by the Central Intelligence Agency

“ Hu is Chairman of Central Committee and was elected at the party's 6th plenum in June 1981; Central Committee was formed at the 11th Party Congress, held in August 1977
Communists: about 39 million party members in 1981
Other political or pressure groups: the People's Liberation Army (PLA) remains a major force, although many military officers who acquired a wide range of civil political-administrative duties during the Cultural Revolution have been either returned to primarily military positions or removed ”

“ Land boundaries: 24,000 km
WATER Limits of territorial waters (claimed) : 12 nm
Coastline: 14,500 km
PEOPLE Population: 1,055,304,000 (July 1982) , average annual growth rate 1.3%
Nationality: noun—Chinese (sing., pl.) ; adjective—Chinese
Ethnic divisions: 94% Han Chinese; 6% Chuang, Uighur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Pu-I, Korean, and numerous lesser nationalities
Religion: most people, even before 1949, have been pragmatic and eclectic, not seriously religious; most important elements of religion are Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, ancestor worship ”