Xaverians in China

China: Country Profile

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The People's Republic of China

The People’s Republic of China is the third largest country in the world by area, after Russia and Canada, but it has the largest population. In fact, more than a fifth of the world’s population lives within China’s borders (1,260,000,000). Beijin is the capital of China, and the jumping off point for a visit to the Great Wall, at Badaling. Other major cities are Shanghai and Guilin.

The standard Chinese or Mandarin is the official language.  There also Yue (Cantonese), WU (Shanghaiese), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese) and other minority languages.  The Religions present are Taoist, Buddhist, Muslim 2% and Christian 1%.  Life expectancy is about 70 male, 73 female.  Over 50% of the labor force centers around agriculture, with 24% in industry and 26% in services.  In the industry sector, major components are iron and steel, coal, machine building, textiles, petroleum, chemical fertilizers, food processing, and consumer electronics.  China is very rich in natural resources like coal, iron ore, petroleum and natural gas. In Agriculture, there are plantations of rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum peanuts, tea, millet, cotton and barley.  The local currency is yuan renminbi.
 
On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was formally established, with its national capital at Beijing.  “The Chinese people have stood up!” declared Mao as he announced the creation of a “people’s democratic dictatorship.”  The people were defined as a coalition of four social classes: the workers, the peasants, the petite bourgeoisie, and the national-capitalists.  It was the first time in decades that a Chinese government was met with peace, instead of massive military opposition, within its territory.  The new leadership was highly disciplined and moderate social and economic policies were implemented with skill and effectiveness.  Results were impressive by any standard, and popular support was widespread.
 
Beginning in late 1978 the Chinese leadership has been trying to move the economy from the sluggish Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more productive and flexible economy with market elements, but still within the framework of monolithic Communist control. To this end the authorities switched to a system of household responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization, increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprise in services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a strong surge in production, particularly in agriculture in the early 1980s. Industry also has posted major gains, especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, where foreign investment and modern production methods have helped spur production of both domestic and export goods. Aggregate output has more than doubled since 1978. On the darker side, the leadership has often experienced in its hybrid system the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy, lassitude, corruption) and of capitalism (windfall gains and stepped-up inflation). Beijing thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals.

In 1992-94 annual growth of GDP accelerated, particularly in the coastal areas - to more than 10% annually according to official claims. In late 1993 China's leadership approved additional long-term reforms aimed at giving more play to market-oriented institutions and at strengthening the center's control over the financial system. In 1994 strong growth continued in the widening market-oriented areas of the economy. At the same time, the government struggled to (a) collect revenues due from provinces, businesses, and individuals; (b) keep inflation within bounds; (c) reduce extortion and other economic crimes; and (d) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises, most of which had not participated in the vigorous expansion of the economy. From 60 to 100 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many barely subsisting through part-time low-pay jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is essential to the nation's long-term economic viability. One of the most dangerous long-term threats to continued rapid economic growth is the deterioration in the environment, notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table especially in the north.

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