Introduction

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of China's sovereignty using the methodology of the Burke Institute. Sovereignty is assessed in 7 areas: political, economic, technological, informational, cultural, cognitive and military. Each aspect is assessed on the basis of official data from international and national sources (UN, World Bank, UNESCO, IMF, ITU, FAO, SIPRI, PISA, etc.) without using politicized indexes. The maximum score in each direction is 100; the sum (up to 700) is the accumulated Sovereignty Index (Burke Index).

To adapt and adjust statistical parameters, an international expert survey was conducted for each of the seven components using a single questionnaire of 10 questions with a 10-point scale and one open-ended question.

In total, at least 100 experts from 50+ countries were interviewed for each indicator, taking into account geographical representation and specialization. When calculating and analyzing the data, equalizing coefficients were used, bringing all data to a scale of 0-10 points.

The final index value is the arithmetic mean between statistical data and expert estimates.

Below is an analysis in each area, a final summary table and the main conclusions about the peculiarities of China's sovereignty.

Political sovereignty — 90.8

China is a member of more than 60 international organizations: The UN (permanent member of the Security Council), WTO, IMF, BRICS, SCO, G20, ASEAN+3 and AIIB. The foreign policy doctrine of the 2020s is the "Global Governance Initiative" and "The World Initiative of Civilizations", announced by Xi Jinping in 2025 at the SCO summit in Tianjin.

The basic principle is the inadmissibility of interference and equality of sovereignty, with the priority of the United Nations and multilateral diplomacy. According to The Constitution According to Chinese legislation, national law takes precedence over international obligations if the latter contradict the "basic state interests."

The incorporation of treaties is possible only through the ratification of the National People's Congress (supreme legislative body). Thus, international law applies in In China, within the framework of sovereign legitimization, and the supremacy of national law is officially recognized. The party's political structure is a one-party system led by the CPC and General Secretary Xi Jinping (3rd term, 2023-2028).

According to estimates Societe Generale (2025), internal socio-economic stability supported by 5.1% GDP growth and a policy of "Common Welfare". There are no political opponents or mass protests; the level of manageability is high, and stability is rigidly consolidated. According to the assessment World Bank (WGI 2024), China has a score of 0.65 (81st percentile), which puts it in the top 20 in terms of management efficiency in the world.

The growth has been demonstrated over the past 10 years due to administrative reforms and digital supervision. By EGDI UN 2024 China ranked 35th out of 193, with an index of 0.8718 (a very high level).

Key platforms: gov.cn, Digital China, Golden Tax, 12345 Service Platform, work under the coordination of The State Committee for Informatization and Network Security. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer 2025, the internal level of trust in government China is in the top 5 of the world top – about 84 % The population trusts the national government.

Pew Research (2025): international trust in Si is lower (25% of the global average), but in In Africa and Southeast Asia, it exceeds 60 %. On its territory China does not have a single foreign military base — it is prohibited by The Constitution and The State Declaration of sovereignty over military infrastructure.

On the contrary, China has a foreign base in Djibouti (early 2017) and military posts in Pakistan (Gwadar) and Cambodia (Ream). China is a member of the International Court of Justice (the UN), but it does not allow its jurisdiction over internal issues (for example, on Taiwan and South China Sea).

Does not participate in The Rome Statute (ICC) rejects supranational justice, preferring its own arbitration mechanisms within the SCO, BRICS and WTO. China is a highly centralized unitary state. Leadership role The CPC is a constitutional principle (Article 1 Constitution of the People's Republic of China).

Division into provinces (23), autonomous regions (5), and cities of central subordination (4) — administrative, not political. The model is "central management, local execution", which ensures a rigid vertical.

Key structure Ministry of State Security (MGB, Ministry of State Security, MSS). The fields are counterintelligence, cyber operations, internal security and foreign intelligence. Control is carried out through the party's commission on political and legal affairs, and there is no parliamentary oversight.

The transparency is low: Special services do not obey The State Council, and The Political Bureau of the CPC.

Data completeness assessment: the main indicators are available from international sources, the coverage is 98%.

Economic sovereignty — 92.7

According to Trading Economics and World Economics, China's GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2025 is estimated at about 25,000-30,500 US dollars in current international dollars. China's total GDP by PPP is about 43.2 trillion US dollars. According to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange Control of China (SAFE), at the end of August 2025, foreign exchange reserves amounted to 3.322 trillion US dollars. It is one of the largest reserves in the world.

