Serie geomÃ©trica

History

Geography

Environment

China knows major environmental problems. The Forêt had already strongly regressed there 8000 years ago, which generated problems of Désertification, of erosion and impoverishment of the soil, as well as Inondation S, which worsened with industrialization and demography in particular on the littoral and in the basin of the river of the Pearls. The massive use of Oil and especially of coal is source of a important Pollution. The explosion of the economic growth resulted in new pressures on the nonrenewable resources. Many cities are permanently covered with a cloud of pollution. China is one of the 17 Pays mégadivers, i.e. identified by UNEP-WCMC like one of richest of planet in term of biodiversity. However it is also one of the 4 countries for which a big number of species of mammals like the panda, which became a world symbol, are threatened of disappearance because of destruction of their habitat.

China initially refused the Protocole of Kyoto but in 2007, Wen Jiabao announced to want in 2010 to achieve the goals of the 11th five-year plan: to reduce of 20% the consumption of energy and 10% the emission of principal pollutants. Programs of afforestation, to protection of nature, the suppression of the bulbs to filament, the development of the dry Toilets, the multiplication of the solar panels on the Plate Tibetan, a important Wind farm and a project of city HQE testify to the made efforts. The Chinese fishing fleet on the other hand takes with the France an increasing share as regards Surpêche.

However, in spite of the official discourse, China should in 2007 charm in the United States the title of first gas producer with greenhouse effect; and in 25 years, China could produce some with it only twice as much as totality of the countries of joined together OECD. What is not if surprising since it built in 2006 5 coal stations per week!

The population, especially the young people having made higher learning, feels concerned by the environmental problems, not only on a country scale, but also on the scale of planet. This relatively recent and officially encouraged awakening enters in competition with the need for growth and industrial development, real estate, truck driver whom the country knows. It is with overpopulation the big challenge of modern China.

Demography

Lower population growth

Until the beginning of the year 1970, China knew very a demographic strong growth. In order to limit the growth of its population, it adopted a regulation limiting the size of the urban families (except for the Tibetans) to a child, with two children for the rural families having had a girl like first child. Birth rate thus fell from 21 per thousand in 1990 to 12,4 per thousand in 2003. The increase in population is as for him of 0,6% in 2003 compared with 1,44 in 1990.

The March 28th 2006, Zhang Weiqing - responsible for the “ Commission of State for the population and the family planning ” - indicated, in an interview granted to the Internet site of the Chinese government, that the policy of the Family planning had helped China to avoid the birth of 400 million babies during the three last decades. It pointed out that China had spent approximately thirty years to carry out the objective of the control of the population, whereas that had taken hundred in the developed countries of them. “The objective to ensure the Chinese people a relatively comfortable life could not have been carried out if we had 400 million additional people” underlined Mr. Zhang. China currently making vis-a-vis a new peak of its births, the Politique of the single child will not be changed in a near future.

This policy however is not always applied rigorously, in particular in the moved back campaigns where administrative control is less present. Certain privileged families also prefer to pay fines whose amount was not reactualized recently.

China counts 320 million children of less than 14 years.

Imbalances between the sexes

It is mainly a consequence of the birth-control. The boys being regarded as more advantageous economically in the rural areas, the recourse to the selective abortion, in theory prohibited, and with the abandonments generated a surplus of boys. There exist many orphanages for the abandoned children, but only 2% of them do not find parents adoptive, and remain with the orphanage until the adulthood. The RPC instituted a program allowing the international adoptions, but this one currently affects only one weak the number of adoptions; moreover, it was strongly limited in December 2006. In 2000, that had as an observable consequence a ratio of 117 boys born for 100 girls, largely above the natural average (106 per 100). Although culturally explainable by the sexism, the origins of this ratio recently were partially correlated with the consequences of hepatitis. The government of the RPC tries to reduce the problem through public awareness campaigns via the family planning, putting in value the role of the girls, but also by prohibiting the diagnosis of antenatal sex. There would currently exist between 30 and 40 million Chinese in impossibility of finding a woman.

Nationalities

Han

“Nationality” Han (92%) is itself relatively heterogeneous, and can be also apprehended like a vast dividing whole of habits of the cultural and linguistic characteristics close (in particular grammar).

