any participating nation that year]].<ref name="Ref_abcdeo">{{
== See also ==
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If there are already suitable links, propose additions or replacements on
the article's talk page, or submit your link to the relevant category at
the "long dead (2017)" Open Directory Project (dmoz.org) and link there using {{Dmoz}}.
-->
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* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/china/ China]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120609183901/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/china.htm China, People's Republic of] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
=== Maps ===
Line 679 ⟶ 657:
{{Coord|35|N|103|E|type:country|display=title}}
[[Category:China|
[[Category:People's Republic of China|People's Republic of China]]
[[Category:Atheist states]]
[[Category:BRICS nations]]
| |||