China: Difference between revisions

| largest_settlement_type = city<br />{{nobold|by population}}

<!---- Note: Describing the PRC's government type has been a contentious issue. Please read the archives of past discussions before making or proposing changes. ----->| government_type        = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] [[One-party state|one-party]] [[Socialist state|socialist]] [[republic]]

| leader_title1          = [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP General Secretary]]{{efn|The ''de facto'' [[Orders of precedence in China|top position]] in the People's Republic of China}}<br />[[President of the People's Republic of China|President]]{{efn|The PRC's head of state; a largely ceremonial position}}<br />[[Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)|CMC Chairman]]{{efn|Chairman of the Central Military Commission}}

| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $33.015 trillion<ref name="IMFWEOCN">{{Cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/April/weo-report?c=924,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2023&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|website=IMF}}</ref>

| GDP_PPP_per_capita    = {{increase}} $23,382<ref name="IMFWEOCN" />

| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $19.374 trillion{{Efn|GDP figures exclude [[Taiwan]], and the [[Special administrative regions of China|special administrative regions]] of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]].}}<ref name="IMFWEOCN" />

| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $13,721<ref name="IMFWEOCN" />

| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 64th

| DST_note              = ''[[Daylight saving time|DST]] is not observed''

'''China''' ({{zh|s=中国<!--Do NOT add Traditional Chinese. Simplified Chinese is the official script in China-->|p=Zhōngguó}}), officially the '''People's Republic of China''' ('''PRC'''),{{efn|{{zh|s=中华人民共和国<!--Do NOT add Traditional Chinese. Simplified Chinese is the official script in China-->|p=Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó}}}} is a country in [[East Asia]]. It is the world's [[List of countries by population (United Nations)|second-most populous country]] with [[Population of China|a population]] exceeding 1.4 billion. China spans the equivalent of five [[time zones]] and [[Borders of China|borders]] fourteen countries by land,{{Efn|China's border with Pakistan is disputed by India, which claims the entire [[Kashmir]] region as its territory.}} tied with [[Russia]] as having the [[List of countries and territories by number of land borders|most of any country]] in the world. With an area of nearly {{Convert|9.6|e6sqkm|sqmi}}, it is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third largest country]] by total land area.{{efn|The total area ranking relative to the [[United States]] depends on the measurement of the total areas of both countries. See [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] for more information.

The region that is now China has been inhabited since the [[Paleolithic era]]. The earliest [[Dynasties in Chinese history|Chinese dynastic states]], such as the [[Shang dynasty|Shang]] and the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]], emerged in the basin of the [[Yellow River]] before the late second millennium BCE. The eighth to third centuries BCE saw a breakdown in Zhou authority and significant conflict, as well as the emergence of [[Chinese classics|Classical Chinese literature]] and [[Chinese philosophy|philosophy]]. In 221 BCE, China was unified under an [[Emperor of China|emperor]], ushering in more than two millennia in which China was governed by one or more imperial dynasties, such as the [[Han dynasty|Han]], [[Tang dynasty|Tang]], [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing dynasty|Qing]]. Some of China's most notable achievements, such as the invention of [[gunpowder]] and [[History of paper#Paper in China|paper]], the establishment of the [[Silk Road]], and the building of the [[Great Wall of China|Great Wall]], occurred during this period. The [[Chinese culture]], including languages, traditions, architecture, philosophy and more, has [[Sinosphere|heavily influenced East Asia]] during this imperial period.

In 1912, the Chinese monarchy was [[1911 Revolution|overthrown]] and the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] established. The Republic saw consistent conflict for most of the mid-20th century, including a [[Chinese Civil War|civil war]] between the [[Kuomintang]] government and the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP), which began in 1927, as well as the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] that began in 1937 and continued until 1945, therefore becoming involved in [[World War II]]. The latter led to a temporary stop in the civil war and numerous Japanese atrocities such as the [[Nanjing Massacre]], which continue to influence [[China-Japan relations]]. In 1949, the CCP established control over China as the Kuomintang [[Kuomintang's retreat to Taiwan|fled]] to [[Taiwan]]. Early communist rule saw two major projects: the [[Great Leap Forward]], which resulted in a sharp economic decline and [[Great Chinese Famine|massive famine]]; and the [[Cultural Revolution]], a movement to purge all non-communist elements of Chinese society that led to mass violence and persecution. Beginning in 1978, the Chinese government began [[Chinese economic reform|economic reforms]] that moved the country away from [[Planned economy|planned economics]], but political reforms were cut short by the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests]], which ended in a massacre. Despite the event, the economic reform continued to strengthen the nation's economy in the following decades while raising China's standard of living significantly.

China is a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[One-party state|one-party]] [[socialist state|socialist]] [[republic]] led by the CCP. It is one of the five [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent members]] of the [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] and a founding member of several multilateral and regional organizations such as the [[Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank]], the [[Silk Road Fund]], the [[New Development Bank]], and the [[Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership|RCEP]]. It is also a member of the [[BRICS]], the [[G20]], [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation|APEC]], and the [[East Asia Summit]]. China [[International rankings of China|ranks poorly]] in measures of [[Democracy in China|democracy]], [[Corruption in China|transparency]], and [[Human rights in China|human rights]], including for [[Freedom of the press in China|press freedom]], [[Freedom of religion in China|religious freedom]], and [[Racism in China|ethnic equality]]. Making up around one-fifth of the [[world economy]], China 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]]. The country is 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 [[List of states with nuclear weapons|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 [[Military budget of China|second-largest defense budget]].

