ABSTRACT

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is one of the largest countries in the world, extending over 9,597,000km2, and the most populous with almost 1.3 billion inhabitants, more than one-third (37.7 percent in 2001) living in urban areas. Despite its size and the presence of ethnic minorities, China is a unitary state, comprising 22 provinces, five autonomous regions and four municipalities directly under the central government (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing). Political power is held by the Communist Party of China: the National People’s Congress (NPC) does not usually deviate from the directives of the party’s politburo.