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Official name: People’s Republic of China
Land area: 9,561,000 sq km
Population: 1.3bn (end-2005)
Capital: Beijing (Peking): 7.61 million inhabitants
Language: Mainly Putonghua, or Standard Chinese, based on northern Chinese (the Beijing dialect known as Mandarin); local dialects and languages are also used
Currency: Renminbi (Rmb), or yuan. 1 yuan=10 jiao=100 fen. Average exchange rate in 2005: Rmb8.2:US$1. Exchange rate on December 28th 2006: Rmb7.83:US$1
Head of state: Hu Jintao
Form of government: One-party rule by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
GDP: (US$ bn; market exchange rate): 4,416 (2008)
Real GDP growth: 10.8 (2004-2008)
China’s main export markets: U.S. 17.7 %; Hong Kong 13.4 %; Japan 8.1%; South Korea 5.2%; Other 55.7%.
Recent foreign policy ventures: China and Taiwan have agreed to a series of measures designed to strengthen bilateral ties and economic integration.
Source: EIU
From the CIAO Database:
Improving U.S.-China Relations: The Next Steps
China's Changing Outbound Foreign Direct Investment Profile: Drivers and Policy Implications
China's Growing Role in UN Peacekeeping
China's $1.7 Trillion Bet: China's External Portfolio and Dollar Reserves
China's National Defense in 2008
The Real Bridge to Nowhere: China's Foiled North Korea Policy
Improving U.S.-China Relations: The Next Steps
http://www.ciaonet.org/pbei/isp/0017264/
China's Changing Outbound Foreign Direct Investment Profile: Drivers and Policy Implications
http://www.ciaonet.org/pbei/iie/0017250/
China's Growing Role in UN Peacekeeping
http://www.ciaonet.org/wps/icg/0016245/
China's $1.7 Trillion Bet: China's External Portfolio and Dollar Reserves
http://www.ciaonet.org/wps/cfr/0015974/
China's National Defense in 2008
http://www.ciaonet.org/wps/ifnss/0017060/
The Real Bridge to Nowhere: China's Foiled North Korea Policy
http://www.ciaonet.org/wps/usip/0016675/
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