China vs. Burma
Introduction
China | Burma | |
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Background | China's historical civilization dates from at least 1200 B.C.; from the 3rd century B.C. and for the next two millennia, China alternated between periods of unity and disunity under a succession of imperial dynasties. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Chinese Communist Party under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically but political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations. | Various ethnic Burman and ethnic minority city-states or kingdoms occupied the present borders through the 19th century, and several minority ethnic groups continue to maintain independent armies and control territory within the country today, in opposition to the central government. Over a period of 62 years (1824-1886), Britain conquered Burma and incorporated all the groups within the country into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; in 1948, following major battles on its territory during World War II, Burma attained independence from the British Commonwealth. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. In response to widespread civil unrest, NE WIN resigned in 1988, but within months the military crushed student-led protests and took power. Since independence, successive Burmese governments have fought on-and-off conflicts with armed ethnic groups seeking autonomy in the country's mountainous border regions. Multiparty legislative elections in 1990 resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory. Instead of handing over power, the junta placed NLD leader (and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient) AUNG SAN SUU KYI under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, 2000 to 2002, and from May 2003 to November 2010. In late September 2007, the ruling junta brutally suppressed protests over increased fuel prices led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks, killing an unknown number of people and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations - popularly referred to as the Saffron Revolution. In early May 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck Burma, which left over 138,000 dead and tens of thousands injured and homeless. Despite this tragedy, the junta proceeded with its May constitutional referendum, the first vote in Burma since 1990. The 2008 constitution reserves 25% of its seats to the military. Legislative elections held in November 2010, which the NLD boycotted and many in the international community considered flawed, saw the successor ruling junta's mass organization, the Union Solidarity and Development Party garner over 75% of the contested seats. The national legislature convened in January 2011 and selected former Prime Minister THEIN SEIN as president. Although the vast majority of national-level appointees named by THEIN SEIN were former or current military officers, the government initiated a series of political and economic reforms leading to a substantial opening of the long-isolated country. These reforms included releasing hundreds of political prisoners, signing a nationwide cease-fire with several of the country's ethnic armed groups, pursuing legal reform, and gradually reducing restrictions on freedom of the press, association, and civil society. At least due in part to these reforms, AUNG SAN SUU KYI was elected to the national legislature in April 2012 and became chair of the Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquility. Burma served as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2014. In a flawed but largely credible national legislative election in November 2015 featuring more than 90 political parties, the NLD again won a landslide victory. Using its overwhelming majority in both houses of parliament, the NLD elected HTIN KYAW, AUNG SAN SUU KYI's confidant and long-time NLD supporter, as president. The new legislature created the position of State Counsellor, according AUNG SAN SUU KYI a formal role in the government and making her the de facto head of state. Burma's first credibly elected civilian government after more than five decades of military dictatorship was sworn into office on 30 March 2016. In March 2018, upon HTIN KYAW's resignation, parliament selected WIN MYINT, another long-time ally of AUNG SAN SUU KYI's, as president. Attacks in October 2016 and August 2017 on security forces in northern Rakhine State by members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Rohingya militant group, resulted in military crackdowns on the Rohingya population that reportedly caused thousands of deaths and human rights abuses. Following the August 2017 violence, over 740,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh as refugees. In November 2017, the US Department of State determined that the August 2017 violence constituted ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas. The UN has called for Burma to allow access to a Fact Finding Mission to investigate reports of human rights violations and abuses and to work with Bangladesh to facilitate repatriation of Rohingya refugees, and in September 2018 the International Criminal Court (ICC) determined it had jurisdiction to investigate reported human rights abuses against Rohingyas. Burma has rejected charges of ethnic cleansing and genocide, and has chosen not to work with the UN Fact Finding Mission or the ICC. In March 2018, President HTIN KYAW announced his voluntary retirement; NLD parliamentarian WIN MYINT was named by the parliament as his successor. In February 2019, the NLD announced it would establish a parliamentary committee to examine options for constitutional reform ahead of the November 2020 national elections. |
Geography
China | Burma | |
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Location | Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand |
Geographic coordinates | 35 00 N, 105 00 E | 22 00 N, 98 00 E |
Map references | Asia | Southeast Asia |
Area | total: 9,596,960 sq km land: 9,326,410 sq km water: 270,550 sq km | total: 676,578 sq km land: 653,508 sq km water: 23,070 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than the US | slightly smaller than Texas |
Land boundaries | total: 22,457 km border countries (14): Afghanistan 91 km, Bhutan 477 km, Burma 2129 km, India 2659 km, Kazakhstan 1765 km, North Korea 1352 km, Kyrgyzstan 1063 km, Laos 475 km, Mongolia 4630 km, Nepal 1389 km, Pakistan 438 km, Russia (northeast) 4133 km and Russia (northwest) 46 km, Tajikistan 477 km, Vietnam 1297 km | total: 6,522 km border countries (5): Bangladesh 271 km, China 2129 km, India 1468 km, Laos 238 km, Thailand 2416 km |
Coastline | 14,500 km | 1,930 km |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Climate | extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north | tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April) |
Terrain | mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east | central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands |
Elevation extremes | highest point: Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level) 8,849 m lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m mean elevation: 1,840 m | highest point: Gamlang Razi 5,870 m lowest point: Andaman Sea/Bay of Bengal 0 m mean elevation: 702 m |
Natural resources | coal, iron ore, helium, petroleum, natural gas, arsenic, bismuth, cobalt, cadmium, ferrosilicon, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, lithium, mercury, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, antimony, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest), arable land | petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower, arable land |
Land use | agricultural land: 54.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 41.8% (2018 est.) forest: 22.3% (2018 est.) other: 23% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 19.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 16.5% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0.5% (2018 est.) forest: 48.2% (2018 est.) other: 32.6% (2018 est.) |
Irrigated land | 690,070 sq km (2012) | 22,950 sq km (2012) |
Natural hazards | frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence volcanism: China contains some historically active volcanoes including Changbaishan (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or P'aektu-san), Hainan Dao, and Kunlun although most have been relatively inactive in recent centuries | destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts |
Environment - current issues | air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; China is the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; coastal destruction due to land reclamation, industrial development, and aquaculture; deforestation and habitat destruction; poor land management leads to soil erosion, landslides, floods, droughts, dust storms, and desertification; trade in endangered species | deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease; rapid depletion of the country's natural resources |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note | note 1: world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US) and largest country situated entirely in Asia; Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak above sea level note 2: the largest cave chamber in the world is the Miao Room, in the Gebihe cave system at China's Ziyun Getu He Chuandong National Park, which encloses some 10.78 million cu m (380.7 million cu ft) of volume note 3: China appears to have been the center of domestication for two of the world's leading cereal crops: millet in the north along the Yellow River and rice in the south along the lower or middle Yangtze River | strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes; the north-south flowing Irrawaddy River is the country's largest and most important commercial waterway |
