Cover by Benjamin Hurd
This site, run by the China Internet Information Center, collects information regarding China's Tenth Five-Year Plan, drafted in October 2000 and finalized in March 2001. Documents include translations of the official communique, Premier Zhu Rongji's explanation, and official articles from the Chinese government and press.
www.edu.cn/english
The China Education and Research Network (CERNET), set up under the Ministry of Education and operated by Qinghua and other leading PRC universities, is an academic network that links Chinese educational and research organizations and provides comprehensive information about China's educational system and resources. CERNET features free archives of news stories, research projects, website links, and statistics, among other resources.
http://china.scmp.com/resources/ZZZCJ6MXUFC.html
This recently expanded South China Morning Post (SCMP) page offers a daily index of article summaries from the Chinese press. SCMP articles on social, political, and economic issues in the PRC are also available in the site's China section.
www.chinaquota.com
This business-to-business website includes information on PRC export quotas, including prices, year-to-date clearance volume, and a visa query service. The site is divided into four categories--chemicals, garments, minerals, and crops--and visitors can view trading requests posted by other parties. Membership and all services are free of charge.
www.imf.org/external/country/CHN/index.htm
The International Monetary Fund's China page features China's transaction history with the IMF, including disbursements, repayments, and current financial statistics. Also available are the latest IMF press releases and surveys related to China.
www.ita.doc.gov/td/infrastructure
The website for the Infrastructure Division of the US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration tracks large-scale infrastructure projects around the world and is primarily intended for American companies interested in overseas business opportunities. The site offers, for no charge, statistics and an extensive infrastructure-project database organized by country and industry. The database, which includes more than 100 China projects, lists project descriptions, relevant dates, and government contact information.
www.voanews.com
The recently renovated Voice of America (VOA) website offers current news stories, organized by region and subject, as well as live webcasts of original radio and television news and entertainment programming. The VOA China Branch section of the site offers English lessons, a limited archive of past articles, and streaming Mandarin and Cantonese programming--some of which features callers from China. Visitors may access all areas of the site free of charge.
Sites in Chinese
www.peopledaily.com.cn/GB/channel3/topic216/
This People's Daily page collects articles about China's World Trade Organization (WTO) entry from Chinese publications. Included are analyses of how individual sectors will fare after China's WTO entry, as well as general commentary on China's preparedness and other concerns.
www.chinarural.org
China Rural Villager Self-Governance Information Net provides news and information about self-governance in China's rural areas, including villager elections. This site also features government regulations sorted by province, news reports, and several online journals that discuss rural life, work, and government.
- Drake Weisert