8.6187
(1994), 5.7620 (1993), 5.5146 (1992), 5.3234 (1991), 4.7832 (1990)
note: beginning 1 January 1994, the People's Bank of China quotes the
midpoint rate against the US dollar based on the previous day's
prevailing rate in the interbank foreign exchange market

Fiscal year: calendar year

@China:Transportation

Railroads:
total: 65,780 km
standard gauge: 55,180 km 1.435-m gauge (7,174 km electrified; more
than 11,000 km double track)
narrow gauge: 600 km 1.000-m gauge; 10,000 km 0.762-m to 1.067-m gauge
dedicated industrial lines

Highways:
total: 1.029 million km
paved: 170,000 km
unpaved: gravel/improved earth 648,000 km; unimproved earth 211,000 km
(1990)

Inland waterways: 138,600 km; about 109,800 km navigable

Pipelines: crude oil 9,700 km; petroleum products 1,100 km; natural
gas 6,200 km (1990)

Ports: Aihui, Changsha, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Harbin,
Huangpu, Nanning, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shantou,
Tanggu, Xiamen, Xingang, Zhanjiang

Merchant marine:
total: 1,628 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,013,532
GRT/24,027,766 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 3, bulk 298, cargo 849, chemical tanker
14, combination bulk 10, container 98, liquefied gas tanker 4,
multifunction large load carrier 1, oil tanker 212, passenger 24,
passenger-cargo 25, refrigerated cargo 21, roll-on/roll-off cargo 24,
short-sea passenger 44, vehicle carrier 1
note: China beneficially owns an additional 250 ships (1,000 GRT or
over) totaling approximately 8,831,462 DWT that operate under
Panamanian, Hong Kong, Maltese, Liberian, Vanuatu, Cypriot, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Bahamian, and Singaporean registry

Airports:
total: 204
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 17
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 69
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 89
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 9
with paved runways under 914 m: 7
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 7
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
with unpaved runways under 914 m: 3

@China:Communications

Telephone system: 20,000,000 telephones (summer 1994); domestic and
international services are increasingly available for private use;
unevenly distributed internal system serves principal cities,
industrial centers, and most townships; expanding phone lines,
interprovincial fiber optic links, satellite communications,
cellullar/mobile communications, etc.
local: NA
intercity: