Training
Before 1949, the vast majority of China's population was
illiterate. Since then, the Chinese Communist Party has
given high priority to education, although disagreements
have occasionally existed within the party on the function
and content of education. "Rather red than expert!" was a
slogan during the Cultural Revolution. During other periods,
slogans with the opposite meaning existed. During the
Cultural Revolution, the entire education system was
attacked, and higher education was largely abolished. The
ideological features of education were reduced during the
1980s, when the importance of professional knowledge and
research for China's modernization was emphasized.
Compulsory schooling was extended, and government spending
on education increased. School fees remained at all stages,
and school books must be purchased by the students. Today,
99% of all children attend primary school.
 The compulsory school is generally six years old and
compulsory. In the most remote regions there is a five-year
primary school. In 1986, the National People's Congress
passed a law on 9-year compulsory schooling, which would
have been implemented throughout the country at the turn of
the century. It was a very comprehensive and
resource-intensive reform that had to be implemented step by
step, and in 2003 the goal was moved to 2008. Prior to
compulsory school is a three-year preschool, which is
largely implemented in the cities. There, play, sports and
music play an important role, as does social training, which
is considered to be especially important for children
without siblings. During the first six years of compulsory
school, students study Chinese, mathematics, science
subjects, geography, history, music and art/image. Of the
students, 98% go on to the three-year high school, and of
those, two-thirds then go on to high school after the
entrance exam. Politics and foreign languages are also
studied at these levels. Of the upper secondary schools,
close to a tenth are specialized in engineering or medicine,
agriculture, business administration or law. A state degree
is required to continue at universities and colleges. There
is extremely fierce competition for the best universities,
which are considered to be Beida and Qinghua in Beijing, as well as
Fudan and Shanghai Jia Tong in Shanghai. In the last decade,
the number of higher education institutions has increased
significantly, and they have gained greater autonomy. For
the university degree, certain compulsory courses are
required, for example in politics/ideology and English. In
the last decade, the number of higher education institutions
has increased significantly, and they have gained greater
autonomy. For the university degree, certain compulsory
courses are required, for example in politics/ideology and
English. In the last decade, the number of higher education
institutions has increased significantly, and they have
gained greater autonomy. For the university degree, certain
compulsory courses are required, for example in politics/
ideology and English. See TOPSCHOOLSINTHEUSA for TOEFL, ACT, SAT testing locations and high school codes in China.
In 1990, 182 million Chinese were illiterate, in 2003
only 85 million. The UN then estimated that nine out of ten
Chinese people over the age of 15 were literate. It is a
very high proportion of being in a developing country.
However, there are major regional differences, and in poor,
sparsely populated rural areas, literacy is still low.
There, it has not been uncommon for parents to be unable to
pay school fees, which is why younger adults can also be
illiterate. In 2006, the state announced that school fees
for elementary school would be removed for 150 million rural
students. It can be seen as a form of financial support for
poor peasant households. In most cities, school fees are
very high for children of migrant workers.
2018 Trade War with the United States
In 2018, US President Trump launched a trade war
targeting the EU, Australia and China. Initially in the form
of special duties on aluminum and steel. However, the war
from the middle of the year focused on China, which was also
the country with the largest trade deficit in the US. China
sued the United States for the WTO and responded
proportionately each time to US protectionist obstacles.
Although China was immediately hit hardest, China's economy
was far better padded to handle the war than the United
States. The United States has for decades financed its
government deficit by selling government bonds to China. At
the same time, the US war against its allies had the
consequence of being thrown into the arms of China. In
October, for example, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
raised to China to discuss trade and economic cooperation.
The relationship between the two East Asian heavyweights has
historically been heavily burdened by the heinous Japanese
war crimes in China in the 1930s and 40s. As a result, Abe
had 500 business executives to discuss close economic
cooperation with China. ("New trajectory":, Guardian
24/10 2018)
October was the first full month in which US sanctions
followed through with China. The consequence was that the
so-called purchasing manager index fell to 50.2 in October.
The lowest since July 2016. In September it was 50.8. The
index is such that when it reaches below 50, there is
negative growth in the economy. The state responded by
partly pumping liquidity into the economy, "keeping the
wheels rolling" by stimulating Chinese consumption, and
gradually lowering the value of the Chinese currency Yuan.
With 6.96 Yuan per dollar approached the magical limit of 7.
The weaker Chinese currency to some extent offset the US
trade war by making Chinese goods cheaper in the rest of the
world. The Chinese central bank is exceptionally strong and
can continue this policy for years - unlike the US. But all
things being equal, it obviously goes beyond Chinese growth.
The trade war is not free, but neither is it for the United
States. And not for the rest of the world either. A slowdown
in China's economy will hit both industrialized countries
such as Germany and Japan hard as exports to China decline,
but also hit commodity-producing countries. In January 2019,
the United States escalated the security policy war by
promising financial and military assistance to Taiwan. The
purpose was to put additional pressure on China and jump on
the new superpower's tender toe - the relationship with
Taiwan. (but also affects the commodity producing countries.
In January 2019, the United States escalated the security
policy war by promising financial and military assistance to
Taiwan. The purpose was to put additional pressure on China
and jump on the new superpower's tender toe - the
relationship with Taiwan. (but also affects the commodity
producing countries. In January 2019, the United States
escalated the security policy war by promising financial and
military assistance to Taiwan. The purpose was to put
additional pressure on China and jump on the new
superpower's tender toe - the relationship with Taiwan.
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