Moving to China: visas, cost of living & immigrant guide

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Population

1,416,043,270

Population Growth Rate

0.23%

Population Distribution

• overwhelming majority of the population is found in the eastern half of the country
• the west, with its vast mountainous and desert areas, remains sparsely populated
• though ranked first in the world in total population, overall density is less than that of many other countries in Asia and Europe
• high population density is found along the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys, the Xi Jiang River delta, the Sichuan Basin (around Chengdu), in and around Beijing, and the industrial area around Shenyang

Urban Population

• population: 64.6% of total population rate of
• urbanization: 1.78% annual rate of change
• note: data do not include Hong Kong and Macau

Population in Major Urban Areas

29.211 million Shanghai, 21.766 million BEIJING (capital), 17.341 million Chongqing, 14.284 million Guangzhou, 14.239 million Tianjin, 13.073 million Shenzhen

Population: Male/Female

• male: 722,201,504
• female: 693,841,766

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Age Structure

• years: 16.3% (male 122,644,111/female 107,926,176) 15-64
• years: 69.3% (male 505,412,555/female 476,599,793) 65 years and
• over: 14.4% (male 94,144,838/female 109,315,797)

Median Age

• total: 40.2 years
• male: 39 years
• female: 41.5 years

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population

10

Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population

7.7

Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman

1.55

Gross reproduction rate

1

Child Marriage

women married by age 15: 0.1% women married by age 18: 2.8% men married by age 18: 0.7%

Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49

84.5%

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49

84.5%

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

75.9%

Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female

• birth: 1.09 male(s)/female 0-14
• years: 1.14 male(s)/female 15-64
• years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and
• over: 0.86 male(s)/female total
• population: 1.04 male(s)/female

Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population

-0.1

Ethnic Groups

Han Chinese 91.1%, ethnic minorities 8.9% (includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities)

Language Note

• Standard Chinese or Mandarin (official
• Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
• note - Zhuang is official in Guangxi Zhuang, Yue is official in Guangdong, Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uyghur is official in Xinjiang Uygur, Kyrgyz is official in Xinjiang Uyghur, and Tibetan is official in Xizang (Tibet)

Nationality Noun

• noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
• adjective: Chinese

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Literacy - total population

96.8%

Literacy - male

98.5%

Literacy - female

95.2%

Literacy Definition

age 15 and over can read and write

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP

3.6%

Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)

• total: 14 years
• male: 14 years
• female: 14 years

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Life Expectancy at Birth

• population: 78.7 years
• male: 76 years
• female: 81.7 years

Infant Mortality Rate

• total: 6.2 deaths/1,000 live births
• male: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births
• female: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births

• total: 6.2 deaths/1,000 live births
• male: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births
• female: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births

23

Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population

2.23

Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population

4.3

Health Expenditures - percent of GDP

5.6%

Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk

• risk: high food or waterborne
• diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne
• diseases: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) soil contact
• diseases: hantaviral hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

6.2%

Tobacco Use

• total: 25.6%
• male: 49.4%
• female: 1.7%

Alcohol consumption per capita

• total: 4.48 liters of pure alcohol
• beer: 1.66 liters of pure alcohol
• wine: 0.18 liters of pure alcohol
• spirits: 2.63 liters of pure alcohol other
• alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol

Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved

• improved: urban: 97.3% of population
• rural: 91.5% of population
• total: 95.1% of population
• unimproved: urban: 2.7% of population
• rural: 8.5% of population
• total: 4.9% of population

Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved

• improved: urban: 97.6% of population
• rural: 90.6% of population
• total: 94.9% of population
• unimproved: urban: 2.4% of population
• rural: 9.4% of population
• total: 5.1% of population

Underweight - percent of children under five years

2.4%

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Economic Overview

Since the late 1970s, China has moved from a closed, centrally planned system to a more market-oriented one that plays a major global role.

China has implemented reforms in a gradualist fashion, resulting in efficiency gains that have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978.