Total renewable water resources | 2,840,220,000,000 cubic meters (2017 est.) | 1,167,800,000,000 cubic meters (2017 est.) |
Population distribution | overwhelming majority of the population is found in the eastern half of the country; the west, with its vast mountainous and desert areas, remains sparsely populated; though ranked first in the world in total population, overall density is less than that of many other countries in Asia and Europe; high population density is found along the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys, the Xi Jiang River delta, the Sichuan Basin (around Chengdu), in and around Beijing, and the industrial area around Shenyang | population concentrated along coastal areas and in general proximity to the shores of the Irrawaddy River; the extreme north is relatively underpopulated |
Demographics
China | Burma | |
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Population | 1,397,897,720 (July 2021 est.) | 57,069,099 (July 2021 est.) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 17.29% (male 129,296,339/female 111,782,427) 15-24 years: 11.48% (male 86,129,841/female 73,876,148) 25-54 years: 46.81% (male 333,789,731/female 318,711,557) 55-64 years: 12.08% (male 84,827,645/female 83,557,507) 65 years and over: 12.34% (male 81,586,490/female 90,458,292) (2020 est.) | 0-14 years: 25.97% (male 7,524,869/female 7,173,333) 15-24 years: 17% (male 4,852,122/female 4,769,412) 25-54 years: 42.76% (male 11,861,971/female 12,337,482) 55-64 years: 8.22% (male 2,179,616/female 2,472,681) 65 years and over: 6.04% (male 1,489,807/female 1,928,778) (2020 est.) |
Median age | total: 38.4 years male: 37.5 years female: 39.4 years (2020 est.) | total: 29.2 years male: 28.3 years female: 30 years (2020 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.26% (2021 est.) | 0.81% (2021 est.) |
Birth rate | 11.3 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 16.65 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
Death rate | 8.26 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
Net migration rate | -0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) | -1.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.16 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.17 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2020 est.) | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2020 est.) |
Infant mortality rate | total: 11.15 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) | total: 33.71 deaths/1,000 live births male: 37.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 30.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 76.31 years male: 74.23 years female: 78.62 years (2021 est.) | total population: 69.62 years male: 67.96 years female: 71.39 years (2021 est.) |
Total fertility rate | 1.6 children born/woman (2021 est.) | 2.05 children born/woman (2021 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | NA | 0.6% (2019 est.) |
Nationality | noun: Chinese (singular and plural) adjective: Chinese | noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese |
Ethnic groups | Han Chinese 91.6%, Zhuang 1.3%, other (includes Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) 7.1% (2010 est.) note: the Chinese Government officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups | Burman (Bamar) 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% note: government recognizes 135 indigenous ethnic groups |
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | NA | 240,000 (2019 est.) |
Religions | folk religion 21.9%, Buddhist 18.3%, Christian 5.2%, Muslim 2%, Hindu < 0.1%, Jewish < 0.1%, other 0.7% (includes Daoist (Taoist)), unaffiliated 51.8% (2020 est.) note: officially atheist | Buddhist 87.9%, Christian 6.2%, Muslim 4.3%, Animist 0.8%, Hindu 0.5%, other 0.2%, none 0.1% (2014 est.) note: religion estimate is based on the 2014 national census, including an estimate for the non-enumerated population of Rakhine State, which is assumed to mainly affiliate with the Islamic faith; as of December 2019, Muslims probably make up less than 3% of Burma's total population due to the large outmigration of the Rohingya population since 2017 |
HIV/AIDS - deaths | NA | 7,700 (2019 est.) |
Languages | Standard Chinese or Mandarin (official; Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry); note - Zhuang is official in Guangxi Zhuang, Yue is official in Guangdong, Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uighur is official in Xinjiang Uygur, Kyrgyz is official in Xinjiang Uygur, and Tibetan is official in Xizang (Tibet) major-language sample(s): ???? - ??????????? (Mandarin) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. | Burmese (official) major-language sample(s): ?????????????????????- ??????????????????????? ???????????? ?????????? (Burmese) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: minority ethnic groups use their own languages |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.8% male: 98.5% female: 95.2% (2018) | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 75.6% male: 80% female: 71.8% (2016) |
Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: high (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Japanese encephalitis soil contact diseases: hantaviral hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) note: a new coronavirus is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness (COVID-19) in China; illness with this virus has ranged from mild to severe with fatalities reported; the US Department of State has issued a do not travel advisory for China due to COVID-19; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also recommended against travel to China and published additional guidance at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/warning/novel-coronavirus-china; the US Department of Homeland Security has issued instructions requiring US passengers who have been in China to travel through select airports where the US Government has implemented enhanced screening procedures; as of 19 July 2021, China has reported a total of 119,784 cases of COVID-19 or 8.14 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with 0.38 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 10 June 2021, 43.21% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine | degree of risk: very high (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis animal contact diseases: rabies |
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 14 years (2015) | total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2018) |
Education expenditures | NA | 1.9% of GDP (2019) |
Urbanization | urban population: 62.5% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 1.78% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) note: data do not include Hong Kong and Macau | urban population: 31.4% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 1.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
Drinking water source | improved: urban: 97.7% of population rural: 87.8% of population total: 92.8% of population unimproved: urban: 2.3% of population rural: 12.2% of population total: 7.2% of population (2017 est.) | improved: urban: 93% of population rural: 76.9% of population total: 81.8% of population unimproved: urban: 7% of population rural: 23.1% of population total: 18.2% of population (2017 est.) |
Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 97.1% of population rural: 82% of population total: 90.7% of population unimproved: urban: 2.4% of population rural: 18% of population total: 9.3% of population (2017 est.) | improved: urban: 87.6% of population rural: 67.6% of population total: 73.7% of population unimproved: urban: 12.4% of population rural: 32.4% of population total: 26.3% of population (2017 est.) |
Major cities - population | 27.796 million Shanghai, 20.897 million BEIJING (capital), 16.382 million Chongqing, 13.794 million Tianjin, 13.635 million Guangzhou, 12.592 million Shenzhen (2021) | 5.422 million RANGOON (Yangon) (capital), 1.469 million Mandalay (2021) |
Maternal mortality rate | 29 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) | 250 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) |
Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 2.4% (2013) | 19.1% (2017/18) |
Health expenditures | 5.4% (2018) | 4.8% (2018) |
Physicians density | 1.98 physicians/1,000 population (2017) | 0.68 physicians/1,000 population (2018) |
Hospital bed density | 4.3 beds/1,000 population (2017) | 1 beds/1,000 population (2017) |
Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 6.2% (2016) | 5.8% (2016) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | 84.5% (2017) | 52.2% (2015/16) |
Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 42.2 youth dependency ratio: 25.2 elderly dependency ratio: 17 potential support ratio: 5.9 (2020 est.) data do not include Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan | total dependency ratio: 46.5 youth dependency ratio: 37.3 elderly dependency ratio: 9.1 potential support ratio: 10.9 (2020 est.) |
Government
China | Burma | |
