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7.9-magnitude earthquake in southwestern China on Monday May 12, 2008

On Monday, May 12, at 2.28 p.m. Beijing time, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Sichuan province in southwestern China, killing thousands of people. The American Red Cross is working with its partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the Red Cross Society of China, and other partners to assist those affected by this disaster.

For those who are looking to contribute to current aid efforts, please learn how to donate by using the link below:

http://www.redcross.org/news/in/profiles/Intl_profile_ChinaEarthquake.html

Source: The American National Red Cross

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The People's Republic of China commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the third or fourth largest country in the world. China has a population in excess of 1.3 billion citizens. Its economy is often referred to as the fastest growing economy in the world. The Chinese population of over 1.3 billion, is roughly one-fifth of the world's total population, it is the most populous country in the world. The civilization is one of the world's oldest, consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia. Its capital is Beijing.

Since 1980, China's GDP has grown nearly 8 percent per year, outperforming any other country at any time in history for such a sustained period of time.

China gained acceptance to the World Trade Organization December 11, 2001.

Due to its vast population and rapidly growing economy, China is often considered as an emerging superpower. It has the world's fourth largest economy and second largest purchasing power parity.

China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

China plays a major role in international trade. The country is the world's largest consumer of steel and concrete, using, respectively, a third and over a half of the world's supply of each. It is also the world's second largest importer of petroleum. Counting all products, China is the third largest importer and the second largest exporter in the world.

China, one of the four oldest civilizations in the world, has a written history of 4,000 years and boasts rich cultural relics and historical sites. It is the inventor of compass, paper-making, gunpowder and printing. The Great Wall, Grand Canal and Karez irrigation system are three great ancient engineering projects built 2,000 years ago. Now they are the symbols of the rich culture of the Chinese nation. China has gone over a long history of primitive society, slavery society, feudal society and semi-feudal semi-colonial society and the present socialist society.

Chinese civilization is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. It has the world's longest continuously used written language system, and the source of the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China: paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing.

The stalemate of the last Chinese Civil War has resulted in two political states using the name China: the People's Republic of China (PRC), commonly known as China, which controls mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau; and the Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, which controls the island of Taiwan and its surrounding islands.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has led the PRC under a single-party system since the state's establishment in 1949. The PRC is involved in a long-running dispute over the political status of Taiwan. The CPC's rival during the Chinese Civil War, the Kuomintang (KMT), retreated to Taiwan and surrounding islands after its civil war defeat in 1949, claiming legitimacy over China, Mongolia, and Tuva while it was the ruling power of the Republic of China (ROC). The term "Mainland China" is often used to denote the areas under PRC rule, but sometimes excludes its two Special Administrative Regions: Hong Kong and Macau.