Reforms began with the phaseout of collectivized agriculture and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, growth of the private sector, development of stock markets and a modern banking system, and opening to foreign trade and investment.

China continues to pursue an industrial policy, state support of key sectors, and a restrictive investment regime.

From 2013 to 2017, China had one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, averaging slightly more than 7% real growth per year.

Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis that adjusts for price differences, China in 2017 stood as the largest economy in the world, surpassing the United States in 2014 for the first time in modern history.

China became the world's largest exporter in 2010, and the largest trading nation in 2013.

Still, China's per capita income is below the world average.

In July 2005 moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies.

From mid-2005 to late 2008, the renminbi (RMB) appreciated more than 20% against the US dollar, but the exchange rate remained virtually pegged to the dollar from the onset of the global financial crisis until June 2010, when Beijing announced it would resume a gradual appreciation.

From 2013 until early 2015, the renminbi held steady against the dollar, but it depreciated 13% from mid-2015 until end-2016 amid strong capital outflows; in 2017 the RMB resumed appreciating against the dollar – roughly 7% from end-of-2016 to end-of-2017.

In 2015, the People’s Bank of China announced it would continue to carefully push for full convertibility of the renminbi after the currency was accepted as part of the IMF’s special drawing rights basket.

However, since late 2015 the Chinese Government has strengthened capital controls and oversight of overseas investments to better manage the exchange rate and maintain financial stability.

The Chinese Government faces numerous economic challenges including: (a) reducing its high domestic savings rate and correspondingly low domestic household consumption; (b) managing its high corporate debt burden to maintain financial stability; (c) controlling off-balance sheet local government debt used to finance infrastructure stimulus; (d) facilitating higher-wage job opportunities for the aspiring middle class, including rural migrants and college graduates, while maintaining competitiveness; (e) dampening speculative investment in the real estate sector without sharply slowing the economy; (f) reducing industrial overcapacity; and (g) raising productivity growth rates through the more efficient allocation of capital and state-support for innovation.

Economic development has progressed further in coastal provinces than in the interior, and by 2016 more than 169.3 million migrant workers and their dependents had relocated to urban areas to find work.

One consequence of China’s population control policy known as the "one-child policy" - which was relaxed in 2016 to permit all families to have two children - is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world.

Deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the North - is another long-term problem.

China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and urbanization.

The Chinese Government is seeking to add energy production capacity from sources other than coal and oil, focusing on natural gas, nuclear, and clean energy development.

In 2016, China ratified the Paris Agreement, a multilateral agreement to combat climate change, and committed to peak its carbon dioxide emissions between 2025 and 2030.

The government's 13th Five-Year Plan, unveiled in March 2016, emphasizes the need to increase innovation and boost domestic consumption to make the economy less dependent on government investment, exports, and heavy industry.

However, China has made more progress in subsidizing innovation than rebalancing the economy.

Beijing has committed to giving the market a more decisive role in allocating resources, but the Chinese Government’s policies continue to favor state-owned enterprises and emphasize stability.

Chinese leaders in 2010 pledged to double China’s GDP by 2020, and the 13th Five-Year Plan includes annual economic growth targets of at least 6.5% through 2020 to achieve that goal.

In recent years, China has renewed its support for state-owned enterprises in sectors considered important to "economic security," explicitly looking to foster globally competitive industries.

Chinese leaders also have undermined some market-oriented refor

Industries

• World leader in gross value of industrial output
• mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal
• machine building
• armaments
• textiles and apparel
• petroleum
• cement
• chemicals
• fertilizers
• consumer products (including footwear)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$15,400.00 (USD)

GDP - real growth rate

6.6%

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GDP - Gross Domestic Product (PPP)

$23,009,780,000,000 (USD)

GDP Per Capita

$15,400.00 (USD)

GDP - real growth rate

6.6%

GDP - official exchange rate

$14,327,359,000,000 (USD)

GDP - official exchange rate note

Because China's exchange rate is determined by fiat rather than by market forces, the official exchange rate measure of GDP is not an accurate measure of China's output