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Country name | conventional long form: People's Republic of China conventional short form: China local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo local short form: Zhongguo abbreviation: PRC etymology: English name derives from the Qin (Chin) rulers of the 3rd century B.C., who comprised the first imperial dynasty of ancient China; the Chinese name Zhongguo translates as "Central Nation" or "Middle Kingdom" | conventional long form: Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Thammada Myanma Naingngandaw (translated as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, Union of Myanmar etymology: both "Burma" and "Myanmar" derive from the name of the majority Burman (Bamar) ethnic group note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma and the current parliamentary government have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; the US Government has not officially adopted the name |
Government type | communist party-led state | parliamentary republic |
Capital | name: Beijing geographic coordinates: 39 55 N, 116 23 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) note: China is the largest country (in terms of area) with just one time zone; before 1949 it was divided into five etymology: the Chinese meaning is "Northern Capital" | name: Rangoon (Yangon); note - Nay Pyi Taw is the administrative capital geographic coordinates: 16 48 N, 96 09 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: Rangoon (Yangon) is a compound of "yan" signifying "enemies" and "koun" meaning "to run out of" and so denoting "End of Strife"; Nay Pyi Taw translates as: "Great City of the Sun" or "Abode of Kings" |
Administrative divisions | 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural) provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan) autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), Ningxia, Xinjiang Uyghur, Xizang (Tibet) municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau | 7 regions (taing-myar, singular - taing), 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne), 1 union territory regions: Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy), Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon (Rangoon) states: Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan union territory: Nay Pyi Taw |
Independence | 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established); notable earlier dates: 221 B.C. (unification under the Qin Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China) | 4 January 1948 (from the UK) |
National holiday | National Day (anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949) | Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947) |
Constitution | history: several previous; latest promulgated 4 December 1982 amendments: proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress or supported by more than one fifth of the National People's Congress membership; passage requires more than two-thirds majority vote of the Congress membership; amended several times, last in 2018 | history: previous 1947, 1974 (suspended until 2008); latest drafted 9 April 2008, approved by referendum 29 May 2008 amendments: proposals require at least 20% approval by the Assembly of the Union membership; passage of amendments to sections of the constitution on basic principles, government structure, branches of government, state emergencies, and amendment procedures requires 75% approval by the Assembly and approval in a referendum by absolute majority of registered voters; passage of amendments to other sections requires only 75% Assembly approval; amended 2015 |
Legal system | civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; note - on 28 May 2020, the National People's Congress adopted the PRC Civil Code, which codifies personal relations and property relations | mixed legal system of English common law (as introduced in codifications designed for colonial India) and customary law |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Executive branch | chief of state: President XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013); Vice President WANG Qishan (since 17 March 2018) head of government: Premier LI Keqiang (since 16 March 2013); Executive Vice Premiers HAN Zheng (since 19 March 2018), SUN Chunlan (since 19 March 2018), LIU He (since 19 March 2018), HU Chunhua (since 19 March 2018) cabinet: State Council appointed by National People's Congress elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 17 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2023); premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress election results: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,970 (unanimously); WANG Qishan elected vice president with 2,969 votes | chief of state: Prime Minister, SAC Chair, Sr. Gen. MIN AUNG HLAING (since 1 August 2021); note - MIN AUNG HLAING self-appointed himself to the role of prime minister of a "caretaker" provisional government that subsumed the State Administration Council (SAC) on 1 August 2021; the SAC, chaired by MIN AUNG HLAING, served as the executive governing body since 2 February 2021, following the 1 February 2021 military takeover of the government and the declaration of a state of emergency and still exists under the provisional government according to state media; MIN AUNG HLAING pledged to hold elections in 2023 head of government: Prime Minister, SAC Chair, Sr. Gen. MIN AUNG HLAING (since 1 August 2021); note - MIN AUNG HLAING self-appointed himself to the role of prime minister of a "caretaker" provisional government that subsumed the State Administration Council (SAC) on 1 August 2021; the SAC, chaired by MIN AUNG HLAING, served as the executive governing body since 2 February 2021, following the 1 February 2021 military takeover of the government and the declaration of a state of emergency and still exists under the provisional government according to state media; MIN AUNG HLAING pledged to hold elections in 2023 cabinet: Cabinet appointments shared by the president and the commander-in-chief; note - after 1 February, the military replaced the cabinet elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the full Assembly of the Union from among 3 vice-presidential candidates nominated by the Presidential Electoral College (consists of members of the lower and upper houses and military members); the other 2 candidates become vice-presidents (president elected for a 5-year term); election last held on 28 March 2018; MIN AUNG HLAING pledged to hold elections in 2023 election results: WIN MYINT elected president; Assembly of the Union vote - WIN MYINT (NLD) 403, MYINT SWE (USDP) 211, HENRY VAN THIO (NLD) 18, 4 votes canceled (636 votes cast); note - WIN MYINT was placed under arrest following the military takeover on 1 February 2021 state counsellor: State Counselor AUNG SAN SUU KYI (since 6 April 2016); note - under arrest since 1 February 2021; formerly served as minister of foreign affairs and minister for the office of the president note: a parliamentary bill creating the position of "state counsellor" was signed into law by former President HTIN KYAW on 6 April 2016; a state counsellor serves the equivalent term of the president and is similar to a prime minister in that the holder acts as a link between the parliament and the executive branch |
Legislative branch | description: unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (maximum of 3,000 seats; members indirectly elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses, and the People's Liberation Army; members serve 5-year terms); note - in practice, only members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its 8 allied independent parties, and CCP-approved independent candidates are elected elections: last held in December 2017-February 2018 (next to be held in late 2022 to early 2023) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 2,238, women 742, percent of women 24.9% | description: bicameral Assembly of the Union or Pyidaungsu consists of: House of Nationalities or Amyotha Hluttaw, (224 seats; 168 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed and 56 appointed by the military; members serve 5-year terms) House of Representatives or Pyithu Hluttaw, (440 seats, currently 433; 330 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 110 appointed by the military; members serve 5-year terms); note - on 1 February, the military dissolved the Assembly of the Union; the State Administration Council governs in place of the Assembly of the Union elections: House of Nationalities - last held on on 8 November 2020 (next to be held in 2025) House of Representatives - last held on 8 November 2020 (next to be held in 2025); note - the military junta overturned the results of the 8 November legislative elections election results: House of Nationalities - percent of vote by party - NLD 61.6%, USDP 3.1%, ANP 1.8%, MUP 1.3%, KSDP 1.3%, other 5.9%, military appointees 25%; seats by party - NLD 138, USDP 7, ANP 4, MUP 3, KSPD 3, SNLD 2, TNP 2, other 2, canceled due to insurgency 7, military appointees 56 House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NLD 58.6%, USDP 5.9%, SNLD 3.0%, other 7.5%, military 25%; seats by party - NLD 258, USDP 26, SNLD 13, ANP 4, PNO 3, TNP 3, MUP 2, KSPD 2, other 4, canceled due to insurgency 15, military appointees 110 |
Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme People's Court (consists of over 340 judges, including the chief justice and 13 grand justices organized into a civil committee and tribunals for civil, economic, administrative, complaint and appeal, and communication and transportation cases) judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the People's National Congress (NPC); limited to 2 consecutive 5-year-terms; other justices and judges nominated by the chief justice and appointed by the Standing Committee of the NPC; term of other justices and judges determined by the NPC subordinate courts: Higher People's Courts; Intermediate People's Courts; District and County People's Courts; Autonomous Region People's Courts; International Commercial Courts; Special People's Courts for military, maritime, transportation, and forestry issues note: in late 2014, China unveiled a multi-year judicial reform program; progress continued in 2018 | highest courts: Supreme Court of the Union (consists of the chief justice and 7-11 judges) judge selection and term of office: chief justice and judges nominated by the president, with approval of the Lower House, and appointed by the president; judges normally serve until mandatory retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: High Courts of the Region; High Courts of the State; Court of the Self-Administered Division; Court of the Self-Administered Zone; district and township courts; special courts (for juvenile, municipal, and traffic offenses); courts martial |
Political parties and leaders | Chinese Communist Party or CCP [XI Jinping] note: China has 8 nominally independent small parties controlled by the CCP | All Mon Region Democracy Party or AMRDP Arakan National Party or ANP (formed from the 2013 merger of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party and the Arakan League for Democracy) National Democratic Force or NDF [KHIN MAUNG SWE] National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SAN SUU KYI] Kayah State Democratic Party or KySDP National Unity Party or NUP [THAN TIN] Pa-O National Organization or PNO [AUNG KHAM HTI] People's Party [KO KO GYI] Shan Nationalities Democratic Party or SNDP [SAI AIK PAUNG] Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [KHUN HTUN OO] Ta'ang National Party or TNP [AIK MONE] Union Solidarity and Development Party or USDP [THAN HTAY] Zomi Congress for Democracy or ZCD [PU CIN SIAN THANG] numerous smaller parties |
International organization participation | ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BRICS, CDB, CICA, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24 (observer), G-5, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC | ADB, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), NAM, OPCW (signatory), SAARC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador QIN Gangas (since 29 July 2021) chancery: 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 495-2266 FAX: [1] (202) 495-2138 email address and website: chinaemppress_us@mfa.gov.cn http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/ consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco; note - the US ordered closure of the Houston consulate in late July 2020 | chief of mission: Ambassador AUNG LYNN (since 16 September 2016) chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344; [1] (202) 332-4250 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351 email address and website: pyi.thayar@verizon.net; washington-embassy@mofa.gov.mm http://www.mewashingtondc.com/wordpress/ consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires David MEALE (since July 2021) embassy: 55 An Jia Lou Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100600 mailing address: 7300 Beijing Place, Washington DC 20521-7300 telephone: [86] (10) 8531-3000 FAX: [86] (10) 8531-4200 email address and website: BeijingACS@state.gov https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/ consulate(s) general: Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan; note - the Chinese Government ordered closure of the US consulate in Chengdu in late July 2020 | chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas J. VAJDA (since 19 January 2021) embassy: 110 University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Rangoon mailing address: 4250 Rangoon Place, Washington DC 20521-4250 telephone: [95] (1) 753-6509 FAX: [95] (1) 751-1069 email address and website: ACSRangoon@state.gov https://mm.usembassy.gov/ |
Flag description | red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner; the color red represents revolution, while the stars symbolize the four social classes - the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie (capitalists) - united under the Communist Party of China | design consists of three equal horizontal stripes of yellow (top), green, and red; centered on the green band is a large white five-pointed star that partially overlaps onto the adjacent colored stripes; the design revives the triband colors used by Burma from 1943-45, during the Japanese occupation |
National anthem | name: "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers) lyrics/music: TIAN Han/NIE Er note: adopted 1949; the anthem, though banned during the Cultural Revolution, is more commonly known as "Zhongguo Guoge" (Chinese National Song); it was originally the theme song to the 1935 Chinese movie, "Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm" | name: "Kaba Ma Kyei" (Till the End of the World, Myanmar) lyrics/music: SAYA TIN note: adopted 1948; Burma is among a handful of non-European nations that have anthems rooted in indigenous traditions; the beginning portion of the anthem is a traditional Burmese anthem before transitioning into a Western-style orchestrated work |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
National symbol(s) | dragon, giant panda; national colors: red, yellow | chinthe (mythical lion); national colors: yellow, green, red, white |
Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: least one parent must be a citizen of China dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: while naturalization is theoretically possible, in practical terms it is extremely difficult; residency is required but not specified | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Burma dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: none note: an applicant for naturalization must be the child or spouse of a citizen |
Economy
China | Burma | |
---|---|---|
Economy - overview | Since the late 1970s, China has moved from a closed, centrally planned system to a more market-oriented one that plays a major global role. China has implemented reforms in a gradualist fashion, resulting in efficiency gains that have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978. Reforms began with the phaseout of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, growth of the private sector, development of stock markets and a modern banking system, and opening to foreign trade and investment. China continues to pursue an industrial policy, state support of key sectors, and a restrictive investment regime. From 2013 to 2017, China had one of the fastest growing economies in the world, averaging slightly more than 7% real growth per year. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis that adjusts for price differences, China in 2017 stood as the largest economy in the world, surpassing the US in 2014 for the first time in modern history. China became the world's largest exporter in 2010, and the largest trading nation in 2013. Still, China's per capita income is below the world average. In July 2005 moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. From mid-2005 to late 2008, the renminbi (RMB) appreciated more than 20% against the US dollar, but the exchange rate remained virtually pegged to the dollar from the onset of the global financial crisis until June 2010, when Beijing announced it would resume a gradual appreciation. From 2013 until early 2015, the renminbi held steady against the dollar, but it depreciated 13% from mid-2015 until end-2016 amid strong capital outflows; in 2017 the RMB resumed appreciating against the dollar - roughly 7% from end-of-2016 to end-of-2017. In 2015, the People's Bank of China announced it would continue to carefully push for full convertibility of the renminbi, after the currency was accepted as part of the IMF's special drawing rights basket. However, since late 2015 the Chinese Government has strengthened capital controls and oversight of overseas investments to better manage the exchange rate and maintain financial stability. The Chinese Government faces numerous economic challenges including: (a) reducing its high domestic savings rate and correspondingly low domestic household consumption; (b) managing its high corporate debt burden to maintain financial stability; (c) controlling off-balance sheet local government debt used to finance infrastructure stimulus; (d) facilitating higher-wage job opportunities for the aspiring middle class, including rural migrants and college graduates, while maintaining competitiveness; (e) dampening speculative investment in the real estate sector without sharply slowing the economy; (f) reducing industrial overcapacity; and (g) raising productivity growth rates through the more efficient allocation of capital and state-support for innovation. Economic development has progressed further in coastal provinces than in the interior, and by 2016 more than 169.3 million migrant workers and their dependents had relocated to urban areas to find work. One consequence of China's population control policy known as the "one-child policy" - which was relaxed in 2016 to permit all families to have two children - is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the North - is another long-term problem. