East Asian Politics page or
Comparative Politics page

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China

GOVT 201: East Asian Politics
& GOVT 122: Comparative Politics
Sweet Briar College
Instructor: Dr. Andrew Clem
For use of enrolled SBC students ONLY.

Years Leader(s)
1950- Mao Zedong
1955- Mao Zedong
1960- Mao Zedong
1965- Mao Zedong
1970- Mao Zedong
1975- ???
1980- Deng Xiao-ping
1985- Deng Xiao-ping
1990- Jiang Zemin
1995- Jiang Zemin
2000- Hu Jin-tao
2005- Hu Jin-tao

Years indicated above are approximate. For more detail, see the Foreign Leaders page, with a year-by-year chronology.

Basic facts:
Political system:One-party state
National leader:Pres. Hu Jin Tao (2005-)
Structure:Unitary
Regime founded:1981
Democracy:None
Population:1.3 billion
Per capita GDP:$7,800

Distinctive features:

  • Confucian respect for authority
  • Economic pragmatism clashes with Communist ideology.
  • Assertive foreign policy toward Taiwan, etc.
  • Uneven development: rapid high-tech growth in cities, while agriculture stagnates
China map

To see a continental-scale map, roll the mouse over the map above.
Click on it to see a key that explains the map symbols.

Political parties:

Name Chinese Communist Party
Seats*: --

NOTES: * Seats in lower house.
SOURCES: Mark Kessleman, et al., Introduction to Comparative Politics; CIA World Factbook, various newspapers.