1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

India, USSR (Pamir, Argun, Amur, and Khabarovsk areas); short section with North Korea is indefinite; British colony of Hong Kong will become a Special Administrative Region in 1997; Portuguese territory of Macau will become a Special Administrative Region in 1999; sporadic border clashes with Vietnam; involved in complex dispute over Spratly Islands with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; maritime dispute with Vietnam; dispute with Vietnam over Paracel Islands

none; Habomai Islands, Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan islands occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; Kuril Islands administered by Soviet Union; Liancourt Rocks disputed with South Korea

Budget

revenues, $154 million; expenditures and net lending, $169 million (1982)

Climate

extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

varies from tropical in south to coo] temperate in north

Coastline

14,500 km

13,685 km

Comparative area

slightly larger than conterminous US

slightly smaller than California

Environment

frequent typhoons (about five times per year along southern and eastern coasts), damaging floods, earthquakes; deforestation; soil erosion; industrial pollution; water pollution; desertification

many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Fiscal year

calendar year

Land boundaries

24,000 km total

Land use

10% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 31% meadows and pastures; 14% forest and woodland; 45% other; includes 5% irrigated

11% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures; 68% forest and woodland; 17% other; includes 9% irrigated

Monetary conversion rate

331.24 Communauté Financiére Africaine (CFA) francs=US$1 (November 1986)

Special notes

world’s third largest country (after USSR and Canada)

strategic location in northeast Asia

Terrain

mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east

mostly rugged and mountainous

Territorial sea

12 nm

12 nm (8 nm in international straits—La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western channels of Tsushima or Korea Strait)

Total area

(Taiwan entry on page 274) 1200 km Boundary representation 1a not necesaarily euthoritetive Ururhai een a” clae Chineall ry Lanzhou, Xen tine of ° control Lhasa e “ Chengdu Wuhan Sea Hainan O20 ~ South China

9,596,960 km?; land area: 9,326,410 km?

[4 ’ Sea ? Okinawa

372,310 km?; land area: 371,030 km?

Ethnic divisions

93.8% Han Chinese; 6.7% Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and numerous lesser nationalities

99.4% Japanese, 0.6% other (mostly Korean)

Infant mortality rate

6/1,000 (1984)

Labor force

476 million (1984 est.); 68.2% agriculture and forestry, 18.2% industry and commerce, 3.9% construction and mining, 3.7% social services, 6% other

(1985) 59.3 million; 53% trade and services; 33% manufacturing, mining, and construction; 9% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 3% government; 2.68% unemployed (1985 average)

Language

Standard Chinese (Putonghua) or Mandarin (based on the Beijing dialect); also Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (HokkienTaiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, and minority languages (see ethnic divisions)

Japanese

Life expectancy

68

men 74.54, women 80.18

Literacy

over 75%

99%

Nationality

noun—Chinese (sing., pl.); adjective—Chinese

noun—Japanese (sing., pl.); adjective—Japanese

Organized labor

All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) follows the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party; membership over 80 million (about 65% of the urban work force) (1985)

about 80% of labor force

Population

I ,064,147,038 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.99%

122,124,293 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.55%

Religion

officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic; most important elements of religion are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism; about 2-3% Muslim, 1% Christian

most Japanese observe both Shinto and Buddhist rites; about 16% belong to other faiths, including 0.8% Christian

Administrative divisions

22 provinces, 3 centrally governed municipalities, 5 autonomous regions

47 prefectures

Branches

control is exercised by Chinese Communist Party, through State Council, which supervises ministries, commissions, bureaus, etc., all technically under the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress

Emperor is symbol of state; executive power is vested in Cabinet appointed by the Prime Minister, chosen by the lower house of the bicameral, elective legislature—Diet (House of Councilors, House of Representatives); judiciary is independent

Capital

Beijing

Tokyo

Communists

about 45 million party members (1986)

about 470,000 registered Communist Party members

Elections

elections held for People’s Coneress representatives at county level Political parties and leaders; Chinese Communist Party (CCP), headed by Zhao Ziyang as Acting General Secretary of Central Committee

general elections held every four years or upon dissolution of lower house, triennially for half of upper house Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Y. Nakasone, president; Japan Socialist Party (JSP), T. Doi, chairman; Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), S. Tsukamoto, chairman; Japan Communist Party (JCP), T. Fuwa, Presidium chairman; Komeito (Clean Government Party), J. Yano, chairman; Social Democratic Federation (SDF), S. Eda