The island of Taiwan is considered by the RPC as the 23e province of China even if she does not exert there sovereignty de facto . Historically, Taiwan as République of China seeks sovereignty on continental China. The Republic of China is a democratic country where the Chinese (as a majority downward of Hans) are divided between the desire to take part in Large China and that of a total scission which would result from an independence of the island desired by some lobbies American.

Independence inclinations of certain political parties of the Republic of China in Taiwan…

55 other “nationalities”

The RPC recognizes the existence of 55 “nationalities” in addition to Hans within the Chinese Nation. They are made up Chinese citizens having for native tongue a language not han.

“Nationalities” whatever they are profit juridically from the right “to develop their own language spoken and written thus that preserving or reforming their own customs and habits”, as well as priority of recruitment in the companies or the establishments of an autonomous region. Moreover, the law on the birth control authorizes certain “nationalities”, in particular in Tibet and in the little populated areas, to have more than one child by couple, contrary to Han which have right only to one child.

However, certain minorities cohabiting with Han complain about the differences which they feel between what envisages the Chinese Right and the effective situation such as it can be lived on the ground. The case more mediatized is that of the Tibet; the Tibetans in exile and of the Westerners indeed denounce there what they present like discriminatory measurements, in particular breaches of liberty of worship, a cultural marginalisation involving an economic marginalisation, or an excessive and authoritative control of the births. Although less mediatized, an equivalent feeling exists at the populations ouïghoures Xinjiang, which are considered victims of a domination han, and tolerate badly, just like Tibetans, which they introduce like a birth control and abortions imposed, breaches of liberty nun and cultural, and a massive policy of colonization han.

According to the government of the RPC, this type of assertions is the fact of movements which it describes as “separatists”. He thus denounces the Gouvernement Tibetan in exile directed by the Dalai Lama, as well as the separatist movements ouïghours of Xinjiang (called “Eastern Turkestan” by the latter), some of them being even marked to have made use of average terrorists and violent one and to provide the Chinese who involved themselves in the camps of Al-Qaida in Afghanistan inter alia in order to taking part in a Djihad.

Economy

See also: Economy of China, List of Chinese companies

Transformation of the economy

The Chinese Communist party (PCC) defines the economy of China like a “socialist market economy”, a “form of socialism to the Chinese characteristics”. Of 1978 with 1989, the Chinese government reformed in-depth the economy of the country, making it pass from a planned economy of the Soviet type to a “socialism of market”, preserving the rigid structure of control by PCC, which made call it “the workshop of the world”.

To this end, the collectivization of the Agriculture left room to a system of individual responsibilisation of the grounds, the local executives acquired more room for maneuver, managers were introduced into the industrial sectors, allowing the rise of many small companies, then named “ getihu ” (个体户), and attracting many tradesmen and foreign investors. The price control was slackened, except notable for products of first need for the peasants.

In 1992, the official name of the system becomes “socialist market economy” and the change of adjectives marks the beginning of the change of nature of class of the State. The public sector starts to drown in the ocean of the commercial economy, passing from 73% of the industrial production in 1988 with 35% in 1992. That allowed the passage of a planned economy an mixed economy, the redécouverte of the bases of the economic liberalism, saving the official Communisme mode.

In this new economic system, the state enterprises have evil to find their place and encounter difficulties more and more. Their losses reached the figure record of 102,6 billion Yuan S (12,75 billion dollars) in 2005, that is to say an increase of 56,7% in annual base, according to the figures of the Office of State of Statistics (BES). Over the first two months of 2006, the losses of the state enterprises or controlled by the State reach already 26,2 billion Yuan S, that is to say 3,25 billion dollars. The increase in the production costs, an attachment unit of the ineffective Price, the surplus production capacity and important gaps of order Technologique are the leading causes of this situation, according to Jiang Yuan, statistician with the BES.

