China defines and shapes our world and the course of international development. With more than 1.35 billion people, China is about 20 percent of the total world population. After decades of rapid economic growth is China’s second largest economy in the world in 2010. Business in China, politics and culture play an influential role in the growing world economy, international development and foreign relations.
China’s economy and development
China heads the economy class of the so-called BRIC-Brazil, Russia, India and China. Having decades of annual GDP growth of more than 10 percent, China overtook Japan in 2010 became the world’s second largest economy behind the U.S. As long as China’s breakneck pace of GDP growth reserves in the world’s leading economies of the developed countries, it will quickly to close in the first place. China’s enormous demand for commodities, the status of the factory of the world, the growth of the domestic market and related environmental aspects and significant impacts on human development in the world.
Economic growth, urbanization and mega-cities
China’s rapid economic growth and development is accompanied by the dramatic rise and growth of the so-called mega cities. The people in China and other developing countries flock to the cities in search of more opportunities and living standards. The fruits of their labor and the economic benefits of financial cities that support human and social capital to the development of China’s urban development and fuel.
China has more than 221 cities with more than one million people in 2030 and over 70 percent of Chinese live in cities with more than one million people in 2025 according to the McKinsey Global Institute.
History of China and the World
China’s history is the history of the world in many ways. With almost 4000 years of history and continuous culture, China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. China was the greatest power in the world for all but a few hundred of these 2000 years. Paper, printing, gunpowder and the compass: Ancient China is credited with four of the world’s greatest inventions.
Chinese culture and society
Society and the Chinese culture is both homogeneous and extremely diverse. Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group and about 92 percent of the Chinese population. While Mandarin Chinese, the main language of China, is spoken by over 70 percent of China’s population, China has about seven and thirteen main regional language groups, and many other provincial dialects, many of which are unintelligible to each other.
Politics and Power in China
China’s strong central government and the Communist Party of China (CPC) have influence on the definition of the local people, politics, development and external relations. But the territory of China’s landmass of 3.7 million square miles (9.6 million square kilometers), create many distant provinces and local rapid economic growth on current challenges to power and ruled by influence.
