| Area Total | 9,596,960 sq km |
| Climate | extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north |
| Natural Resources | coal, iron ore, helium, petroleum, natural gas, arsenic, bismuth, cobalt, cadmium, ferrosilicon, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, lithium, mercury, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, antimony, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world’s largest), arable land |
| Imports | South Korea 9.7%, Japan 9.1%, US 8.5%, Germany 5.3%, Australia 5.1% (2017) – electrical and other machinery, including integrated circuits and other computer components, oil and mineral fuels; optical and medical equipment, metal ores, motor vehicles; soybeans |
| Government | communist party-led state |
| Capital | Beijing |
| Population | 1.4 billion (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnicity | Han Chinese 91.6%, Zhuang 1.3%, other (includes Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) 7.1% (2010 est.) |
| Language | 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) |
| Exports | US 19%, Hong Kong 12.4%, Japan 6%, South Korea 4.5% (2017) – Exports – commodities field listing electrical and other machinery, including computers and telecommunications equipment, apparel, furniture, textiles |
News about China
- Cabby killed, 9 others injured after taxi hits bus, truck on Lantau Islandby Danny Mok on August 25, 2026
A cab driver was killed and at least nine other people were injured after his taxi collided with a bus and a truck on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island on Tuesday night. Police said at around 8pm that they had received reports of a crash on Cheung Tung Road involving a taxi, a truck and a DB03P bus heading from Discovery Bay to Sunny Bay MTR station. The taxi […]
- Another suspect in HK$7m gold robbery at Hong Kong airport held after car crashby Danny Mok on August 25, 2026
A suspect linked to a HK$7 million (US$893,200) gold robbery at Hong Kong International Airport has been arrested after crashing his car inside Tate’s Cairn Tunnel. The 21-year-old man was driving a private car towards Sha Tin around 3am on Tuesday when he crashed into an oncoming vehicle. Police discovered around 66 grams of suspected cocaine, five […]
- JD.com boosts Northern Metropolis logistics hub, but hurdles loom: expertsby Cannix Yau,Eric Jiang on August 25, 2026
JD.com may be a major logistics leader in mainland China, but as part of a joint venture that won the first land project in the Northern Metropolis, it must overcome labour and road traffic hurdles to become an economic driver in Hong Kong, experts have said. Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, chairman of the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company – the first […]
- Woman fined HK$4,000 over unleashed dog attack at Hong Kong pet gardenby Fiona Chow on August 25, 2026
A woman has been fined HK$4,000 (US$510) after pleading guilty to failing to keep her dog on a leash after it attacked a smaller canine and bit its owner. Eastern Court on Tuesday heard guilty pleas from Chong Oi-lam, 44, who had not leashed her golden retriever while walking it at the pet garden at Wan Chai Temporary Promenade on January 20. The court […]
- These are the lessons Russia learned from Asiaon August 25, 2026
Japans rupture with Moscow and North Koreas rise as a Russian ally show how US power is reshaping the security order across Northeast AsiaFifteen years ago, it appeared that Russia-Japan relations were improving to the extent that Japan could become, for Russia, an eastern version of Germany as a former enemy turning into a major economic partner in a […]
- #CHINA-EMPLOYMENT-JOB MARKET (CN)on August 25, 2026
(260825) -- BEIJING, Aug. 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A professional caregiver provides a public welfare training on infant care in Heshan City, south China's Guangdong Province, Aug. 23, 2026. A series of job fairs have been held across the country during the summer vacation and vocational training courses are also being offered in many places to advance […]
- CHINA-SHANDONG-JINAN-TCM (CN)on August 25, 2026
(260825) -- JINAN, Aug. 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Visitors taste ejiao coffee in Hongjitang TCM Culture & Tourism Resort in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 24, 2026. Donkey-hide gelatin, known as ejiao in Chinese, is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine and health food. Founded in 1907, Shandong Hongjitang Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. adheres […]
- Hong Kong’s Chinese Medicine Hospital to start 24-hour inpatient services in Decemberby Fiona Sun on August 25, 2026
The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong will launch 24-hour inpatient services in December – a first for the city – and charge patients HK$980 (US$125) per day for subsidised care, more than three times the fee at public hospitals. The city’s first dedicated traditional Chinese medicine hospital will also launch 10 additional special disease […]
- Hong Kong jewellery shop slapped with 30-day tour group ban over coerced salesby Wynna Wong on August 25, 2026
Hong Kong’s tourism watchdog has suspended a jewellery shop from receiving tour groups for 30 days after finding it failed to stop a guide from coercing mainland Chinese visitors into making purchases. The Travel Industry Authority (TIA) said on Tuesday that Kaiser Jewellery International would be barred from receiving any inbound tour group visitors from […]