The government resolutely put between brackets the equality of the classes during this period, carried out by the watchword of Deng Xiaoping: “You Enrich! ”. Personal enrichment (Individualism) and the Consommation (supported by policies néo-keynésiennes as of 1997) became new economic engines, accompanied by a progressive professionalisation by the techniques by Gestion, intended to improve the Productivité (Division of the labor). The government also has work to attract foreign Capitaux, crucial sources of Economic development: the special economic Zones (ZES), free from taxes, were created for this purpose, extended little by little to all the littoral. Thanks to the introduction of the Free trade, one observes that a quadrupling of the Gross domestic product (GDP) occurred since 1978.

The incentives by preferential taxes are also at the origin of tax incentives to produce in China, that it is for the export or the interior market of 1,3 billion individuals. The RPC tries to harmonize the system of taxes and payments practiced on the companies, as well Chinese as foreign. Thus, the preferential taxes from which the exporters in the ZES and the coastal towns profit are the object of a revision. The Chinese Exportation S towards the the United States represented 125 billion dollars in 2002, while the American Importation S reached 19 billion. This imbalance is allotted in a recurring way by the United States to a foreign exchange rate considered to be unfavourable between the Yuan and the dollar. On the other hand, for China, the revaluation of the yuan according to goodwill of the United States would create a very important inflation, itself generating of internal social strains. The July 21st 2005, the Bank of China announced that it implemented a system of fluctuation of the Yuan within the limits of 0,3% per day compared to the dollar, against 3% maximum compared to a basket of foreign currencies, of which the Yen and the Euro.

Economic boom

In 2005, China became the fourth economic power of the world afterwards in the order the United States of America, Japan and Germany. In 2006, China records a GDP: 2668 billion dollars is a growth of 10,7%. In 2007, China becomes the third world economic power in front of Germany, with a GDP which should exceed them: 3100 billion dollars US. This unrestrained development of the economic activities is due to the investments and exports but little to the domestic consumption. The current economic development of China east one of fastest of the world, since a growth is recorded there of which the average, for 10 years, has ranged between 7 and 8% per annum, passing very close to the 10% sometimes, according to the Chinese statistics.

The RPC is since 2001 member of the World Trade organization (OMC). The growth of China is primarily drawn by exports. Their amount more than doubled in four years, to reach 593 billion in 2004. The essence of this trade is done with the regional zone (Japan, Korea) but it should be noted a strong increase in the exchanges with the the United States and the Europe. During the year 2004, the Chinese exports and imports increased by 36%. The commercial balance releases a surplus of 32 billion dollars. The strong points of Chinese exports are: tractors, watches and the toys (85% of the worldwide market), cameras and laptops, (55% of the market), television sets and the washing machines (30%), 15% for steel.

The presence of the foreign companies on the Chinese ground is mainly at the origin of the strong acceleration of the growth of exports. They attracted the skilled labor in the coastal areas where they were established. Only 41% of Chinese exports come from completely Chinese companies. Today, 39% of exports coming from China are carried out by companies whose capital is to 100% foreigner and 20% are the fact of partnership between the Chinese foreign companies and companies. Continental China maintains its attractivity for the companies with a Labor cheap, not syndicated and flexible. An unskilled worker in China costs approximately US 1$ per hour, well below the minima of the industrialized countries. The not-organization of the Chinese workmen is a substantial benefit for the employers, who find there a flexibility of employment impossible to implement in the liberal democracies.

The seizure of the PCC on the dissidents or agitators potential who would result from such unions explains their absence partly.

Another aspect of the Chinese economy to raise: the low price of elements nonresulting from the labor force. That is due partly to the existence of price control and guarantee of the sources of supply inherited the preceding saving in Soviet type: government enterprises continuing to be dismantled, and their workmen returned in increased sectors of competitiveness, the continuous effect déflationaire induced to put the pressure on the prices charged within the economy. The consequences of this economic growth are numerous. The annual Revenu average of a Chinese workman is of: 1300 dollars. The wages increase regularly on the Pacifique littoral.

China became the third consumer of energy after the the United States and the European Union. But it misses energy cruelly. It is necessary to regularly cut electricity in the dynamic south-east of the country. However 42 gigawatts (the equivalent what Great Britain produces) were added to the electric park in 2004 and in 2005. The coal of the basement does not seem in sufficient quantity to ensure the long run. China seeks to make safe its supplies oil: Russia, certain African countries, the countries of the Gulf and Iran are its suppliers.