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and urbanization. The Chinese Government is seeking to add energy production capacity from sources other than coal and oil, focusing on natural gas, nuclear, and clean energy development. In 2016, China ratified the Paris Agreement, a multilateral agreement to combat climate change, and committed to peak its carbon dioxide emissions between 2025 and 2030. The government's 13th Five-Year Plan, unveiled in March 2016, emphasizes the need to increase innovation and boost domestic consumption to make the economy less dependent on government investment, exports, and heavy industry. However, China has made more progress on subsidizing innovation than rebalancing the economy. Beijing has committed to giving the market a more decisive role in allocating resources, but the Chinese Government's policies continue to favor state-owned enterprises and emphasize stability. Chinese leaders in 2010 pledged to double China's GDP by 2020, and the 13th Five Year Plan includes annual economic growth targets of at least 6.5% through 2020 to achieve that goal. In recent years, China has renewed its support for state-owned enterprises in sectors considered important to "economic security," explicitly looking to foster globally competitive industries. Chinese leaders also have undermined some market-oriented reforms by reaffirming the "dominant" role of the state in the economy, a stance that threatens to discourage private initiative and make the economy less efficient over time. The slight acceleration in economic growth in 2017-the first such uptick since 2010-gives Beijing more latitude to pursue its economic reforms, focusing on financial sector deleveraging and its Supply-Side Structural Reform agenda, first announced in late 2015. | Since Burma began the transition to a civilian-led government in 2011, the country initiated economic reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment and reintegrating into the global economy. Burma established a managed float of the Burmese kyat in 2012, granted the Central Bank operational independence in July 2013, enacted a new anti-corruption law in September 2013, and granted licenses to 13 foreign banks in 2014-16. State Counsellor AUNG SAN SUU KYI and the ruling National League for Democracy, who took power in March 2016, have sought to improve Burma's investment climate following the US sanctions lift in October 2016 and reinstatement of Generalized System of Preferences trade benefits in November 2016. In October 2016, Burma passed a foreign investment law that consolidates investment regulations and eases rules on foreign ownership of businesses. Burma's economic growth rate recovered from a low growth under 6% in 2011 but has been volatile between 6% and 8% between 2014 and 2018. Burma's abundant natural resources and young labor force have the potential to attract foreign investment in the energy, garment, information technology, and food and beverage sectors. The government is focusing on accelerating agricultural productivity and land reforms, modernizing and opening the financial sector, and developing transportation and electricity infrastructure. The government has also taken steps to improve transparency in the mining and oil sectors through publication of reports under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2016 and 2018. Despite these improvements, living standards have not improved for the majority of the people residing in rural areas. Burma remains one of the poorest countries in Asia - approximately 26% of the country's 51 million people live in poverty. The isolationist policies and economic mismanagement of previous governments have left Burma with poor infrastructure, endemic corruption, underdeveloped human resources, and inadequate access to capital, which will require a major commitment to reverse. The Burmese Government has been slow to address impediments to economic development such as unclear land rights, a restrictive trade licensing system, an opaque revenue collection system, and an antiquated banking system. |
GDP (purchasing power parity) | $22,526,502,000,000 (2019 est.) $21,229,363,000,000 (2018 est.) $19,887,033,000,000 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars | $277.909 billion (2019 est.) $270.109 billion (2018 est.) $253.028 billion (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars |
GDP - real growth rate | 6.14% (2019 est.) 6.75% (2018 est.) 6.92% (2017 est.) | 6.8% (2017 est.) 5.9% (2016 est.) 7% (2015 est.) |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | $16,117 (2019 est.) $15,243 (2018 est.) $14,344 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars | $5,142 (2019 est.) $5,029 (2018 est.) $4,740 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 7.9% (2017 est.) industry: 40.5% (2017 est.) services: 51.6% (2017 est.) | agriculture: 24.1% (2017 est.) industry: 35.6% (2017 est.) services: 40.3% (2017 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 0.6% (2019 est.) | 24.8% (2017 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 31.4% (2012) note: data are for urban households only | lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.8% (2019 est.) 2% (2018 est.) 1.5% (2017 est.) | 8.8% (2019 est.) 6.8% (2018 est.) 4.6% (2017 est.) |
Labor force | 774.71 million (2019 est.) note: by the end of 2012, China's working age population (15-64 years) was 1.004 billion | 22.3 million (2017 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 27.7% industry: 28.8% services: 43.5% (2016 est.) | agriculture: 70% industry: 7% services: 23% (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3.64% (2019 est.) 3.84% (2018 est.) note: data are for registered urban unemployment, which excludes private enterprises and migrants | 4% (2017 est.) 4% (2016 est.) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index | 38.5 (2016 est.) 46.2 (2015 est.) | 30.7 (2017 est.) |
Budget | revenues: 2.553 trillion (2017 est.) expenditures: 3.008 trillion (2017 est.) | revenues: 9.108 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 11.23 billion (2017 est.) |
Industries | world leader in gross value of industrial output; mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizer; consumer products (including footwear, toys, and electronics); food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, railcars and locomotives, ships, aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites | agricultural processing; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; cement, construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; oil and natural gas; garments; jade and gems |
Industrial production growth rate | 6.1% (2017 est.) | 8.9% (2017 est.) |
Agriculture - products | maize, rice, vegetables, wheat, sugar cane, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons, sweet potatoes | rice, sugar cane, beans, vegetables, milk, maize, poultry, groundnuts, fruit, plantains |
Exports | $2.49 trillion (2018) $2.216 trillion (2017 est.) $1.99 trillion (2016 est.) | $16.267 billion (2018 est.) $14.611 billion (2017 est.) note: official export figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of timber, gems, narcotics, rice, and other products smuggled to Thailand, China, and Bangladesh |
Exports - commodities | broadcasting equipment, computers, integrated circuits, office machinery and parts, telephones (2019) | natural gas, clothing products, rice, copper, dried legumes (2019) |
Exports - partners | United States 17%, Hong Kong 10%, Japan 6% (2019) | China 24%, Thailand 24%, Japan 7%, Germany 5% (2019) |
Imports | $2.14 trillion (2018) $1.74 trillion (2017 est.) $1.501 trillion (2016 est.) | $14.958 billion (2018 est.) $16.21 billion (2017 est.) note: import figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of consumer goods, diesel fuel, and other products smuggled in from Thailand, China, Malaysia, and India |
Imports - commodities | crude petroleum, integrated circuits, iron, natural gas, cars, gold (2019) | refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, fabrics, motorcycles, packaged medicines (2019) |
Imports - partners | South Korea 9%, Japan 8%, Australia 7%, Germany 7%, US 7%, Taiwan 6% (2019) | China 43%, Thailand 15%, Singapore 12%, Indonesia 5% (2019) |
Debt - external | $2,027,950,000,000 (2019 est.) $1,935,206,000,000 (2018 est.) | $6.594 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $8.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.) |
Exchange rates | Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 6.5374 (2020 est.) 7.0403 (2019 est.) 6.8798 (2018 est.) 6.1434 (2014 est.) 6.1958 (2013 est.) | kyats (MMK) per US dollar - 1,361.9 (2017 est.) 1,234.87 (2016 est.) 1,234.87 (2015 est.) 1,162.62 (2014 est.) 984.35 (2013 est.) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Public debt | 47% of GDP (2017 est.) 44.2% of GDP (2016 est.) note: official data; data cover both central and local government debt, including debt officially recognized by China's National Audit Office report in 2011; data exclude policy bank bonds, Ministry of Railway debt, and China Asset Management Company debt | 33.6% of GDP (2017 est.) 35.7% of GDP (2016 est.) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | $3.236 trillion (31 December 2017 est.) $3.098 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) | $4.924 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $4.63 billion (31 December 2016 est.) |