GDP at the official exchange rate substantially understates the actual level of China

GDP - composition, by end use

• consumption: 38.7% Government
• consumption: 14.2% Investment in fixed
• capital: 42.3% Investment in
• inventories: 1.5% Exports of goods and
• services: 20.5% Imports of goods and
• services: -17.2%

GDP by Sector- agriculture

8.6%

GDP by Sector- Industry

40.7%

GDP by Sector- services

50.7%

Industrial Growth Rate

6.1%

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Inflation Rate

2.3%

Exchange Rate per US Dollar

6.626

Currency Name and Code

Renminbi yuan (RMB)

Fiscal Year

Calendar Year

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

4.4%

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Labor Force

805,900,000

Unemployment Rate

4.2%

Unemployment - note

Data is for registered urban unemployment, which excludes private enterprises and migrants

Major Industries

• World leader in gross value of industrial output
• mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal
• machine building
• armaments
• textiles and apparel
• petroleum
• cement
• chemicals
• fertilizers
• consumer products (including footwear)

Agriculture Products

• World leader in gross value of agricultural output
• rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed
• pork
• fish

Population Below Poverty Line

6.1%

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Labor Force By Occupation- agriculture

33.6%

Labor Force By Occupation- industry

30.3%

Labor Force By Occupation- services

36.1%

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Annual Budget

$2,465,000,000,000 (USD)

Public Debt (% of GDP)

20.1%

Budget Surplus or Deficit - percent of GDP

-3.8%

Taxes and other revenues - percent of GDP

21.6%

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Full Country Name

People's Republic of China

Country Name

China

Local - Long

Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo

Local - Short

Zhongguo

Abbreviation

PRC

Etymology- history of name

English name derives from the Qin (Chin) rulers of the 3rd century B.C., who comprised the first imperial dynasty of ancient China; the Chinese name Zhongguo translates as "Central Nation" or "Middle Kingdom"

Independence

• 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established)
• notable earlier dates: 221 B.C. (unification under the Qin Dynasty)
• 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China)

National Holiday

National Day (anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949)

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Government Type

communist party-led state

Constitution

• history: several previous; latest promulgated 4 December 1982
• amendments: proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress or supported by more than one fifth of the National People’s Congress membership; passage requires more than two-thirds majority vote of the Congress membership; amended several times, last in 2018

Legal System:

• civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems
• legislature retains power to interpret statutes
• note - on 28 May 2020, the National People's Congress adopted the PRC Civil Code, which codifies personal relations and property relations

Executive Branch:

• chief of state: President XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013); Vice President HAN Zheng (since 10 March 2023)
• head of government: Premier LI Qiang (since 11 March 2023)
• cabinet: State Council appointed by National People's Congress
• elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by National People's Congress; election last held on 10 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2028); premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress
• election results: 2023: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,952 (unanimously); HAN Zheng elected vice president with 2,952 votes 2018: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,970 (unanimously); WANG Qishan elected vice president with 2,969 votes
• note: ultimate authority rests with the Communist Party Central Committee’s 25-member Political Bureau (Politburo) and its seven-member Standing Committee; XI Jinping holds the three most powerful positions as party general secretary, state president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission

Legislative Branch:

• Description: unicameral National People's Congress (NPC) or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (maximum of 3,000 seats; members indirectly elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses, and the People's Liberation Army; members serve 5-year terms);
• Note: in practice, only members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its 8 allied independent parties, and CCP-approved independent candidates are elected
• Elections: the 14th NPC convened on 5 March 2023; the 15th NPC will convene in March 2028
• Election Results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - NA; the 14th NPC consists of 2,977 delegates; 2,187 men, 790 women, percent of women 26.5%

Judicial Branch:

• office: chief justice appointed by the People's National Congress (NPC); limited to 2 consecutive 5-year-terms; other justices and judges nominated by the chief justice and appointed by the Standing Committee of the NPC; term of other justices and judges determined by the NPC
• subordinate courts: Higher People's Courts; Intermediate People's Courts; District and County People's Courts; Autonomous Region People's Courts; International Commercial Courts; Special People's Courts for military, maritime, transportation, and forestry issues