Agriculture

Policy

Interior policy

Public health

See the documents of the the World Health Organization (WHO) which depends on UNO on the Chinese health system.

Several public health problems of emergent width in RPC: health issues related on the bad quality of the air and the water pollution, the epidemic of AIDS and nicotinism. The epidemic of AIDS, in addition to the traditional ways of contamination, was exacerbated by the lack of hygiene and the collections of blood in rural area. As for the tobacco, the problem comes from the monopoly exerted by the state on the distribution of cigarettes. The government, depend on the incomes of the tobacco industry, hesitates to take coercive measures, preferring to stick to other public health problems.

The Hépatite B is endemic in continental China, concerning a broad percentage of the population: approximately 10%. It involves disordered states or cancers of the liver, current causes of died in China. A correlation was established between hepatitis and the low birthrate of girls to the birth, which would explain the numerical disparity partly man-women. The purpose of a program set up in 2002 is to vaccinate all the new-born babies in continental China.

In November 2002, atypical pneumonia or SARS appears in the province of the Guangdong. The secret news being held, the epidemic extends to the adjoining countries, HongKong, Vietnam and by air, in more distant countries. In China even: 5327 cases are reported, including 348 died confirmed. In May 2004, WHO announces the end of the epidemic of SARS in RPC.

China is then confronted with a new epidemic, the Avian flu, which touches various species of birds (of which poultry). Several cases, sometimes mortals, of contamination bird-men are listed, letting fear a change of the transmissibility of animal-man towards that man-man. Lastly, of recent transmissions the streptocoques ones of the pigs to human at the origin of an abnormally high number of would have died in the province of Sichuan.

Army

Space program

Foreign policy

The Popular republic of China maintains diplomatic relations with the majority of the countries of the world, making recognition of the Policy of only one China (Taiwan like province of the RPC) a prerequisite to tie official relations with the RPC. She actively prohibits the arrival in China of political frameworks Taiwanese , except notable for the interviews having taken place in 2005 and 2006. The political demonstrations of Guomindang, relayed by televisions however took place in the town of Xiamen in the Fujian, at the time of the Taiwanese municipal elections of Taipei. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalaï LAMA is also interdict of stay in China. Li Hongzhi, founder of the spiritual movement Shelly sand gong considered by the Chinese authorities as a sect is interdict of stay.

In 1971, the RPC replaced the Republic of China like only valid representative of China in the United Nations, and like one of the 5 permanent members of the Safety advice. The RPC is also regarded as “founding member” of UNO as a heiress of noncommunist China which included/understood the continental territory and which had taken part in this foundation.

The RPC was member leader of the Mouvement of non-aligned the, but in is a simple observer today.

Sino-Japanese relations

The Sino-Japanese relations are per moment comparable with those which were between France and England (a continental country and an insular nation which tried to colonize the first to see Histoire articles of Japan and China). They were put at evil these last decades, until 2006, because of the refusal of Japan to admit its come crimes seeing War crimes Japanese, in particular the Massacre of Nankin and by the fact that the Prime Minister for the time Mr. Koizumi paid homage to the tombs of war criminals (recognized for crimes against Humanity) to the Yasukuni sanctuary. It should be recalled that during the Second world war, Japan used a military unit Unité 731 which tried out biological weapons on Chinese human guinea-pigs. Change of Japanese Prime Minister in 2006 fine met with these quarrels, this one recognizing the massacres, and opening the year of the Chinese culture in Japan.

The Sino-Japanese relations are in the process of standardization thanks to the relations of interdependence because of the commercial exchanges.

Relations with the Western countries

The people of the Country of the Medium have in memory the memory of the " European Imperialists of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th siècle" (see Treated unequal, War of opium, Revolt of the Boxers, Alliance of the eight nations…) who plundered and destroyed several imperial palaces and were perceived like " barbares" (translation of English " Barbarian" and of Mandarin 夷 yí) i.e. without complying with the rules which they presented like bases of Civilization (inter alia respect of the others and their Culture…).

It is with a certain apprehension which the people of the Country of the Medium approach the relations with the Westerners knowing that he seeks the dialog in a mutual respect .

