Chinese President Hu Jintao reviews soldiers before a parade in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of ChinaJOE CHAN
Kesterton's China
- More people in China are becoming millionaires than anywhere else on Earth.
- A symbol of the relationship between China's government and business is the so-called Red Machine, a network of 300 phones that connects the elite of the country. The phones are used by the leaders of the communist party, and also the leaders of China's top 50 companies, as a point of direct access.
- The country has become the global leader in shipping. Two out of the world's three largest ports are Shanghai and Hong Kong.
- More than 100 million Chinese are afflicted with mental illnesses stemming from income gaps and other factors, according to the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. And a decade from now, thanks to country's one-child policy introduced in 1979, one in five boys will have no chance of finding a wife.
- This month, Chinese high school students are writing the college entrance exam - 9.57 million students are going after 6.57 million places. Cities across the country will try to give them a friendly environment for the two-day ordeal. For instance, if an emergency arises, traffic police are prepared to transport students to their exams.
( Michael Kesterton writes the daily Social Studies column in the Globe and Mail, for the G20 Summit he's contributing useful facts and information on member nations)
Culture
Top cultural exports: Ang Lee - director, Jet Li - actor, Gao Xingjian, Nobel-prize winning author, Yo-Yo Ma - cellist, martial arts, mah jong
Food: Cuisine varies by region and tradition, but variations of the dumpling are across the country
Notable Canadian relation: The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Olivia Chow (MP Trinity-Spadina)
Speed Limit: 120 kilometres an hour
National pastime: Table tennis
Politics
President: Hu Jintao
- Age: 67
- Elected: March 15, 2008
- Party: Communist Party of China
- Legislature: Unicameral, elected National Congress
- Political System: Presidential
Background: President Hu Jintao is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China's Central Committtee and the chair of the Central Military Commission.
President Hu has stood his ground following pressures to cut greenhouse gasses, eliminate barriers preventing free trade, and having a more open, exchange rate for the yuan.
Earlier this month, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that China would be providing a $20-billion (U.S.) financing plan but did not reveal specifics. China and Venezuela also have an existing $12-billion (U.S.) investment fund allowing Beijing to deposit money in exchange for forward oil sales.
China joins other Asian-Pacific G20 nations (Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and Indonesia) who believe that they have a growing importance in the world financial sphere.
G20 Goals: In mid-April, President Hu Jintao defended China's policy of pegging the yuan after Obama called for the country to revalue its currency. This will likely be a continuing issue this June.
Economy
Gross Domestic Product: $4.33-trillion
Jobless rate: 4.2%
Gross government debt (as a percentage of GDP)
- 2000: 16.4
- 2009: 18.9
- 2015 (projected): 17.5
Sources: Bloomberg, IMF
NATION PROFILES
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