Government leaders

ZHAO Ziyang, Premier of State Council (since September 1980); LI Xiannian, President (since June 1983); PENG Zhen, Chairman of NPC Standing Committee (since June 1983)

HIROHITO, Emperor (since December 1926); Yasuhiro NAKASONE, Prime Minister (since November 1982)

Legal system

a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal; little ostensible development of uniform code of administrative and civil law; highest judicial organ is Supreme People’s Court, which reviews lower court decisions; laws and legal procedure subordinate to priorities of party policy; regime has attempted to write civil and Communist codes; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; party and state constitutions revised in September and November 1982, respectively; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil and commercial law

civil law system with English-American influence; constitution promulgated in 1946; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory IC) jurisdiction, with reservations

Member of

ADB, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, HO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

ADB, ASPAC, Colombo Plan, DAC, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB—InterAmerican Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC; ITU, IWC—International Whaling Commission, [WC—International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

National holiday

National Day, 1 October

Foundation Day, 11 February

Official name

People’s Republic of China

Japan

Other political or pressure groups

such opposition as exists consists of loose coalitions that vary by issue rather than organized groups

Suffrage

universal over age 18

universal over age 20

Type

Communist state; real authority lies with Communist Party’s Politburo; the National People’s Congress, in theory the highest organ of government, usually ratifies the party’s programs; the State Council actually directs the government

constitutional monarchy

Voting strength

(1986 election) Lower House—49.5% LDP (307 seats), 17.2% JSP (88 seats), 9.4% Komeito (57 seats), 8.8% JCP (27 seats), 6.4% DSP (29 seats), 0.8% SDF (4 seats), 6.1% independents and minor parties; Upper House—LDP 143 seats, JSP 40, Komeito 25 seats, JCP 16 seats, DSP 12 seats, SDF 1 seat, Niin Club 8 seats, Salaryman 8 seats, Zeikinto 2 seats, independents 8 seats

Agriculture

main crops—rice, wheat, other grains, oilseed, cotton; agriculture mainly subsistence; grain imports 5.4 million metric tons; grain exports (mostly corn) 9 million metric tons (1985)

land intensively cultivated; rice, sugar, vegetables, fruits; 64% selfsufficient in food (1984); food shortages— wheat, corn, beans

Aid

donor—ODA and OOF economic commitments (1970-84), $36.6 billion

Budget

revenues, $243 billion; expenditures, $332 billion; deficit, $89 billion (general account for fiscal year ending March 1987 converted at 162.0 yen=US$1)

Crude steel

46.6 million metric tons produced, 45 kg per capita (1985)

105.3 million metric tons produced (1985), 870 kg per capita

Electric power

91,300,000 kW capacity; 430,000 million kWh produced, 410 kWh per capita (1986)

181,000,000 kW capacity; 665,000 billion kWh produced, 5,500 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$31.3 billion (f.0.b., 1985); manufactured goods, agricultural products, oil, minerals

$175.6 billion (f.0.b., 1985); 97% manufactures (including 30% machinery, 25% motor vehicles, 8% consumer electronics

Fiscal year

calendar year

1 April-31 March

Fishing

catch 12.2 million metric tons (1985)

GNP

$262 billion, $250 per capita (1986 est.)

$1,979 billion (at 167.1 yen=US$1); $16,290 per capita; 58% personal consumption, 28% investment, 10% government current expenditure, negligible stocks, and 4% foreign balance; real growth rate 2.1% (1986); average annual growth rate 3.6% (1981-86)

Imports

$39.5 billion (f.0.b., 1985); grain, chemical fertilizer, steel, industrial raw materials, machinery, equipment

$129.5 billion (c.i.f., 1985); 44% fossil fuels, 25% manufactures, 14% foodstuffs, 16% non-fuel raw materials

Major industries

iron, steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles, petroleum

metallurgical and engineering industries, electrical and electronic industries, textiles, chemicals

Major trade partners

Japan, Hong Kong, US, FRG, Singapore, USSR, Italy, Brazil (1985)

exports—37% US, 19% Southeast Asia, 14% Western Europe, 7% Middle East, 9% Communist countries; imports—23% Middle East, 23% Southeast Asia, 20% US, 10% Western Europe, 7% Communist countries

