Introduction

The brief overview of China and a highlight survey of the demographics, government, economics, legal reforms, technology and environment provide the challenges and opportunities that the publishing industry will face in coming years. The legal system has developed over time as a consolidation of a synthesis of traditions, statutes, and basic civil codes, with an emphasis on criminal law. Studies forecast that China will undergo significant restructuring costs of the labor force in meeting the broad World Trade Organization commitments. China's fastest growing exports have been labor intensive manufactured goods including textiles, apparel, footwear, toys and more recently all aspects of technology. The environment is a challenge for the country as China has a high rate of air pollution due to greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates from their reliance on coal heating, which produces acid rain. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.