Current Account Balance | $141.335 billion (2019 est.) $25.499 billion (2018 est.) | $240 million (2019 est.) -$2.398 billion (2018 est.) |
GDP (official exchange rate) | $14,327,359,000,000 (2019 est.) note: because China's exchange rate is determined by fiat rather than by market forces, the official exchange rate measure of GDP is not an accurate measure of China's output; GDP at the official exchange rate substantially understates the actual level of China's output vis-a-vis the rest of the world; in China's situation, GDP at purchasing power parity provides the best measure for comparing output across countries | $76.606 billion (2019 est.) |
Ease of Doing Business Index scores | Overall score: 77.9 (2020) Starting a Business score: 94.1 (2020) Trading score: 86.5 (2020) Enforcement score: 80.9 (2020) | Overall score: 46.8 (2020) Starting a Business score: 89.3 (2020) Trading score: 47.7 (2020) Enforcement score: 26.4 (2020) |
Taxes and other revenues | 21.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.) | 13.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.) |
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -3.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.) | -3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.) |
GDP - composition, by end use | household consumption: 39.1% (2017 est.) government consumption: 14.5% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 42.7% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 1.7% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 20.4% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -18.4% (2017 est.) | household consumption: 59.2% (2017 est.) government consumption: 13.8% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 33.5% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 1.5% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 21.4% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -28.6% (2017 est.) |
Gross national saving | 44.2% of GDP (2019 est.) 44.4% of GDP (2018 est.) 45% of GDP (2017 est.) | 29.4% of GDP (2018 est.) 26.2% of GDP (2017 est.) 17.6% of GDP (2016 est.) |
Energy
China | Burma | |
---|---|---|
Electricity - production | 5.883 trillion kWh (2016 est.) | 17.32 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - consumption | 5.564 trillion kWh (2016 est.) | 14.93 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - exports | 18.91 billion kWh (2016 est.) | 0 kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - imports | 6.185 billion kWh (2016 est.) | 0 kWh (2016 est.) |
Oil - production | 3.773 million bbl/day (2018 est.) | 11,000 bbl/day (2018 est.) |
Oil - imports | 6.71 million bbl/day (2015 est.) | 0 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
Oil - exports | 57,310 bbl/day (2015 est.) | 1,824 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
Oil - proved reserves | 25.63 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.) | 139 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves | 5.44 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.) | 637.1 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.) |
Natural gas - production | 145.9 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 18.41 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption | 238.6 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 4.502 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - exports | 3.37 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 14.07 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - imports | 97.63 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 0 cu m (2017 est.) |
Electricity - installed generating capacity | 1.653 billion kW (2016 est.) | 5.205 million kW (2016 est.) |
Electricity - from fossil fuels | 62% of total installed capacity (2016 est.) | 39% of total installed capacity (2016 est.) |
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 18% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 61% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Electricity - from nuclear fuels | 2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Electricity - from other renewable sources | 18% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - production | 11.51 million bbl/day (2015 est.) | 13,330 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - consumption | 12.47 million bbl/day (2016 est.) | 123,000 bbl/day (2016 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - exports | 848,400 bbl/day (2015 est.) | 0 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - imports | 1.16 million bbl/day (2015 est.) | 102,600 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
Electricity access | electrification - total population: 100% (2020) | electrification - total population: 51% (2019) electrification - urban areas: 76% (2019) electrification - rural areas: 39% (2019) |
Telecommunications
China | Burma | |
---|---|---|
Telephones - main lines in use | total subscriptions: 191.033 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13.75 (2019 est.) | total subscriptions: 544,283 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2019 est.) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | total subscriptions: 1,746,238,000 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 125.66 (2019 est.) | total subscriptions: 63,877,526 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 113.84 (2019 est.) |
Internet country code | .cn | .mm |
Internet users | total: 751,886,119 percent of population: 54.3% (July 2018 est.) | total: 17,064,985 percent of population: 30.68% (July 2018 est.) |
Telecommunication systems | general assessment: China has the largest Internet market in the world with almost all subscribers accessing Internet through mobile devices; market is driven through government-allied investment; fast-developing data center market; government aims to provide universal and affordable broadband coverage through market competition and private investment in state-controlled enterprises; 3G and LTE subscribers will migrate to 5G aiming for 1M 5G base stations; government strengthens IoT policies to boost economic growth; China is pushing development of smart cities beyond Beijing; Beijing residents carry virtual card integrating identity, social security, health, and education documents; government controls gateways to global Internet through censorship, surveillance, and shut-downs; major exporter of broadcasting equipment world-wide (2021) (2020) domestic: 13 per 100 fixed line and 120 per 100 mobile-cellular; a domestic satellite system with several earth stations has been in place since 2018 (2019) international: country code - 86; landing points for the RJCN, EAC-C2C, TPE, APCN-2, APG, NCP, TEA, SeaMeWe-3, SJC2, Taiwan Strait Express-1, AAE-1, APCN-2, AAG, FEA, FLAG and TSE submarine cables providing connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat - Pacific and Indian Ocean regions) (2019) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments | general assessment: Burma, one of the last underdeveloped telecom markets in Asia, saw growth in mobile and broadband services through foreign competition and roll out of 4G and 5G networks; infrastructure development challenged by flooding, unreliable electricity, inefficient bureaucracy, and corruption; digital divide affects rural areas; fixed broadband remains low due to number of fixed-lines and near saturation of the mobile platform; healthy m-banking platform; tests for NB-IoT; benefit from launch of regional satellite; government utilizes intermittent censorship and shut-down of Internet in political crisis; top importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2021) (2020) domestic: fixed-line is 1 per 100, while mobile-cellular is 114 per 100 and shows great potential for the future (2019) international: country code - 95; landing points for the SeaMeWe-3, SeaMeWe-5, AAE-1 and Singapore-Myanmar optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and ShinSat (2019) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments |
Broadband - fixed subscriptions | total: 449.279 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32.33 (2019 est.) | total: 129,050 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est.) |
Broadcast media | all broadcast media are owned by, or affiliated with, the Communist Party of China or a government agency; no privately owned TV or radio stations; state-run Chinese Central TV, provincial, and municipal stations offer more than 2,000 channels; the Central Propaganda Department sends directives to all domestic media outlets to guide its reporting with the government maintaining authority to approve all programming; foreign-made TV programs must be approved prior to broadcast; increasingly, Chinese turn to online and satellite television to access Chinese and international films and television shows (2019) | government controls all domestic broadcast media; 2 state-controlled TV stations with 1 of the stations controlled by the armed forces; 2 pay-TV stations are joint state-private ventures; access to satellite TV is limited; 1 state-controlled domestic radio station and 9 FM stations that are joint state-private ventures; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available in parts of Burma; the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), BBC Burmese service, the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), and Radio Australia use shortwave to broadcast in Burma; VOA, RFA, and DVB produce daily TV news programs that are transmitted by satellite to audiences in Burma; in March 2017, the government granted licenses to 5 private broadcasters, allowing them digital free-to-air TV channels to be operated in partnership with government-owned Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) and will rely upon MRTV's transmission infrastructure (2019) |
