ABSTRACT
The People’s Republic of China (hereafter called China) is a country with 1.3 billion people: that is, one-fifth of the world’s population. It has a territory of 3.7 million square miles, slightly larger than the United States and 25 times larger than Japan. China is also rich in natural resources. These are all attributes connected with a great power. Had it been a country the size of Korea, Malaysia or Thailand, it would not have drawn such attention and provoked such emotional reactions.