Monetary conversion rate

3.7] renminbi yuan=US$1 (October 1986)

162.0 yen=US$1 (17 December 1986)

Natural resources

coal, iron, petroleum, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydroelectric power (world’s largest potential)

negligible mineral resources, fish

Shortages

complex machinery and equipment, highly skilled scientists and technicians, energy, and transport

fossil fuels, most industrial raw materials

Airfields

325 total; 266 with permanentsurface runways; 11 with runways 3,500 m and over; 80 with runways 2,500 to 3,499 m; 208 with runways 1,200 to 2,499 m; 28 with runways less than 1,200 m; 2 seaChina (continued) plane stations; 4 heliports, 5 airfields under construction

38 total, 30 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 8 with runways 1,220-2,489 m

Civil air

5 major transport aircraft

Highways

about 930,000 km all types roads; about 240,000 km unimproved natural earth roads and tracks, 540,000 km improved earth roads, 150,000 km paved roads

1,113,388 km total (1980); 510,904 km paved, 602,484 km gravel, crushed stone, or unpaved; 2,579 km national expressways, 40,212 km national highways, 43,907 km principal local roads, 86,930 km prefectural roads, 939,760 km municipal roads

about 15,700 km total; 1,670 km bituminous, 3,670 km gravel and improved earth, 10,360 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

138,600 km; about 109,300 km navigable

about 1,770 km; sea going craft ply all coastal inland seas

1,815 km navigable

Pipelines

crude, 6,500 km; refined products, 1,100 km; natural gas, 4,200 km

Ports

15 major, about 180 minor

Railroads

total about 52,500 km common carrier lines; 600 km 1.000-meter gange; rest 1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track except 9,500 km double track on standard gauge lines; 4,200 km electrified; 10,000 km industrial lines (gauges range from 0.762 to 1.067 meters)

21,387 km total (1982); 1,835 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 19,552 km predominantly 1.067-meter narrow gauge, 5,690 km doubleand multitrack sections, 8,830 km 1.067-meter narrowgauge electrified, 1,804 km 1.435-meter standard gauge electrified

642 km 1.000-meter gauge

Telecommunications

domestic and international services exist primarily for official purposes; unevenly distributed internal system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and most townships; services in interior and border regions limited; nearly 4 million telephone exchange lines, including 40,000 long-distance telephone exchange lines with direct, automatic service to over 24 cities; 6.0 million telephones (3-5 telephones per 100 popl. in large cities, 1 telephone per 170 popl. national average); 53,000 post and telegraph offices with about 700 main telegraph centers capable of general message service at the county level and above; subscriber teleprinter exchange (telex) services available in 25 main metropolitan areas; unknown number of facsimile and data transmission points; domestic audio radiobroadcast coverage provided by 122 main AM centers and about 525 transmitter relay stations; unknown number of FM radio and wired rebroadcast stations with 215 million receivers; 2 domestic telecommunications satellites, 5 ground stations, over 2,000 TV receiving stations; at least 202 TV centers; over 400 local and network TV relay transmitter stations; 7,000 supplementary video recorder and redistribution facilities; 50 million monochrome and 10 million color TV receiver sets (domestically produced); 2 major international switching centers; satellite communications, longhaul point-to-point radio circuits, regional cable and wire landlines, directional radiorelay, and seabed coaxial telephone cable (damaged) permit linkage with most countries; direct voice and message communications with 46 countries and regions; TV exchange to major cities on 5 continents through INTELSAT Pacific and Indian Ocean earth satellite; AM radio broadcasts in 38 languages to 140 countries and regions

domestic system poor and provides only minimal service; radio-relay, wire, and radio communications stations in use; expansion of radiorelay in progress; 9,500 telephones (0.1 per 100 popl.); 2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV stations; 1 Atlantic and 1 Indian Ocean satellite ground stations

Branches

Chinese People’s Liberation Army (CPLA), CPLA Navy (including marines), CPLA Air Force

Army, Air Force; paramilitary, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1985, $26.7 million; about 21.9% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 810,258,000; 173,945,000 fit for military service; 13,317,000 reach military age (18) annually

males 15-49, 1,416,000; 798,000 fit for military service; no conscription