- Mogao Grottoes embrace AI to preserve, share millennia-old heritageon August 25, 2026
LANZHOU, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- With a single tap on a smartphone screen, celestial maidens holding lotuses, painted 1,400 years ago, spring to life and glide toward viewers from the ancient murals.At the millennia-old Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, cutting-edge digital immersion is doing more than offering global audiences an […]
- Alibaba shares drop after record $10.2 billion Hong Kong saleon August 25, 2026
HONG KONG: Alibaba shares fell sharply on August 24 after the Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing company launched a US$10.2 billion share sale at a steep discount to finance its growing investment in artificial intelligence. Alibaba said it would sell HK$80 billion ($10.2 billion) of new shares at HK$112.70 each, an 8.4 percent discount to the closing […]
- Customers facing steeper electricity bills as Hong Kong firms raise fuel chargesby Lam Ka-sing on August 25, 2026
Customers will face higher electricity bills next month as Hong Kong’s two power suppliers will raise fuel-related charges, with the firms blaming geopolitical tensions and volatility in international energy markets. As electricity costs rise, CLP Power and HK Electric have introduced rebate and relief schemes as grass-roots households face higher […]
- Hong Kong exports jump 50.7% in July, driven by growth in AI-related electronicsby Jess Ma,Wynna Wong on August 25, 2026
Hong Kong exports surged by 50.7 per cent year on year in July, driven by “impressive growth” in AI-related electronic products, with the government expecting the robust demand to continue supporting trade development despite geopolitical risks. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Tuesday showed that the value of […]
- Hong Kong government statistician cleared of loitering charge near girls’ schoolby Fiona Chow on August 25, 2026
A Hong Kong court has acquitted a government statistician accused of loitering near a girls’ school and outside a classroom to photograph a pupil, ruling that his conduct did not pose an actual threat despite leaving the girl feeling unsafe. Eastern Court Magistrate Kestrel Lam Tsz-hong on Tuesday found 59-year-old Patrick Lam Win-hon not guilty of one […]
- China enhances legal framework for autonomous vehicles in draft road safety law revisionson August 25, 2026
BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- China has set a dedicated chapter on autonomous vehicles in its draft revisions to the Road Traffic Safety Law, seeking to strengthen the legal framework for its rapidly developing autonomous driving sector.The draft defines autonomous vehicles and driver-assistance functions, clarifies the conditions for autonomous vehicles to […]
- 3 helpers sacked, issued warnings over use of employer data to secure loansby Leopold Chen on August 25, 2026
Three domestic helpers in Hong Kong have been sacked and issued warning letters after providing their employers’ personal data without consent to secure loans, resulting in the households being harassed by debt collectors. Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling said on Tuesday that, in each of the three cases, the names, phone numbers […]
- Chinese micro-dramas race onto global stageon August 25, 2026
CHONGQING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- By 10 a.m., a film and animation park in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality is already buzzing with activity. Crews are scattered across their respective sets -- interrogation lights snap on inside a "police station" soundstage, while upstairs in a "hospital ward," a nurse slowly pushes a medicine cart down the […]
- A menu simmered for a 26-year reunion feast on Chinese sandon August 25, 2026
HOHHOT, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-six years had passed before Yin Yuzhen, a national-honored sand-control villager in China's Inner Mongolia, finally sat down to have a reunion feast with her American friend Ronald Sakolsky.More than half a month before the reunion, she had already begun preparing a feast for Sakolsky, a retired teacher, making sure he […]
- CHINA-CHONGQING-MICRO-DRAMAS-FILMING SETS (CN)on August 25, 2026
(260825) -- CHONGQING, Aug. 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- This undated photo shows a filming set at Chongqing Liangjiang Film and Animation Creative Park in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. TO GO WITH "China Focus: Chinese micro-dramas race onto global stage" (Xinhua)
- Int'l Exchange | Retired U.S. teacher visits home of Chinese woman fighting desertification in N China's Inner Mongoliaon August 25, 2026
ORDOS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Retired U.S. teacher Ronald Sakolsky, who once supported China's desertification control efforts, arrived in Ordos on Sunday and was reunited with his friend Yin Yuzhen, a national model worker who has been planting trees in the Maowusu Sandy Land for four decades. He then visited her home on Monday.Their story began in 1999, when […]
- Rewarding Meetings Begin At Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur At KL Midtownon August 25, 2026
PRNewswireKuala Lumpur [Malaysia], August 25: As Kuala Lumpur continues to welcome major international exhibitions, conventions and corporate events, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown is inviting meeting planners to unlock greater value through Hyatt's #BeMoreRewarded campaign and the hotel's exclusive Enjoy Extra Perks offer.Perfectly positioned in […]
