China is the most populous country in the world. Also known as the People’s Republic of China, is it never, ever, to be confused with the Republic of China. The latter corresponds to the island of Taiwan, which is considered an independent country by most countries. The notable exception being China, which does not recognise Taiwanese sovereignty.
The Chinese are probably one of the oldest peoples who have seen a continued existence. Their history spans millenia, with the earliest Chinese civilisations are as old as Stonehenge, Judaism, and the ancient Egyptian Dynasties. Right until the 17th and 18thcenturies, China was one of the great powers of the world. This ended following wars with the European colonial powers.
In recent decades, however, following economic reforms to the Communist regime which has been ruling China since the end of its last imperial dynasty in 1949. The result of this economic growth is the spread of that famous phrase “Made in China”. Indeed, many things seem to be made in China. Initially the country became the workshop of the world for low to middle range manufacturing products. Now, the country exports its engineering power not only to exploit natural resources in places such as Africa, or funding large scale projects such as high speed rail in Central and Eastern Europe.
The nation currently looks to soon be dethroning the United States of America as the global superpower. It is also embroiled in a number territorial disputes. They involve the countries of India, Pakistan, North Korea, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, and Brunei.