Regions or States:

23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural), and two special administrative regions (tebie xingzhengqu, 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 Uyghur, Xizang (Tibet) municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin special administrative regions: Hong Kong, Macau note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau

Political Parties and Leaders:

• Chinese Communist Party or CCP [XI Jinping]
• Note: China has 8 nominally independent small parties controlled by the CCP

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Citizenship Criteria:

• birth: no citizenship by descent
• only: least one parent must be a citizen of China dual citizenship
• recognized: no residency requirement for
• naturalization: while naturalization is theoretically possible, in practical terms it is extremely difficult; residency is required but not specified

Capital Name

Beijing

Capital - geographic coordinate

39 55 N, 116 23 E

Capital Time Difference

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: China is the largest country (in terms of area) with just one time zone; before 1949 it was divided into five

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International Organization Participation:

• ADB
• AfDB (nonregional member)
• APEC
• Arctic Council (observer)
• ARF
• ASEAN (dialogue partner)
• BIS
• BRICS
• CDB
• CICA
• EAS
• FAO
• FATF
• G-20
• G-24 (observer)
• G-5
• G-77
• IADB
• IAEA
• IBRD
• ICAO
• ICC (national committees)
• 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
• Pacific Alliance (observer)
• PCA
• PIF (partner)
• SAARC (observer)
• SCO
• SICA (observer)
• UN
• UNAMID
• UNCTAD
• UNESCO
• UNFICYP
• UNHCR
• UNHRC
• UNIDO
• UNIFIL
• UNISFA
• UNMIL
• UNMISS
• UNOCI
• UNOOSA
• UN Security Council (permanent)
• UNTSO
• UNWTO
• UPU
• WCO
• WHO
• WIPO
• WMO
• WTO
• ZC

International Law Organization Participation:

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Diplomatic Representation from US:

• Chief of Mission: Ambassador Nicholas BURNS (since 2 April 2022)
• Embassy: 55 An Jia Lou Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100600
• Mailing Address: 7300 Beijing Place, Washington DC 20521-7300
• Telephone: [86] (10) 8531-3000
• FAX: [86] (10) 8531-4200
• Email: BeijingACS@state.gov
• Website: https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/
• Consulate(s) General: Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan; note - the Chinese Government ordered closure of the US consulate in Chengdu in late July 2020

Diplomatic Representation in the US:

• Chief of Mission: Ambassador XIE Feng (since 30 June 2023)
• Chancery: 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
• Telephone: [1] (202) 495-2266
• FAX: [1] (202) 495-2138
• Email: chinaemppress_us@mfa.gov.cn
• Website: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/
• Consulate(s) General: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco; note - the US ordered closure of the Houston consulate in late July 2020

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Geographic Location

Asia

Geographic Coordinates

35 00 N, 105 00 E

Total Area

3,705,387 Square Miles 9,596,961 Square Kilometers

Land Area

3,694,939 Square Miles 9,569,901 Square Kilometers

Water Area

10,448 Square Miles 27,060 Square Kilometers

Land Boundaries

13,743 Miles 22,117 Kilometers

Border Countries

Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km

Coastline

9,010 Miles 14,500 Kilometers

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Terrain

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

Highest Point

8,850 Meters

Highest Point Location

Mount Everest 8,850 m (highest point in Asia)

Lowest Point

-154 Meters

Lowest Point Location

Turpan Pendi -154 m

Natural Resources

Coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)

Irrigated Land

243,004 Square Miles 629,380 Square Kilometers

Time Zone

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: China is the largest country (in terms of area) with just one time zone; before 1949 it was divided into five

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Climate

The country lies almost entirely in the temperate zone.

Only Hainan Province and the southernmost portions of Yunnan and Guangdong Provinces and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi lie within the tropics.

A monsoon climate is a major influence in the south.

