☰ Contents · World history

The People’s Republic of China

Lessons 16 · 1 lessons · Sh. Ergashev, B. Xodjayev, J. Abdullayev. World History (1991–2017): textbook for Grade 11 of secondary schools and for students of secondary specialised and vocational institutions. 1st edition. “Turon-Iqbol”, Tashkent, 2018
16

The People’s Republic of China, 1991–2017

Textbook: pp. 72–76
GoalExplain the political and economic development of the People’s Republic of China after 1991 and its place in the world.
New words
“reform and opening up”, the policy begun in 1978 · «islohotlar va ochiqlik»“one country, two systems”, the model for Hong Kong and Macau · «bir mamlakat – ikki tizim»World Trade Organization (WTO) · Jahon savdo tashkiloti (JST)the Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013 · «Bir kamar – bir yo‘l»
Explanation

In China power stayed with the Communist Party, while in the economy the “reform and opening up” policy begun by Deng Xiaoping in 1978 continued. In 1992 Deng toured the industrial south and urged faster market reforms. China took back Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in 1999 under the principle “one country, two systems”, and joined the WTO in 2001. Production and exports rose sharply, and in 2010 the country became the world’s second-largest economy by GDP. Xi Jinping has led the party since 2012; the Belt and Road Initiative was announced in 2013, and the one-child policy ended in 2015. On Taiwan, Beijing regards the island as part of China, while Taiwan has been governed separately by its own authorities since 1949 and they do not accept rule from Beijing; most states, including Uzbekistan, have diplomatic relations only with Beijing. On Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea the views of Beijing and of other parties also differ.

Worked examples
Chinese manufacturing: thanks to cheap labour, foreign investment and exports China became the “world’s factory”, and a large part of the rural population moved to cities.
Hong Kong: a British colony until 1997; after that it kept its own legal system as a special administrative region. After the protests of 2019 a national security law was adopted in 2020; critics say it limits autonomy, while Beijing says it is needed for stability.
Class activity

Make a table: for 1978, 1992, 1997, 2001, 2010, 2013 and 2015 write in one sentence what happened in China, then mark which events are economic and which are political.

Practice
1
What call did Deng Xiaoping make in 1992?
2
In which years did Hong Kong and Macau return to China?
3
Which international organization did China join in 2001, and how did this affect exports?
4
Why was the one-child policy later ended? Give two reasons.