| 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
- Trump can use force "as he sees fit", Hegseth says on alleged cartel boat strikeson December 7, 2025
Washington [US], December 7 (ANI): US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Saturday defended recent military strikes on boats linked to alleged drug cartels, saying President Donald Trump has the authority to take action 'as he sees fit' to safeguard the nation.Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Hegseth rejected criticism of the strikes, which […]
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This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Hongkongers head to polling stations to elect their new representatives in the legislature on Sunday amid a sombre atmosphere, with the city […]
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- New polling arrangements to facilitate voting in LegCo General Election: HKSAR chief executiveon December 6, 2025
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- Hikvision contests FCC move to block telecom gear approvalson December 6, 2025
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- Hong Kong police arrest 2 over possession of suspected dangerous drugsby Fiona Sun on December 6, 2025
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- Hong Kong fire aftermath: how victims are dealing with the psychological tollby Mike Chan on December 6, 2025
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- 12 hurt in collision involving KMB bus, rubbish truck and taxi in Hong Kongby Harvey Kong on December 6, 2025
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- Lessons not learned, Hong Kong construction council says after site checksby Leopold Chen on December 6, 2025
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- From shoes to scholarships: Hongkongers unite for Tai Po fire victimsby Ambrose Li on December 6, 2025
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- Politicisation of Hong Kong’s fire tragedy in Western media a new lowby Alex Lo on December 6, 2025
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- ‘Like a ghost town’: Hong Kong neighbourhood struggles to adjust after fatal fireby Mike Chan on December 6, 2025
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- Hong Kong's Sham Elections Expose Beijing's Tightening Gripon December 5, 2025
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- Legco election hopefuls scale back campaigning in Hong Kong fire aftermathby Willa Wu on December 5, 2025
Candidates started campaigning again this week for Hong Kong’s coming Legislative Council election, but opted for a more subdued approach, including fewer street booths and volunteers, in the aftermath of last week’s deadly fire in Tai Po. Some Legco hopefuls also unveiled new policy platforms in the run-up to Sunday’s poll, such as calling for a […]



















