China
Background
China, officially the People’s Republic of China, is a country in East Asia and the world’s second-most populous state after India, with more than 1.4 billion people. It covers about 9.6 million square kilometers, making it the third-largest country by area, and borders fourteen countries by land. The country is organized into 33 province-level divisions, including provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and special administrative regions, with Beijing as the capital and Shanghai as its largest city by urban area and main financial center.
China is a major political, economic, and military actor in international affairs, and since 1949 it has been governed as a unitary communist state under the Chinese Communist Party. It is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and participates in numerous multilateral and regional organizations. The country has a large and diversified economy, is the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter, and is also a major importer, giving it significant influence in global trade, supply chains, and economic policy. It also possesses the world’s largest standing army, the second-largest defense budget, and the third-largest nuclear weapons stockpile, making it central to global security calculations.
China’s long history includes early dynastic states in the Yellow River basin, the unification of the country under imperial rule in 221 BCE, and centuries of cultural and technological development. In the 19th century, it lost territory through unequal treaties with European powers, and the 1911 Revolution ended the Qing dynasty and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. After civil war and the Japanese invasion of 1937, the Chinese Communist Party proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in 1949, while the Kuomintang government retreated to Taiwan; both sides continued to claim legitimacy. Major domestic campaigns such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution were followed by reform and opening up beginning in 1978, which shifted the economy toward market mechanisms and contributed to rapid growth.
Documents
Press Release: Participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia D.E. Lubinsky in the UNODC-SCO Thematic Side Event at the 69th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Lubinsky represented Moscow at a UNODC-SCO anti-narcotics event, highlighting the new SCO Anti-Narcotics Center in Dushanbe and Russia's commitment to international drug control.
Meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State
Putin and Lukashenko held the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Moscow, signing a package of documents including directives on mutual legal protection, cross-border rail links, and a new Standardisation and Quality Committee, marking 30 years of Russian-Belarusian integration.