Transportation
China | Burma | |
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Railways | total: 131,000 km 1.435-m gauge (80,000 km electrified); 102,000 traditional, 29,000 high-speed (2018) | total: 5,031 km (2008) narrow gauge: 5,031 km 1.000-m gauge (2008) |
Roadways | total: 4,960,600 km (2017) paved: 4,338,600 km (includes 136,500 km of expressways) (2017) unpaved: 622,000 km (2017) | total: 157,000 km (2013) paved: 34,700 km (2013) unpaved: 122,300 km (2013) |
Waterways | 110,000 km (navigable waterways) (2011) | 12,800 km (2011) |
Pipelines | 76000 km gas, 30400 km crude oil, 27700 km refined petroleum products, 797000 km water (2018) | 3739 km gas, 1321 km oil (2017) |
Ports and terminals | major seaport(s): Dalian, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin container port(s) (TEUs): Dalian (8,760,000), Guangzhou (23,236,200), Ningbo (27,530,000), Qingdao (21,010,000), Shanghai (43,303,000), Shenzhen (25,770,000), Tianjin (17,264,000) (2019) LNG terminal(s) (import): Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanghai, Tangshan, Zhejiang river port(s): Guangzhou (Pearl) | major seaport(s): Mawlamyine (Moulmein), Sittwe river port(s): Rangoon (Yangon) (Rangoon River) |
Merchant marine | total: 6,197 by type: bulk carrier 1,515, container ship 322, general cargo 862, oil tanker 968, other 2,530 (2020) | total: 93 by type: bulk carrier 2, general cargo 37, oil tanker 5, other 49 (2020) |
Airports | total: 507 (2013) | total: 64 (2013) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 510 (2019) over 3,047 m: 87 2,438 to 3,047 m: 187 1,524 to 2,437 m: 109 914 to 1,523 m: 43 under 914 m: 84 | total: 36 (2017) over 3,047 m: 12 (2017) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 (2017) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2017) under 914 m: 1 (2017) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 23 (2019) over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 0 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 13 | total: 28 (2013) over 3,047 m: 1 (2013) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2013) 914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2013) under 914 m: 13 (2013) |
Heliports | 39 (2019) | 11 (2013) |
National air transport system | number of registered air carriers: 56 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2,890 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 436,183,969 (2018) annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 611,439,830 mt-km (2018) | number of registered air carriers: 8 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 42 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 3,407,788 (2018) annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 4.74 million mt-km (2018) |
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix | B | XY |
Military
China | Burma | |
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Military branches | People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (PLAN, includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (PLAAF, includes airborne forces), Rocket Force (strategic missile force), and Strategic Support Force (information warfare, cyber, space forces); People's Armed Police (PAP, includes Coast Guard, Border Defense Force, Internal Security Forces); PLA Reserve Force (2021) note(s): the PAP is a paramilitary police component of China's armed forces that is under the command of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and charged with internal security, law enforcement, counterterrorism, and maritime rights protection in 2018, the Coast Guard was moved from the State Oceanic Administration to the PAP; in 2013, China merged four of its five major maritime law enforcement agencies - the China Marine Surveillance (CMS), Maritime Police, Fishery Law Enforcement (FLE), and Anti-Smuggling Police - into a unified coast guard | Burmese Defense Service (Tatmadaw): Army (Tatmadaw Kyi), Navy (Tatmadaw Yay), Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay); People's Militia; Border Guard Forces; Ministry of Home Affairs: People's Police Force (2021) note: the Burmese military controls the People's Militia, Border Guard Forces, and the Ministry of Home Affairs |
Military service age and obligation | 18-22 years of age for selective compulsory military service, with a 2-year service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 18-19 years of age for women high school graduates who meet requirements for specific military jobs (2019) | 18-35 years of age (men) and 18-27 years of age (women) for voluntary military service; no conscription (a 2010 law reintroducing conscription has not yet entered into force); 2-year service obligation; male (ages 18-45) and female (ages 18-35) professionals (including doctors, engineers, mechanics) serve up to 3 years; service terms may be stretched to 5 years in an officially declared emergency (2019) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.7% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2019) 1.9% of GDP (2018) 1.9% of GDP (2017) 1.9% of GDP (2016) | 2.7% of GDP (2019 est.) 2.9% of GDP (2018 est.) 3.2% of GDP (2017 est.) 3.7% of GDP (2016 est.) 4.1% of GDP (2015 est.) |
Military and security service personnel strengths | information varies; approximately 2 million total active duty troops (est. 1.0 - 1.1 million Ground; 250,000 Navy/Marines; 350-400,000 Air Force; 120,000 Rocket Forces; 150-175,000 Strategic Support Forces); est. 600-650,000 People's Armed Police (2020) | information varies widely; approximately 400,000 total active troops (est. 360,000 Army; 20,000 Navy; 20,000 Air Force) (2021) |
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the PLA is outfitted primarily with a wide mix of older and modern domestically-produced systems heavily influenced by technology derived from other countries; Russia is the top supplier of foreign military equipment since 2010, followed by France and Ukraine; the Chinese defense-industrial sector is large and capable of producing advanced weapons systems across all military domains; it is the world's second largest arms producer (2020) note: the PLA is in the midst of a decades-long modernization effort; in 2017, President XI set three developmental goals for the force - becoming a mechanized force with increased information and strategic capabilities by 2020, a fully modernized force by 2035, and a worldwide first-class military by mid-century | the Burmese military inventory is comprised mostly of older Chinese and Russian/Soviet-era equipment with a smaller mix of more modern acquisitions; since 2010, China and Russia are the leading suppliers of military hardware; Burma has a limited defense industry, including a growing shipbuilding capability (2020) |
Transnational Issues
China | Burma | |
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Disputes - international | China and India continue their security and foreign policy dialogue started in 2005 related to a number of boundary disputes across the 2,000 mile shared border; India does not recognize Pakistan's 1964 ceding to China of the Aksai Chin, a territory designated as part of the princely state of Kashmir by the British Survey of India in 1865; China claims most of the Indian state Arunachal Pradesh to the base of the Himalayas, but the US recognizes the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory; Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes arising from substantial cartographic discrepancies, the most contentious of which lie in Bhutan's west along China's Chumbi salient; Chinese maps show an international boundary symbol (the so-called "nine-dash line") off the coasts of the littoral states of the South China Sea, where China has interrupted Vietnamese hydrocarbon exploration; China asserts sovereignty over Scarborough Reef along with the Philippines and Taiwan, and over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Brunei; the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea eased tensions in the Spratlys, and in 2017 China and ASEAN began confidential negotiations for an updated Code of Conduct for the South China Sea designed not to settle territorial disputes but establish rules and norms in the region; this still is not the legally binding code of conduct sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratlys and in early 2018 China began deploying advanced military systems to disputed Spratly outposts; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands are also claimed by China and Taiwan; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen Rivers are in dispute with North Korea; North Korea and China seek to stem illegal migration to China by North Koreans, fleeing privation and oppression; China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with their 2004 Agreement; China and Tajikistan have begun demarcating the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002; the decade-long demarcation of the China-Vietnam land boundary was completed in 2009; citing environmental, cultural, and social concerns, China has reconsidered construction of 13 dams on the Salween River, but energy-starved Burma, with backing from Thailand, continues to consider building five hydro-electric dams downstream despite regional and international protests | over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups who have substantial numbers of kin in neighboring countries; Bangladesh struggles to accommodate 912,000 Rohingya, Burmese Muslim minority from Rakhine State, living as refugees in Cox's Bazar; Burmese border authorities are constructing a 200 km (124 mi) wire fence designed to deter illegal cross-border transit and tensions from the military build-up along border with Bangladesh in 2010; Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea; Burmese forces attempting to dig in to the largely autonomous Shan State to rout local militias tied to the drug trade, prompts local residents to periodically flee into neighboring Yunnan Province in China; fencing along the India-Burma international border at Manipur's Moreh town is in progress to check illegal drug trafficking and movement of militants; over 100,000 mostly Karen refugees and asylum seekers fleeing civil strife, political upheaval, and economic stagnation in Burma were living in remote camps in Thailand near the border as of May 2017 |