The north and west have a typical continental climate, although winters are extremely dry and summers quite rainy.

During summer, warm, moist, maritime air masses bring heavy rains to eastern China, and hot, humid, summer weather is typical.

Winter offers a sharp contrast when cold, dry Siberian air masses dominate and often reach the southern provinces.

Little precipitation falls during the colder months; clear days with low humidity and low temperatures are the norm.

Terrain

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

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Total Area

3,705,387 Square Miles 9,596,961 Square Kilometers

Border Countries

Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km

Environment - Current Issues

• Air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain
• water shortages, particularly in the north
• water pollution from untreated wastes
• deforestation
• estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development
• desertification
• trade in endangered species

Environment - International Agreements

Party To: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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Exports

$2,011,000,000,000 (USD)

Imports

$1,437,000,000,000 (USD)

Major Exports

Electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, furniture, textiles, integrated circuits

Major Imports

• Electrical and other machinery, oil and mineral fuels
• nuclear reactor, boiler, and machinery components
• optical and medical equipment, metal ores, motor vehicles
• soybeans

Top Export Partners

United States 18%, Hong Kong 14.6%, Japan 6%, South Korea 4.5%

Top Import Partners

South Korea 10.9%, United States 9%, Japan 8.9%, Germany 5.5%, Australia 4.1%

Export Partners

United States 18%, Hong Kong 14.6%, Japan 6%, South Korea 4.5%

Import Partners

South Korea 10.9%, United States 9%, Japan 8.9%, Germany 5.5%, Australia 4.1%

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Country Description

The People's Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949, with Beijing as its capital city.

With well over 1.3 billion citizens, China is the world's most populous country and the fourth-largest in terms of territory.

Although political power remains centralized in the Chinese Communist Party, China is undergoing profound economic and social changes.

Modern tourist facilities are available in major cities, but many facilities in smaller provincial cities and rural areas may be below international standards.

Safety & Security

For most visitors, China remains a very safe country.

Petty street crime is the most common safety concern for U.S. citizens in China.

However, business disputes between U.S. citizens and Chinese business partners can result in a physical confrontation or kidnapping.

If you feel that your personal safety is in danger in the course of a business dispute, you should contact the local police immediately.

The Chinese authorities are responsible for the safety and security of all residents and travelers to China and it is important to report your concerns to the local police.

Some parts of the country are restricted or you may need a special permit to travel there.

Please keep in mind that you are a guest in a foreign country where U.S. laws do not apply.

You are subject to Chinese law and legal procedures.

Violent crime is not common in China, but violent demonstrations can erupt without warning, and in past years there have been some fatal bombings and explosions which could pose a random threat to foreign visitors in the area.

The vast majority of these local incidents are related to disputes over land seizures, social issues, employment disputes, environmental problems, or conflicts involving ethnic minorities.

Some incidents have become large-scale and involved criminal activity, including hostage-taking and vandalism.

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Crime

When visiting China, you should always take routine safety precautions and pay attention to your surroundings.

Petty theft remains the most prevalent type of crime encountered.

Pickpockets target tourists at sightseeing destinations, airports, crowded subways, markets, and stores.

Make sure you guard your passport and wallet, as most incidents tend to involve items kept in back pockets, backpacks, or bags/purses swung over a shoulder or set down in a taxi, another vehicle, a restaurant, or a shop.

Narcotics-related crimes and use are also on the rise in China.

Chinese law enforcement authorities have little tolerance for illegal drugs, and they periodically conduct widespread sweeps of bar and nightclub districts, targeting narcotics distributors and drug users.

Expatriates from various countries have been detained in such police actions.

Con artists targeting visitors are also common in popular tourist sites.

A common scam involves younger Chinese "English students," often women or a couple, offering a local tour and an invitation to tea at a nearby restaurant.

When the bill comes, the restaurant owners force victims to pay an exorbitant bill before they can leave the premises.

Taxi drivers, especially at airports, sometimes target arriving travelers, refusing to use the meter or claiming they are a limousine and can charge higher fares.

