periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at
intervals. The government has struggled to (a) collect revenues due
from provinces, businesses, and individuals; (b) reduce corruption
and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned
enterprises many of which had been shielded from competition by
subsides and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and
pensions. From 80 to 120 million surplus rural workers are adrift
between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through
part-time low-paying jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central
policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's
population control program, which is essential to maintaining growth
in living standards. Another long-term threat to continued rapid
economic growth is the deterioration in the environment, notably air
pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table
especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because
of erosion and economic development. Weakness in the global economy
in 2001 could hamper growth in exports. Beijing will intensify
efforts to stimulate growth through spending on infrastructure--such
as water control and power grids--and poverty relief and through
rural tax reform aimed at eliminating arbitrary local levies on
farmers.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.5 trillion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,600 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%

industry: 50%

services: 35% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 10% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
2.4%

highest 10%: 30.4% (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.4% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 700 million (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, industry 24%, services
26% (1998)

Unemployment rate: urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial
unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments,
textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers,
footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics,
telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate: 10% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 1.173 trillion kWh (1999)

Electricity