Illicit drugs | major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle region of Southeast Asia; growing domestic consumption of synthetic drugs, and heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia; source country for methamphetamine and heroin chemical precursors, despite new regulations on its large chemical industry; more people believed to be convicted and executed for drug offences than anywhere else in the world, according to NGOs | world's second largest producer of illicit opium with an estimated poppy cultivation totaling 41,000 hectares in 2017, a decrease of 25% from the last survey in 2015; Shan state is the source of 91% of Burma's poppy cultivation; lack of government will to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; Burma is one of the world's largest producers of amphetamine-type stimulants, which are trafficked throughout the region, as far afield as Australia and New Zealand |
Refugees and internally displaced persons | refugees (country of origin): 303,095 (Vietnam), undetermined (North Korea) (2019) IDPs: undetermined (2021) | IDPs: 505,000 (government offensives against armed ethnic minority groups near its borders with China and Thailand, natural disasters, forced land evictions) (2020) stateless persons: 600,000 (2020); note - Rohingya Muslims, living predominantly in Rakhine State, are Burma's main group of stateless people; the Burmese Government does not recognize the Rohingya as a "national race" and stripped them of their citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law, categorizing them as "non-nationals" or "foreign residents"; under the Rakhine State Action Plan drafted in October 2014, the Rohingya must demonstrate their family has lived in Burma for at least 60 years to qualify for a lesser naturalized citizenship and the classification of Bengali or be put in detention camps and face deportation; native-born but non-indigenous people, such as Indians, are also stateless; the Burmese Government does not grant citizenship to children born outside of the country to Burmese parents who left the country illegally or fled persecution, such as those born in Thailand; the number of stateless persons has decreased dramatically because hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since 25 August 2017 to escape violence note: estimate does not include stateless IDPs or stateless persons in IDP-like situations because they are included in estimates of IDPs (2017) |
Trafficking in persons | current situation: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in China and Chinese people abroad; Chinese men, women, and children are victims of forced labor and sex trafficking in at least 60 countries; traffickers also use China as a transit point to subject foreign individuals to trafficking in other countries throughout Asia and in international maritime industries; state-sponsored forced labor is intensifying under the government's mass detention and political indoctrination campaign against Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; well-organized criminal syndicates and local gangs subject Chinese women and girls to sex trafficking within China; women and girls from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and several countries in Africa experience forced labor in domestic service, forced concubinism leading to forced childbearing, and sex trafficking via forced and fraudulent marriage to Chinese men; African and Asian men reportedly experience conditions indicative of forced labor aboard Chinese-flagged fishing vessels; many North Korean refugees and asylum-seekers living in China illegally are particularly vulnerable to trafficking tier rating: Tier 3 - China does not fully meet the minimum standards for elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government prosecuted and convicted some traffickers and continued to cooperate with international authorities to address forced and fraudulent marriages in China; however, there was a government policy or pattern of widespread forced labor, including the continued mass arbitrary detention of more than one million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, ethnic Kyrgyz, and other Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; the government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of law enforcement officials allegedly complicit despite continued reports of officials benefiting from, permitting, or directly facilitating sex trafficking; authorities did not report identifying any trafficking victims or referring them to protective services; it is likely that law enforcement arrested and detained unidentified trafficking victims for crimes traffickers compelled them to commit; for the third consecutive year, the government did not report the extent to which it funded anti-trafficking activities in furtherance of the 2013-2020 National Action Plan on Combating Human Trafficking (2020) | current situation: human traffickers exploit men, women, and children through forced labor, and women and children in sex trafficking in Burma and abroad; Burmese men are forced to work domestically and abroad in fishing, manufacturing, forestry, agriculture, and construction; fishermen are lured into forced labor in remote waters and offshore by recruitment agencies in Burma and Southeast Asia; Burmese women increasingly are lured to China for marriage under false pretenses and are subjected to sex trafficking, forced concubinage and childbearing, and forced domestic labor; men, women, and children in ethnic minority areas are at increased risk of sex trafficking and forced labor in farming, manufacturing, and construction; men and boys are recruited locally by traffickers for forced labor in oil palm, banana, and rubber plantations, in mining, fishing, and bamboo, teak, rice, and sugarcane harvesting; some military personnel, civilian brokers, border guard officials, and ethnic armed groups continue to recruit child soldiers, particularly in conflict areas tier rating: Tier 3 - Burma does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; authorities increased the investigation and prosecution of trafficking crimes, including those involving officials, and the investigation of forced labor in the fishing sector; the government identified and referred more victims to care and enacted legislation enhancing protections for child victims; however, a policy or pattern of forced labor existed; the use of children in labor and support roles by the military increased in conflict zones in Rakhine and Shan States; displacement resulting from military conflict made Rohingya and other ethnic groups vulnerable to human trafficking; the constitutionally guaranteed power of the military continued to limit the government's ability to address forced adult labor and child soldier recruitment; although authorities allocated increased funding to victim protection, most services to trafficking victims were provided by NGOs and foreign donors (2020) |
Environment
China | Burma | |
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Air pollutants | particulate matter emissions: 49.16 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 9,893.04 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 1,490.24 megatons (2020 est.) | particulate matter emissions: 34.69 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 25.28 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 42.2 megatons (2020 est.) |
Total water withdrawal | municipal: 79.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 133.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 385.2 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | municipal: 3.323 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 498.4 million cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 29.57 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
Revenue from forest resources | forest revenues: 0.08% of GDP (2018 est.) | forest revenues: 1.69% of GDP (2018 est.) |
Revenue from coal | coal revenues: 0.57% of GDP (2018 est.) | coal revenues: 0.01% of GDP (2018 est.) |
Waste and recycling | municipal solid waste generated annually: 210 million tons (2015 est.) | municipal solid waste generated annually: 4,677,307 tons (2000 est.) |
Source: CIA Factbook