The Shang was conquered by the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]], who ruled between the 11th and 5th centuries&nbsp;BCE, though centralized authority was slowly eroded by feudal warlords. Some principalities eventually emerged from the weakened Zhou, no longer fully obeyed the Zhou king, 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&nbsp;BCE, there were seven major powerful states left.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Warring States|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Warring-States|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>

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 in total, but the Qing appeared to have restored China's imperial power and inaugurate another flowering of the arts.<ref>John M. Roberts (1997) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=3QZXvUhGwhAC A Short History of the World]'' Oxford University Press p. 272 {{ISBN|0-19-511504-X}}</ref> After the [[Southern Ming]] ended, the further conquest of the [[Dzungar Khanate]] added Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang to the empire.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Cambridge History of China: Volume 10, Part 1 |author=John K. Fairbank |page=37}}{{full citation needed|date=June 2023}}</ref> Meanwhile, China's population growth resumed and shortly began to accelerate. It is commonly agreed that pre-modern China's population experienced two growth spurts, one during the [[Northern Song]] period (960-1127), and other during the Qing period (around 1700–1830).<ref>{{cite book | first = Kent | last = Deng | title = China’s Population Expansion and Its Causes during the Qing Period, 1644–1911 | year = 2015 | pages = 1 |url=https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/64492/1/WP219.pdf |access-date=August 28, 2023 }}</ref> By the [[High Qing era]] China was possibly the most commercialized country in the world, and imperial China experienced a second commercial revolution in the [[Economic history of China before 1912|economic history of China]] by the end of the 18th century.<ref>{{citation |last = Rowe |first = William |title = China's Last Empire - The Great Qing | year = 2010 | publisher = Harvard University Press | url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/China_s_Last_Empire/KN7Awmzx2PAC | page=123 | access-date=August 28, 2023| isbn = 9780674054554}}</ref> On the other hand, the centralized autocracy was strengthened in part to suppress [[anti-Qing sentiment]] with the policy of valuing agriculture and restraining commerce, like the ''[[Haijin]]'' during the early Qing period and ideological control as represented by the [[literary inquisition]], causing some social and technological stagnation.<ref>{{cite book|script-title=zh:中国通史·明清史|year=2010|publisher=九州出版社|pages=104–112|isbn=978-7-5108-0062-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|script-title=zh:中华通史·第十卷|year=1996|publisher=花城出版社|page=71|isbn=978-7-5360-2320-8}}</ref>

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 |access-date=2022-08-14 |website=[[Council on Foreign Relations]] |language=en}}</ref> It consists of the [[People's Liberation Army Ground Force|Ground Force]] (PLAGF), the [[People's Liberation Army Navy|Navy]] (PLAN), the [[People's Liberation Army Air Force|Air Force]] (PLAAF), the [[People's Liberation Army Rocket Force|Rocket Force]] (PLARF) and the [[People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force|Strategic Support Force]] (PLASSF). Its nearly 2.2 million active duty personnel is the [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|largest in the world]]. The PLA holds the world's [[China and weapons of mass destruction|third-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Which Countries Have the Most Nuclear Weapons?|date=30 September 2021|url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/which-countries-have-the-most-nuclear-weapons/|publisher=Visual Capitalist|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 19, 2018 |title=Chinese Nuclear Program |work=Atomic Heritage Foundation |url=https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/chinese-nuclear-program}}</ref> and the world's second-largest navy by tonnage.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lendon |first=Brad |date=6 March 2021 |title=Analysis: China has built the world's largest navy. Now what's Beijing going to do with it? |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/05/china/china-world-biggest-navy-intl-hnk-ml-dst/index.html |access-date=2022-08-14 |website=CNN}}</ref> China's official military budget for 2022 totalled US$230 billion (1.45 trillion Yuan), the [[List of countries by military expenditures|second-largest in the world]], though [[SIPRI]] estimates that its real expenditure that year was US$292 billion.<ref name="SIPRI-2020">{{cite web |date=April 2023 |title=Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2022 |url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/2304_fs_milex_2022.pdf |access-date=29 April 2023 |publisher=[[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]]}}</ref> According to SIPRI, its military spending from 2012 to 2021 averaged US$215 billion per year or 1.7 per cent of GDP, behind only the United States at US$734 billion per year or 3.6 per cent of GDP.<ref>{{cite web |title=SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |url=https://milex.sipri.org/sipri |publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute}}</ref> The PLA is commanded by the [[Central Military Commission (China)|Central Military Commission]] (CMC) of the party and the state; though officially two separate organizations, the two CMCs have identical membership except during leadership transition periods and effectively function as one organization. The [[Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)|chairman of the CMC]] is the commander-in-chief of the PLA, with the officeholder also generally being the CCP general secretary, making them the paramount leader of China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What China's New Central Military Commission Tells Us About Xi's Military Strategy |url=https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/what-chinas-new-central-military-commission-tells-us-about-xis-military-strategy |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=Asia Society |language=en}}</ref>

|image2=Yangshan Port 20170923-3.jpg

|caption2=The [[Port of Shanghai]]'s deep water harbor on [[Yangshan Port|Yangshan Island]] in the [[Hangzhou Bay]] is the [[List of world's busiest container ports|world's busiest container port]] since 2010.