Always have the name of your destination written in Chinese to show the driver, and get a receipt when you arrive at your destination.

It is a good practice to keep valuables such as purses, camera bags, and computer cases next to you or in your lap rather than in a less-accessible area of the taxi.

Ask the driver to remove the bags from the trunk before you get out of the taxi and before you pay, so he cannot drive away with your luggage.

Do not buy counterfeit or pirated goods, even if they are widely available.

Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, but if you purchase them, you may also be breaking local law.

Some U.S. citizens report that items purchased, even at state-owned or museum stores, believed to be antiques or genuine gems are later determined to be reproductions.

Counterfeit currency is a significant concern in China.

Cab drivers and businesses have given many people, not just tourists, counterfeit currency.

Carrying small bills or using exact change, particularly in taxis, can help protect you.

Some merchants will switch a large bill with a counterfeit bill and return it to you, claiming that you passed them the counterfeit bill.

If you must pay with RMB 100 bills, it may be useful to note the last few serial numbers before paying in case they get switched.

There have been cases of people receiving counterfeit bills from free-standing ATMs.

Use only ATMs at financial institutions or those recommended by your hotel.

Political protest is not legal or permitted in China and is rarely encountered by foreigners.

Travelers who have attempted to engage in political protest activities in public places have been deported quickly, in some cases at their own expense, usually before the U.S.

Embassy is aware of the situation.

Participating in unauthorized political activities or protests against Chinese policy in China may result in lengthy detentions and may impact your eligibility for future visas to visit China.

Foreigners engaging in pro-Falun Gong or pro-Tibetan activities have been detained or immediately deported from China, usually at their own expense, after being questioned.

Several reported they were subject to interrogations and were physically abused during detention.

In addition, some alleged that personal property, including clothing, cameras, and computers, was not returned.

U.S. citizens have been detained and expelled for distributing religious literature.

Chinese customs authorities have enforced strict regulations concerning the importation of religious literature, including Bibles.

If you bring religious literature with you, it should be a "reasonable

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in China, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen.

Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own.

There are also some things that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States.

For example, you can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods.

Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States.

If you break local laws in China, your U.S. passport will not help you avoid arrest or prosecution.

It is very important to know what is legal and what is not wherever you go.

China gives the police the authority to detain and deport foreigners for a wide variety of reasons, including engaging in prohibited religious activities and soliciting prostitutes.

If you do not have your passport with you, you may be taken in for questioning.

China has strict laws against driving under the influence of alcohol that can lead to immediate detention on a criminal charge.

If you are arrested in China, the U.S.-China Consular Convention requires Chinese authorities to notify the U.S.

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Medical Facilities

The standards of medical care in China are not equivalent to those in the United States.

If you plan to travel outside of major Chinese cities, you should consider making special preparations.

Travelers have reported difficulty passing through customs inspection when arriving with large quantities of prescription medications.

If you regularly take over-the-counter or prescription medication, bring your own supply in the original container, including each drug's generic name, and carry the doctor's prescription with you.

Many commonly-used U.S. drugs and medications are not available in China, and some that bear names that are the same as or similar to prescription medications from the United States may not contain the same ingredients or may be counterfeit.

If you try to have medications sent to you from outside China, you may have problems getting them released by Chinese Customs, and/or you may have to pay high customs duties.

Reuse of medical supplies such as syringes and needles or poor sterilization practices are problems in China, contributing to the transmission of diseases such as hepatitis, which is endemic in China.

To avoid contamination, travelers should always ask doctors and dentists to use sterilized equipment and be prepared to pay for new syringe needles in hospitals or clinics.

In emergencies, Chinese ambulances are often slow to arrive, and most do not have sophisticated medical equipment or trained responders.

In most parts of China, helicopter evacuations are not commercially available.

Many travelers choose to take taxis or other vehicles to the nearest major hospital rather than wait for ambulances to arrive.

Most hospitals demand cash payment or a deposit in advance for admission, procedures, or emergencies, although a few hospitals in major cities may accept credit cards.

