General Information » Economy » International Relations

The country’s economic might gives it plenty of political clout in the global arena. It maintains good relations with the rest of the world in general, despite the thorny issues of Taiwan and Tibet, and frequent claims of human rights abuses by campaign groups, largely because everyone wants to be its ally for trading purposes or to win approved destination status to allow Chinese tourists to visit. China and Japan have made recent efforts to improve their relations, which continually fluctuate on issues dealing with the latter’s pre-second world war invasion of the former. China is a member of international organisations including the UN, the International Monetary Fund and Unesco, and is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. It is also a member of the G-77 coalition of developing nations, and although not a member, Chinese president Hu Jintao has addressed outreach sessions of G8 several times. China is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, a body comprising Pacific Rim countries, and an observer of the Non-Aligned Movement. It has tended to take a back seat in international affairs, but is beginning to take a more active role, particularly as peace-broker in international wrangles involving the likes of North Korea and Iran. There are nearly 50 foreign consulates in Shanghai. These are mostly located around Nanjing Road, Yan’an Road, Huihuai Road and Fuxing Road in Puxi.