- Photo Flash | China launches 7 new satelliteson August 25, 2026
(260825) -- TAIYUAN, Aug. 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A Long March-6C carrier rocket, carrying seven satellites, blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province, Aug. 25, 2026. The rocket blasted off at 11:21 a.m. (Beijing Time) and successfully sent the satellites into the planned orbit. This launch marked the 665th flight […]
- India, China discuss strengthening peace in border areas, improving ties during meet between NSA Doval, VP Hanon August 25, 2026
Beijing [China], August 25 (ANI): National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who is on a two-day visit to China, held a bilateral meeting on Tuesday with China's Vice President Han Zheng. The leaders held discussions on promoting peace and stability across the border areas while also aiming to further strengthen the bilateral partnership.The meeting between the […]
- Economic Watch: U.S. consumers crave affordable Chinese EVs amid soaring car priceson August 25, 2026
by Julia Pierrepont IIILOS ANGELES, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- As American automakers increasingly focus on higher-priced, more profitable vehicles, a growing number of ordinary Americans are calling for highly cost-effective imports from China to fill the void."I'm an auto mechanic," Juan Vega, a local Angeleno, told Xinhua in a recent interview. "And Chinese […]
- 58 evacuated, woman taken to hospital after fire at Hong Kong flatby William Yiu on August 25, 2026
About 60 people were evacuated and a 98-year-old woman was taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a flat in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Police said they received multiple reports of the blaze at 488 Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay at 10.59am. Among the 58 people evacuated were 25 women and 17 men in the building. Another 11 men and five women in a bank on the […]
- Construction safety design needed to reduce fatal accidents in Hong Kong: expertsby William Yiu on August 25, 2026
Hong Kong should make safety design a part of all building development plans and address the culture of rushing work at construction sites, industry leaders have said after the city recorded 15 fatal industrial accidents earlier this year. Their calls followed the warning by Construction Industry Council chairman Thomas Ho On-sing on Monday that the number […]
- Oil Tanker Struck In Hormuz Strait, Shipping Monitor Sayson August 25, 2026
New posts10:07Oil Tanker Disabled By Projectile Off Coast Of Oman, Says Shipping MonitorAn oil tanker was struck and disabled by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman early on August 25, a British shipping security monitor said, in the latest incident to hit shipping in the strategic waterway.United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) […]
- US Not Ruling Out Military Force Amid Economic Pressure On Iranon August 25, 2026
New posts06:35US Not Ruling Out Military Force Against Iran, Hegseth Says(file photo) US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a cabinet meeting on July 31.US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United States was not ruling out the use of military force against Iran, as Washington imposed new sanctions on nearly 60 entities, individuals, […]
- US to block Iran’s revenue sources, warns nations to end tieson August 25, 2026
WASHINGTON. D.C./TEHRAN/BEIJING: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on August 24 that the United States was preparing new secondary sanctions aimed at cutting off all possible sources of revenue for Iran. He warned countries that they must reduce or end their economic ties with Tehran or risk facing retaliation from Washington. Iran has lived under […]
- Hong Kong needs clearer framework for handling high heat on work sitesby Letters on August 25, 2026
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. Public debate over Hong Kong’s recent heatwave has rightly focused on protecting frontline workers. However, one group remains largely […]
- Landslide kills 18 people in Hong Kong’s Sau Mau Ping – SCMP archiveby SCMP on August 25, 2026
This article was first published on August 26, 1976. Tragedy hits Sau Mau Ping At least seven people, including four children, were killed by the landslide that hit Sau Mau Ping Estate yesterday (August 25, 1976). Yesterday’s disaster was only a few blocks away from a slope which slipped on June 18, 1972, killing 67 people. Fire Services teams, assisted […]
- A Maowusu reunion rooted in American's kindness, forged by Chinese farmer's griton August 25, 2026
HOHHOT, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- For more than a quarter of a century, a retired American teacher and a Chinese woman fighting desertification have lived on opposite sides of the Pacific, bound together by old photos, a newspaper and a forest. On Sunday, they finally met again, face to face.As Ronald Sakolsky descended an escalator at an airport in Ordos, north […]
- Across the Pacific, a seed of kindness became a foreston August 25, 2026
In 2000, American teacher Ronald Sakolsky traveled to the Maowusu Sandy Land in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, to visit Chinese farmer Yin Yuzhen. A year earlier, moved by her determination to combat desertification, he raised and donated 5,000 USD to support her tree-planting efforts. During that first visit, they planted a tree together, as a small promise to the […]