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and a few other large cities have medical facilities with some international staff.

Many hospitals in major Chinese cities have so-called VIP wards (gaogan bingfang).

Most VIP wards provide medical services to foreigners and have some English-speaking staff.

However, even in the VIP/foreigner wards of major hospitals, you may have difficulty due to cultural, language, and regulatory differences.

In China, it is customary for patients' families to help care for them in the hospital and to supply their toiletries, paper supplies, and meals.

Hospitals often refuse to perform surgery or administer treatment without the written consent of the patient's family, even if they are not in China, and doctors frequently will only tell the family members the patient's diagnosis and prognosis, but will not discuss it with the patient.

Physicians and hospitals sometimes refuse to give U.S. patients copies of their Chinese hospital medical records, including laboratory test results, scans, and x-rays.

Mental health facilities or medications are not widely available in China.

If you are traveling to or studying abroad in China, before you go, put a plan in place for managing your mental health.

In most rural areas, only rudimentary medical facilities are available, often with poorly trained personnel who have little medical equipment and medications.

Rural clinics are often reluctant to accept responsibility for treating foreigners, even in emergency situations.

If you elect to have surgery or other medical services performed in China, be aware that there is little legal recourse to protect you in case of medical malpractice.

The U.S.

Embassy and consulates general in China maintain lists of local English-speaking doctors and hospitals, which are published on their respective American Citizens Services web pages.

Most roads and towns in Tibet, Qinghai, parts of Xinjiang, and western Sichuan are situated at altitudes over 10,000 feet.

If you plan to travel in these areas, you should seek medical advice in advance of travel, allow time for acclimatization to the high altitude, and remain alert to signs of altitude sickness.

Traffic Safety

While in China, you will encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States.

Rules, regulations, and conditions vary greatly throughout China, but a general rule of thumb is that traffic safety is poor, and driving in China can be dangerous.

Traffic is chaotic and largely unregulated, and right-of-way and other courtesies are usually ignored.

The average Chinese driver has fewer than five years of experience behind the wheel and the rate of traffic accidents in China, including fatal accidents, is among the highest in the world.

Cars, bicycles, motorbikes, trucks, and buses often treat road signs and signals as advisory rather than mandatory.

Pedestrians never have the right of way, and you should always be careful while traveling in, or even walking near, traffic.

Child safety seats are not widely available in China, and most taxis and other cars do not have seat belts in the back seats.

Motorcycle and bicycle accidents are frequent and often serious.

If you decide to ride a bike or motorcycle, wear a helmet.

You may not drive in China using your U.S. driver's license or an international license.

If you have a resident permit, you can apply for a PRC driver's license, although regulations for obtaining a license vary from province to province.

Liability issues and the difficulty of passing the driver's test may make it preferable to employ a local driver.

If you are involved in a traffic accident, stay calm; road altercations sometimes turn violent quickly.

The safest course is to call the police and wait for them.

Even minor traffic accidents can become major public dramas.

In some instances, bystanders have surrounded accident scenes and nominated themselves to be an ad hoc jury.

The parties involved in an accident may offer money to the crowd in exchange for favorable consideration.

If there are no injuries and damage is minimal, the parties often come to an agreement on the spot.

If no agreement is reached and the police are called, the police may mediate or conduct an on-site investigation requiring those involved to come to the police station to sign statements.

Unresolved disputes are handled by the courts.

In cases where there are injuries, the driver whose vehicle is determined to have inflicted the injury will often be held at least partially liable for the injured person's medical costs regardless of actual responsibility for the accident.

Many foreigners have been involved in incidents where the victims appear to have purposely caused accidents and claimed to have been injured in order to get payment for their supposed damages and medical care.

When foreigners are involved in an accident, the police will sometimes hold their passports until the other parties are satisfied with the compensation they receive.

