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China is a cultural region, an ancient civilization,an, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity occupying alarge portion of the land in East Asia. China has one of the world’s oldestpeople and continuous civilizations, consisting of states and cultures datingback more than six millennia. It has the world’s longest continuous usedwritten language system. With an estimated population of 1.33 billion, thecapital of China is Beijing. The major language used is Mandarin Chinese. In the north, China has a great alluvial plain, and the south has avast calcareous tableland traversed by hill ranges of moderate elevation, andthe Himalayas, containing Earth’s highest point, Mount Everest.
Industry and construction account for about 46%of China's GDP. Major industries are mining and ore processing; iron; steel;aluminum; coal, machinery; textiles and apparel; armaments; petroleum; cement;chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products including footwear, toys, andelectronics; automobiles and other transportation equipment including rail carsand locomotives, ships, and aircraft; and telecommunications China has become apreferred destination for the relocation of global manufacturing facilities.Its strength as an export platform has contributed to incomes and employment inChina. The state-owned sector still accounts for about 40% of GDP. In recentyears, authorities have been giving greater attention to the management ofstate assets--both in the financial market as well as among state-owned-enterprises--andprogress has been noteworthy. Opening to the outside remains central toChina's development. Though real estate opportunities have gone frompractically non-existent to somewhat welcoming, foreign-invested enterprises produce about halfof China's exports, and China continues to attract large investment inflows.Foreign exchange reserves were $819 billion at the end of 2005, and have nowsurpassed those of Japan, making China's foreign exchange reserves the largestin the world.
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