- Hong Kong to revamp senior secondary science and maths curriculum from 2029-30by William Yiu on August 25, 2026
Hong Kong’s education authorities will revamp the senior secondary school science and extended maths curriculum by providing additional syllabus options from the 2029-30 academic year, in a bid to attract more students and nurture talent in the field. The Education Bureau also said it had asked schools to actively encourage students interested in science […]
- China threatens Taiwan from every angleon August 25, 2026
Hong Kong, August 25 (ANI): China continues to tighten the thumbscrews on Taiwan - or perhaps it should be more aptly called the rack. Beijing is prosecuting a simultaneous, multi-pronged campaign against Taipei, using diplomatic, military, grey-zone, psychological warfare and espionage pressures.Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continually […]
- US imposes sanctions on nearly 60 entities, individuals and vessels linked to Iran's military activities, oil tradeon August 25, 2026
Washington DC [US], August 25 (ANI): The United States on Monday (local time) imposed sanctions on nearly 60 entities, individuals and vessels over their alleged links to Iran's military activities, procurement networks and petroleum and petrochemical trade, under 'Operation Economic Outcast', according to the US State Department. In a fact sheet released […]
- Reflections of a reformed grammar Naziby Yonden Lhatoo on August 25, 2026
“Nothing bad can happen. It can only good happen.” Donald J. Trump It would be easy to write off the regular word salads of America’s 47th president as the increasingly incoherent ramblings of an elderly man in obvious mental and physical decline. However, one can also argue that Trump’s seemingly dyslexic struggles with the English language reflect […]
- Want to keep a big dog in Hong Kong? Experts share what you should knowby Veronica Qi on August 25, 2026
Heat, humidity and crowded living spaces could pose challenges for Hongkongers hoping to keep large or aggressive dogs as pets, experts have said, urging potential owners to consider the needs of such animals before deciding to house them. They issued the warning after a woman and two small canines were mauled in two separate attacks last week. The woman […]
- "A wide-ranging conversation" with Russian FM Lavrov: EAM Jaishankaron August 25, 2026
Moscow [Russia], August 25 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said he held a 'wide-ranging conversation' with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues.In a post on X on Monday (local time), he said, 'A wide-ranging conversation this evening with FM Sergey Lavrov […]
- "No one is above the reach of US sanctions": Treasury Secretary Bessent signals China not exempt over Iran tieson August 24, 2026
Washington DC [US], August 25 (ANI): US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday (local time) signalled that China would not be exempt from potential US sanctions over economic ties with Iran, while stopping short of directly confirming whether Chinese banks would be targeted, CNN reported.'No one is above the reach of US sanctions,' Bessent said while […]
- Russia and China expand trade via Arctic sea routeon August 24, 2026
Beijing has pledged to deepen shipping cooperation with Moscow as part of its Ice Silk Road initiativeRussia and China have expanded trade links through the Arctic, with the first Chinese container ship arriving at Russia's northern port of Murmansk via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), Rosatom announced on Monday. Beijing has described the growing cooperation […]
- SERBIA-BELGRADE-CHINESE INK ART-AI-EXHIBITIONon August 24, 2026
(260824) -- BELGRADE, Aug. 24, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A visitor views an exhibition themed "Ink Art Asks the Future: International Touring Exhibition of Chinese Ink Art in the Era of AI" in Belgrade, Serbia, Aug. 24, 2026. An international touring exhibition exploring the intersection of traditional Chinese ink art and artificial intelligence (AI) opened Monday […]
- Russian chess teams barred from 2026 Olympiadon August 24, 2026
FIDE officials have put personal interests and politics ahead of the game, leading names in Russian chess have arguedThe International Chess Federation (FIDE) has barred Russian teams from returning to the Chess Olympiad next month, prompting prominent names in Russian chess to accuse its leadership of politicizing the sport and making "Russophobic" […]
- Topnotch Foundation Acknowledged and Felicitated the Winners of the NATIONAL LEADERS SUMMIT & AWARDS 2026on August 24, 2026
VMPLNew Delhi [India], August 24: Topnotch Foundation organized the NATIONAL LEADERS SUMMIT & AWARDS 2026 on 19th August 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. This ceremony was to acknowledge and felicitate the leading contributors who have taken the initiative to bring a pleasant and powerful change in the Healthcare, Education, and Business fields. The […]
- US unveils economic onslaught against Iranon August 24, 2026
Irans top negotiator has dismissed the latest threat from Washington as empty bombastUS Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced new sanctions against Iran, and threatened to boot any country dealing financially with Tehran out of the US dollar system, in a bid to make Iran an "economic outcast."The new sanctions target nearly 60 entities, […]




















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