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Airports - total

507

Airports with Paved Runways

463

Heliports

47

Railways

53,438 Miles 86,000 Kilometers

Roadways- total

2,551,590 Miles 4,106,387 Kilometers

Roadways- paved

2,146,147 Miles 3,453,890 Kilometers

Waterways

68,351 Miles 110,000 Kilometers

Ports and Terminals

Dalian, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin

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Pipelines: Condensate

6 Miles 9 Kilometers

Pipelines: Gas

30,138 Miles 48,502 Kilometers

Pipelines: Oil

14,336 Miles 23,072 Kilometers

Pipelines: Oil/Gas/Water

19 Miles 31 Kilometers

Pipelines: Refined Products

9,506 Miles 15,298 Kilometers

Pipelines: Water

6 Miles 9 Kilometers

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Telephones

285,115,000

Cell Phones

986,253,000

Internet Users

389,000,000

Internet Country Code

.cn

Internet Hosts

20,602,000

Broadcast Media

• All broadcast media are owned by, or affiliated with, the Communist Party of China or a government agency
• no privately owned TV or radio stations
• state-run Chinese Central TV, provincial, and municipal stations offer more than 2,000 channels
• the Central Propaganda Department lists subjects that are off limits to domestic broadcast media with the government maintaining authority to approve all programming
• foreign-made TV programs must be approved prior to broadcast

Telephone System

• Assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns; China continues to develop its telecommunications infrastructure; China in the summer of 2008 began a major restructuring of its telecommunications industry, resulting in the consolidation of its six telecom service operators to three, China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom, each providing both fixed-line and mobile services
• Domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing rapidly; the number of Internet users exceeded 564 million by the end of 2012; a domestic satellite system with several earth stations is in place
• International: country code - 86; a number of submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat - Pacific and Indian Ocean regions)

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Electricity Consumption- Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

4,693,000,000,000

Electricity Exports- Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

17,650,000,000

Electricity Imports- Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

6,874,000,000

Electricity Production- Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

4,940,000,000,000

Natural Gas Consumption - Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

150,000,000,000

Natural Gas Exports- Cubic Meters (cu m)

2,400,000,000

Natural Gas Imports- Cubic Meters (cu m)

53,000,000,000

Natural Gas Production- Cubic Meters (cu m)

117,100,000,000

Natural Gas Reserves- Cubic Meters (cu m)

3,100,000,000,000

Oil Consumption- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

9,790,000

Oil Exports- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

33,000

Oil Imports- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

5,664,000

Oil Production- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

4,150,000

Oil Reserves- Barrels Per Day (bbl/day)

17,300,000,000

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Anthem History

March of the Volunteers was written in 1935, with lyrics by the poet Tian Han and music by the composer Nie Er.

It was originally the theme song of the film "Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm," which tells the story of those who went to the front to fight the Japanese invaders in northeast China in the 1930s.

Decided upon as the provisional national anthem of the new China on September 27, 1949, but banned during the Cultural Revolution, it was restored to its original form and officially adopted as the national anthem of the People's Republic of China on December 4, 1982.

This musical march is more commonly known by the name "Zhongguo Guoge," the Chinese National Song.

Anthem Lyrics

Yiyongjun Jinxingqu (Native in Pinyin) by TIAN Han/NIE Er Qilai!

Buyuanzuo nulide renmen!

Ba womende xierou, zhucheng women xinde changcheng!

Zhonghua minzu daole zuiweixiande shihou, meigeren beipozhe fachu zuihoude housheng.

Qilai!

Qilai!

Qilai!

Women wanzhong yixing, maozhe dirende paohuo qianjin!

Maozhe dirende paohuo qianjin!

Qianjin!

Qianjin!

Jin!

Anthem Lyrics English

The March of the Volunteers (Native in Pinyin) by TIAN Han/NIE Er Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves! Let us amount our flesh and blood towards our new Great Wall!

The Chinese nation faces its greatest peril, The thundering roar of our people will be heard! Arise!

Arise! Arise!

We are many, but our hearts beat as one! Selflessly braving the enemy's gunfire, march on!

Selflessly braving the enemy's gunfire, march on! March on!

March on! on!