Many Western nations criticized the violations of the human rights perpetrated by China, which had a diplomatic incidence in particular following the events of the place Tian' anmen in 1989. However, this argument was done less pressing since the reinforcement of the economic links of the RPC with Europe and the United States. In X-ray Japan , Michael T. Klare however analyzed the diplomatic policy of the Bush administration as marked by the will to dam up the rise to power of China (article translated from English to the following address).

In May 1999, a bomber B-2 released three bombs guided by satellites on the embassy of China with Belgrade, during the conflict with the Kosovo, killing three Chinese citizens. The United States stated to have acted by error because of nonup to date charts coming from the National agency for the Imagery and the Cartography (today National agency of Géo-space Intelligence), which would have confused the building with a room of the Yugoslav government. The Chinese government remained impassive in front of this explanation, regarding the attack as deliberated.

In April 2001, a American Reconnaissance aircraft EP-3 {{E}} Aries II in recognition meadows of the Chinese airspace, close to the island of Hainan, entered in collision with a Fighter plan Chinese. The Chinese plane was crushed by killing its pilot, the American spy plane made an emergency landing on the island of Hainan. The versions diverge: the United States states to have operated above international water, the RPC ensures that it was in its exclusive economic Zone (ZEE). Moreover, each plane shows its with respect to have caused the collision. The 24 members of the American crew were held 12 days before being slackened, whereas the tension between the two countries had increased considerably.

Another subject of tension is the Cox report/ratio of 1999, which declares that the espionage of the RPC compromised the American nuclear secrecies during several tens of years.

Discussed territorial zones

In addition to Taiwan, the RPC is implied in several different territorial. The RPC takes the Irrédentisme like argument in these different, which against-is argued by the interest that the RPC would take for the natural resources or the strategic interest of the disputed zones.

Aksai Chin, managed by China, claimed by India.
Arunachal Pradesh/Tibet of the South, managed by India, claimed by China.

In the islands of the China Sea:

islands Paracel, managed by China, claimed by the Vietnam and the island of Taiwan.
islands Spratley: claimed by the RPC, the island of Taiwan, Vietnam; Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei claim a part of them.
islands Senkaku/Diaoyu, managed by Japan, claimed by the RPC and the island of Taiwan (DRC).

In 2004, Russia gave its agreement to transfer the island Yinlong and half of the island Haixiazi to China, putting fine at a long argument. These two islands are with the confluence of the Amour and the Oussouri, and were at the origin of a driving conflict to the degradation of the relations between the two countries in the years 1960. This gesture was carried out in a will of reconciliation and reinforcement of the economic links, and was criticized on the two sides. Military operations sino-Russian took place in summer 2005, which testifies on the surface at least to the effectiveness to this will. Criticisms emanated from the Kazakh farmers who lost their territory on the islands, while of the Chinese and the Chinese communities criticized this treaty which is equivalent according to them to a legitimation of the Russian control of the external Mandchourie, yielded to imperial Russia by the Qing dynasty following the unequal Traités, of which the treaty of Algun in 1858 and the Convention of Beijing in 1860, in exchange of the exclusive use of Russian oil.

The Chinese nationalists claim regularly the Mongolia, Tuva and the external Mandchourie, the islands Ryukyu, the Bhutan, the Sikkim, the Ladakh, the valley of Hukawng, the north of the Burma.

Administrative organization

Culture

Religion

Jours non-working and fêtes

Other cultural components

Codes

The Popular republic of China has as codes:

B, according to the List of prefixes ICAO of registration of the aircraft,
CH, according to the Code list countries used by NATO, code alpha-2,
CHN, according to the standard ISO 3166-1 (code list country), code alpha-3,
CHN, according to the Code list country of the CIO,
CHN, according to the Code list countries used by NATO, code alpha-3,
CN, according to the standard ISO 3166-1 (code list country) codes of them alpha-2,
.cn, according to the Liste of Internet TLD (Top level domain),
PRC, in the international Code list of the number plates
CN, according to the standard ISO 3166-1 (code list country), the Popular republic of China has as a code alpha-2
Z, according to the Liste of the prefixes of codes ICAO of the airports,

See too

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