GDP: China’s gross domestic product in 2008 was $7.10 trillion; U.S. GDP was $14.2 trillion.
Debt: Public debt is about 16 percent of China’s GDP, while 60 percent of America’s GDP is public debt.
Population: China has more than 1.3 billion people, making it the most populous nation in the world. The United States has more than 307 million.
Workers: The Chinese labor force is 807 million, the largest in the world. The U.S. work force is 154 million, the fourth-largest in the world.
Non-workers: The unemployment rate in China is about 4 percent while the U.S. unemployment rate is more than 10 percent.
Poor: Eight percent of China’s population lives below the poverty line, compared with 12 percent in America.
In and out: China exports about $1.4 trillion a year — including electronics, clothes, iron and steel, compared with $1.3 trillion for the U.S., which exports food, industrial supplies and capital goods.
China imports about $1 trillion a year, in electrical machinery, oil and fuel, and more. The U.S. imports about $2.1 trillion a year in food, supplies, consumer goods and more.
Party all the time: China has just one political party, the Chinese Communist Party. The U.S. officially has four — Democratic, Republican, Green and Libertarian, with many others active.
Totally wired: There are 298 million Internet users in China; however, the government exerts control over access and content. The U.S. has 231 million Internet users.
Friendly skies: China has 482 airports, the U.S. has 15,095, more than any other country in the world.
What time is it? Despite its massive size, China is all within a single time zone, which is eight hours ahead of Washington during standard time. The U.S. has six time zones.
Diplomacy: China has an ambassador in Washington and consulates in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Bring a sweater: The average temperature in Beijing during Obama’s visit next week is expected to be about 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
