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GovernmentCountry name
Conventional long form People's Republic of China
Conventional short form China Local long form Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo Local short form Zhongguo Abbreviation PRC Government type
Communist state
Capital
Name Beijing
Geographic coordinates 39 55 N, 116 23 E Time difference UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Note Despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone; many people in Xinjiang Province observe an unofficial "Xinjiang time zone" of UTC+6, two hours behind Beijing Administrative divisions
23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural) Provinces Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan) Autonomous regions Guangxi, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), Ningxia, Xinjiang Uygur, Xizang (Tibet) Municipalities Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin Note China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau Independence
1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established); notable earlier dates: 221 BC (unification under the Qin Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China) National holiday
Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949) Constitution
Most recent promulgation 4 December 1982; amended several times Legal system
Civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; note - criminal procedure law revised in early 2012 International law organization participation
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
Chief of state
President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003); Vice President XI Jinping (since 15 March 2008) Head of government Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Executive Vice Premier LI Keqiang (17 March 2008), Vice Premier HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premier ZHANG Dejiang (since 17 March 2008), and Vice Premier WANG Qishan (since 17 March 2008) Cabinet State Council appointed by National People's Congress Elections President and vice president elected by National People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held on 15-17 March 2008 (next to be held in mid-March 2013); premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress Election results HU Jintao elected president by National People's Congress with a total of 2,963 votes; XI Jinping elected vice president with a total of 2,919 votes Legislative branch
Unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,987 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses, and People's Liberation Army to serve five-year terms) Elections Last held in December 2007-February 2008 (next to be held in late 2012 to early 2013) Election results Percent of vote - NA; seats - 2,987 Note In practice, only members of the CCP, its eight allied parties, and CCP-approved independent candidates are elected Judicial branch
Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local People's Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and basic courts); Special People's Courts (primarily military, maritime, railway transportation, and forestry courts) Political parties and leaders
Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight nominally independent small parties ultimately controlled by the CCP Political pressure groups and leaders
No substantial political opposition groups exist International organization participation
ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, CICA, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24 (observer), G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNSC (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the us
Chief of mission Ambassador ZHANG Yesui
Chancery 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 Telephone [1] (202) 495-2266FAX [1] (202) 495-2190 Consulate(s) general Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the us
Chief of mission Ambassador Gary LOCKE
Embassy 55 An Jia Lou Lu, 100600 Beijing Mailing address PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002 Telephone [86] (10) 8531-3000FAX [86] (10) 8531-3300 Consulate(s) general Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan Flag description
Red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner; the color red represents revolution, while the stars symbolize the four social classes - the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie (capitalists) - united under the Communist Party of China National symbol(s)
Dragon
National anthem
Name
"Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers) Lyrics/music TIAN Han/NIE ErNote Adopted 1949; the anthem, though banned during the Cultural Revolution, is more commonly known as "Zhongguo Guoge" (Chinese National Song); it was originally the theme song to the 1935 Chinese movie, "Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm"
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China (Beijing):
GPS points from China (Beijing)
Gaobiao Guizhou
Wangyuan Hunan
Min Ho Nei Mongol
Yang-wu-hsien Henan
Taiping Guangdong
Yu-huan Shan Zhejiang
Fen-shui-tun Jiangsu
Langhedian Hubei |