OverviewOverview

1.3 billion people

Population will decline in 2030

92% Han Chinese

Major Ethnic Groups: Uyghur and Tibetans

Lingua Franca is Mandarin

Overview: EconomicOverview: Economic

World’s second largest economy.

Owns $895 billion of US treasuries

2005 exchange rate: 8.19 yaun= 1 $

2011 exchange rate: 6.5938 yuan= 1$

A Brief HistoryA Brief History Long history of dynasties (3,500

years)

Qing Dynasty – last dynasty, 1911 = revolution led by Sun Yat-sen

Yuan Shikai was the republic’s 1st president

Long March in 1934 led by Mao Zedong against Chiang Kai-shek

Taiwan still refers to itself as the Republic of China

Government TodayGovernment Today

1949 - Mao Zedong created the People’s Republic of China

Currently dominated by Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

3 branches of govt. with a unicameral Congress

Divided into 23 provinces

Executive BranchExecutive Branch

President: Hu Jintao

Vice President: Xi JinPing

Heads of GovernmentHeads of Government

Premier (Prime Minister): Wen JiaBao

Executive Vice Premier: Li KeQiang

Vice Premiers: Hui LiangYu, Zhang DeJiang, Wang QiShan

Legislative BranchLegislative Branch

National People's Congress: Currently 2,987 seats. Each person serves a 5-year term.

Members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses and the People's Liberation Army.

Judicial BranchJudicial Branch

Supreme People's Court: Judges appointed by National People's Congress.

Current president: Wang ShengJun9 Vice-Presidents under him.

LegitimacyLegitimacy Considered legitimate

by people and other countries.

Has charismatic, ideological, coercion, and performance legitimacy

Lacks legal/institutional legitimacy

Societal legitimacy faltering.

Legitimacy: An Legitimacy: An Exciting ContinuationExciting Continuation

People of rural areas have distrusted the government since the Great Leap Forward.

Feel the government has departed from traditional Maoist values

Sensitive to corruption

Ethnic Cleavages: Ethnic Cleavages: Tibet Tibet

Tibet and China were united by Mongol Invasion and Yuan Dynasty.

White Papers claim China has de facto control

1950- People’s Liberation’s Army Invades

17 Points Agreement

Free TibetFree Tibet

Why: Tibet is historically independent Tibetans are being mistreated by the

Chinese government The Chinese government is repressing

religion and culture

Hu’s Visit to AmericaHu’s Visit to America

January 19th

Economic relationship

U.S. debt to China

Treatment of human rights activists

China’s place in today’s world

http://dailybail.com/home/snl-presidential-mockery-hu-jintao-asks-obama-why-you-not-ki.html

Current EventCurrent Event Liu Xiaobo won the 2010

Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent actions to improve human rights in China

He is currently in prison; in 2009 he was sentenced to 11 years of prison

China did not allow Liu Xiaobo to receive the award and an empty chair was left in his honor at the ceremonies

Political CulturePolitical Culture

Self-reliance – Great Leap Forward, not reliant on elite

Collectivism prevails, but a more individualistic society is emerging

CCP wants loyalty to focus on itself

Political culture is also shaped by unique geography

Confucian values – order, harmony, hierarchy

Discussion QuestionsDiscussion Questions Do you think the Chinese

government should undergo a process of checks and balances to even out power?

What is your opinion on human rights in China? Do you think restraining human rights decreases China’s potential to be a greater nation?

Do you think that with China’s expanding economy the flow of information and ideas will culminate in a revolution (peaceful or violent)?

Is it possible that some Chinese ideas can spread to the rest of the world because of its economic successes?

Should China let go of Tibet? Taiwan?

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY.HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY.

Sources Sources http://www.walrushole.com/designer/archives/2006/11/

legitimacy_of_t.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb137/is_3_25/ai_n29042803/pg_2/?tag=content;col1

http://www.cfr.org/china/media-censorship-china/p11515

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/china/china-taiwan.html

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-02-02/world/china.us_1_mainland-taiwan-relations-taiwan-issue-taiwan-strait?_s=PM:WORLD