China is situated in the eastern part of Asia, on the west coast of the Pacific ocean. It has a total land area of 9.6 million square kilometers, next only to Russia and Canada. China's land border is 22,800 kilometers long. The coast of the mainland, 18,000 kilometers long, is dotted with excellent harbours and ports. Among them Shanghai is the largest city in China with a population of 13.45 million and well-developed industry commerce, finance and ocean transportation.

China is divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 3 centrally administered municipalities. Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China, as well as the country's political, economic and cultural centre. China's surface slopes down from west to east in a four-step staircase. Most of China's rivers flow from west to east into the Pacific Ocean except a few in southwest China that flow to the south. The Yangtze River (Changjiang), 6,300 kilometres long, is the largest river in China.

Most of China is situated in the temperate zone. Some parts of south China are located in tropical and subtropical zones while the northern part is near the frigid zone. China has more people than any other country. China is a multi-national country with 56 ethnic groups. The Han people accounts for nearly 92 percent of the total population. It has its own spoken and written language, known as the Chinese language, which is commonly used throughout China and a working language of the United Nations. The Hui and Manchu nationalities also use the Chinese language. The other 53 ethnic groups use the spoken languages of their own; 23 minority nationalities have their own written languages.

China's unit of currency is RMB yuan. One US dollar is now approximate to 8.7 yuan. Substantial success has been achieved in China's economic development since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, notably after implementation of reform and opening up in 1979. In 1993 China's gross domestic product (GDP) totalled 3138 billion yuan, a 13.4 percent increase over the previous year. The average annual increase in GDP has been 8.9 percent during the past 15 years. The target growth rate of GDP for 1994 is 9 percent. The 1992 per capita GDP reached 2,055 yuan, 330 yuan more than in 1991, the largest increase on record.

From 1979 to 1993, the total foreign capital that China utilized in various forms reached US$ 137.8 billion, of which, foreign direct investment was US$ 61.8 billion. The number of foreign invested enterprises already in operation in China reached 83,000 by the end of 1993. The annual growth rate of China's foreign trade over the 15 years averaged 16 percent, higher both than the average growth rate of China's GDP and that of the world trade in the same period. China's foreign trade volume in 1993 stood at US$ 195.8 billion with exports of US$ 91.8 billion and imports of US$ 104 billion China's position in world trade moved from the 32nd place in 1978 to the 11th place in 1993.