CHINA

摘要

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has a total area of 9.6 million square kilometers (3.7 million square miles), and a population of over 1.3 billion people. The official language is Putonghua, known to Westerners as Mandarin. Although Mandarin is the most widely used, numerous Chinese dialects and other languages are spoken at a local level. Increasing numbers of university graduates have acquired a working knowl-edge of English, but interpreters are still used in many formal business negotiations. The PRC was founded in 1949 and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been in power ever since. The National People's Congress (NPC), the government's legislative arm, is the state's highest authority. The Chinese Communist Party's Politburo and Central Committee make most decisions, which are then required to be formally endorsed by the NPC. The State Council is the executive body of the NPC. It consists of the Premier, the Vice Premiers, and a number of senior Ministers.