nicipal, regional, and
provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be held
late 2007-February 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA

Judicial branch:
Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's
Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate and
local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime,
and railway transport courts)

Political parties and leaders:
Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao, General Secretary of the
Central Committee]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP

Political pressure groups and leaders:
no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the
government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the
China Democracy Party as subversive groups

International organization participation:
AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),
MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA,
SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Jiechi
chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and
San Francisco
telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.
embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831
FAX: [86] (10) 6532-6929
consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai,
Shenyang

Flag description:
red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow
five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of
the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner

Economy China

Economy - overview:
In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy from a
sluggish, inefficient, Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a
more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within a
political framework of st