China is one of 17 megadiverse countries, [156] lying in two of the world's major biogeographic realms: the Palearctic and the Indomalayan. By one measure, China has over 34,687 species of animals and vascular plants, making it the third-most biodiverse country in the world, after Brazil and Colombia. [157] The country is a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity; [158] its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan was received by the convention in 2010. [159] Chou Hsi-wei on Conflict Zone". Deutsche Welle. So-called 'China', we call it 'Mainland', we are 'Taiwan'. Together we are 'China'. Shen, G.; Gao, X.; Gao, B.; Granger, De (March 2009). "Age of Zhoukoudian Homo erectus determined with (26)Al/(10)Be burial dating". Nature. 458 (7235): 198–200. doi: 10.1038/nature07741. PMID 19279636. M. Leutner (2002). The Chinese Revolution in the 1920s: Between Triumph and Disaster. Routledge. p.129. ISBN 0-7007-1690-4.

China has had a long and complex trade relationship with the United States. In 2000, the United States Congress approved "permanent normal trade relations" (PNTR) with China, allowing Chinese exports in at the same low tariffs as goods from most other countries. [246] China has a significant trade surplus with the United States, one of its most important export markets. [247] Economists have argued that the renminbi is undervalued, due to currency intervention from the Chinese government, giving China an unfair trade advantage. [248] The US government has also alleged that China does not respect intellectual property (IP) rights and steals IP through espionage operations, [249] with the US Department of Justice saying that 80% of all the prosecutions related to economic espionage it brings were about conduct to benefit the Chinese state. [250] Further information: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Xia dynasty, Shang dynasty, Zhou dynasty, Spring and Autumn period, and Warring States period Yinxu, the ruins of the capital of the late Shang dynasty (14th century BCE) See also: List of cities in China, List of cities in China by population, and Megalopolises in China Map of the ten largest cities in China (2010) Physical fitness is widely emphasized in Chinese culture, with morning exercises such as qigong and tai chi widely practiced, [596] and commercial gyms and private fitness clubs are gaining popularity. [597] Basketball is the most popular spectator sport in China. [598] The Chinese Basketball Association and the American National Basketball Association also have a huge national following amongst the Chinese populace, with native-born and NBA-bound Chinese players and well-known national household names such as Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian being held in high esteem. [599] China's professional football league, known as Chinese Super League, is the largest football market in East Asia. [600] Other popular sports include martial arts, table tennis, badminton, swimming and snooker. China is home to a huge number of cyclists, with an estimated 470 million bicycles as of 2012 [update]. [434] Many more traditional sports, such as dragon boat racing, Mongolian-style wrestling and horse racing are also popular. [601] State of Ecology & Environment Report Review". China Water Risk. 20 June 2022 . Retrieved 2023-05-19.China is home to at least 551 species of mammals (the third-highest in the world), [160] 1,221 species of birds (eighth), [161] 424 species of reptiles (seventh) [162] and 333 species of amphibians (seventh). [163] Wildlife in China shares habitat with, and bears acute pressure from, the world's largest population of humans. At least 840 animal species are threatened, vulnerable or in danger of local extinction, due mainly to human activity such as habitat destruction, pollution and poaching for food, fur and traditional Chinese medicine. [164] Endangered wildlife is protected by law, and as of 2005 [update], the country has over 2,349 nature reserves, covering a total area of 149.95 million hectares, 15 percent of China's total land area. [165] [ bettersourceneeded] Most wild animals have been eliminated from the core agricultural regions of east and central China, but they have fared better in the mountainous south and west. [166] [167] The Baiji was confirmed extinct on 12 December 2006. [168] Nature Reserves". China Internet Information Center. Archived from the original on 2010-11-15 . Retrieved 2013-12-02. Goucher, Candice; Walton, Linda (2013). World History: Journeys from Past to Present – Volume 1: From Human Origins to 1500 CE. Routledge. p.108. ISBN 978-1-135-08822-4.

In 2003, China became the third country in the world to independently send humans into space with Yang Liwei's spaceflight aboard Shenzhou 5. As of 2023, eighteen Chinese nationals have journeyed into space, including two women. In 2011, China launched its first space station testbed, Tiangong-1. [400] In 2013, a Chinese robotic rover Yutu successfully touched down on the lunar surface as part of the Chang'e 3 mission. [401] Fowler, Jeaneane D.; Fowler, Merv (2008). Chinese Religions: Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. p.17. ISBN 978-1-84519-172-6. The WHO said earlier on Wednesday that it had asked China for more information about clusters of pneumonia in children in northern China, stressing that such requests were “routine”.Tang, Xiaoyang; Guo, Sujian; Guo, Baogang (2010). Greater China in an Era of Globalization. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp.52–53. ISBN 978-0-7391-3534-1. The National People's Congress (NPC), the nearly 3,000-member legislature, is constitutionally the "highest state organ of power", [192] though it has been also described as a " rubber stamp" body. [205] The NPC meets annually, while the NPC Standing Committee, around 150 members elected from NPC delegates, meets every couple of months. [205] Elections are indirect and not pluralistic, with nominations at all levels being controlled by the CCP. [195] The NPC is dominated by the CCP, with another eight minor parties having nominal representation under the condition of upholding CCP leadership. [206] Alexander Baturo; Robert Elgie (2019). The Politics of Presidential Term Limits. Oxford University Press. p.263. ISBN 978-0-19-883740-4.

On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China was established, and Sun Yat-sen of the Kuomintang (the KMT or Nationalist Party) was proclaimed provisional president. [88] In March 1912, the presidency was given to Yuan Shikai, a former Qing general who in 1915 proclaimed himself Emperor of China. In the face of popular condemnation and opposition from his own Beiyang Army, he was forced to abdicate and re-establish the republic in 1916. [89] Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong toasting together in 1945 following the end of World War II Main article: Names of China China (today's Guangdong), Mangi (inland of Xanton), and Cataio (inland of China and Chequan, and including the capital Cambalu, Xandu, and a marble bridge) are all shown as separate regions on this 1570 map by Abraham Ortelius. Chow, Gregory (2006) Are Chinese Official Statistics Reliable? CESifo Economic Studies 52. 396–414. 10.1093/cesifo/ifl003. Further information: Chinese economic reform The 1989 Tiananmen Square protests was ended by a military-led massacre which brought condemnations and sanctions against the Chinese government from various foreign countries. Its meaning "Zhou's royal demesne" is attested from the 6th-century BC Classic of History, which states " Huangtian bestowed the lands and the peoples of the central state to the ancestors" ( 皇天既付中國民越厥疆土于先王). [29]

China's New Growth Pathway: From the 14th Five-Year Plan to Carbon Neutrality (PDF) (Report). Energy Foundation China. December 2020. p.24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-04-16 . Retrieved 2020-12-16. Allan, Keith (2013). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. p.4. ISBN 978-0-19-958584-7. Tan, Huileng (31 October 2017). "China wrote Belt and Road Initiative into the party constitution. That makes it riskier than ever". CNBC . Retrieved 2020-01-11. The area given is the official United Nations figure for the mainland and excludes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. [3] It also excludes the Trans-Karakoram Tract (5,180km 2 (2,000sqmi)), Aksai Chin (38,000km 2 (15,000sqmi)) and other territories in dispute with India. The total area of China is listed as 9,572,900km 2 (3,696,100sqmi) by the Encyclopædia Britannica. [4] For further information, see Territorial changes of the People's Republic of China.