According to Trading Economics (according to the IMF), China's national debt is about 88 % GDP in 2024-2025 and it is expected to grow to 90 % by 2026. The CEIC data on the debt of the central government alone is 25.6% of GDP, but the full amount, taking into account regions and quasi-governmental obligations, corresponds to the level of the IMF.

According to the estimates of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), by 2025, the expected output of food is about 685 million tons, and grain is about 626 million tons; the level of self-sufficiency in grain remains above 95%, which corresponds to a safe border. The main vulnerability is dependence on soybean imports (up to 90%).

According to Rosneft and an analysis of the Chinese energy transition, China is approaching full energy independence, forming a sustainable balance based on its own resources and renewable energy capacities. The plan is to reduce imports and ensure self-sufficiency in 2026-2030. as part of the 15th five-year plan. China has vast reserves of coal, oil, gas, iron ore, tungsten, rare earths, gold, bauxite, phosphates, salt and other minerals. It is the world's leading producer of coal, iron, tungsten and antimuonium.

The total freshwater resources are about 2.6–2.8 trillion cubic meters. That's about 2,000 m3 per capita per year, which is below the global average, so China is considered a water-poor country. The main system is the China National Clearing Center (CNCC) under the management of the People's Bank of China.

It operates national systems:

• HVPS (High Value Payment System, RTGS for large payments)

• BEPS for small payments

• IBPS (Internet Banking Payment System) All transactions are carried out within the country and are controlled by the Central Bank.

The share of the yuan (RMB) in international settlements continues to grow: according to SWIFT and in the middle of 2025, it accounted for about 5-6% of global cross-border payments, and up to 20% in trade transactions with developing countries.

China issues through People's Bank of China (People's Bank of China, PBoC), which is the national bank and the issuing center of the yuan. He independently conducts monetary policy, sets rates, manages liquidity and issuance.

Credit policy is focused on stimulating domestic demand and controlling the debt burden through sovereign banks, and does not depend on external institutions.

Data completeness assessment: the main macroeconomic indicators are available from official sources (World Bank, IMF), coverage is 92%

Technological sovereignty — 91.6

According to official data from the State Statistics Committee of China, total R&D expenditures in 2024 amounted to 3.61 trillion yuan (about 506 billion US dollars), which is equal to 2.68% of GDP. China ranks 2nd in the world in terms of absolute R&D costs, with an increase of 8.9% year-on-year.

The Made in China 2025 program sets a goal to reach 50-80% of the share of domestic companies in the domestic high-tech market by 2025 and 70 % self-sufficiency in key components and material. The main focus is on aerospace, electronics, robotics, mechanical engineering and microelectronics.

According to the data Ministry of Education China, in 2025, the higher education enrollment rate reached 60.8%, exceeding the target of 60% for the first time under the state program for 2021-2025.

There are about 50 million students in 3,117 universities in the country.

According to CNNIC data for June 2025, China has 1.123 billion Internet users, with a penetration rate of 79.7% of the population.

More than 90 % of administrative villages are covered by the 5G network.

The country's digital ecosystem relies on major national platforms:

• WeChat (1.1 billion MAU) as a "superapp" for communication and payments,

• Taobao (970 million MAU) and Alipay (926 million MAU) in e-commerce and finance,

• Douyin, Bilibili, and Amap are the largest internal video content and services platforms.

All work in the national digital kennel, replacing their Western counterparts. Despite the high level of localization, in 2025 China is still partially dependent on imports of high-tech components, primarily chips and photographic/lithography equipment.

The MIC 2025 and BRI programs envisage reducing this dependence through R&D and industrialization within the country. The government is implementing the Digital China 2025 plan, which includes the unification of the national the creation of a single data market and the digitization of all key services.

The share of digital industries in The GDP should reach more than 10%, and the total computing power is 300 EFLOPS. By 2025 China is becoming a global biotech player thanks to large-scale government investments and the growth of domestic biotech companies that have begun to develop and patent their own medicines and biopharmaceuticals.

An independent biotechnological ecosystem is being formed, including infrastructure, research, and the domestic market. Robotics is one of the 10 strategic industries Made in China 2025, with the aim of achieving world-leading positions by 2025.

China is the world leader in the production and deployment of industrial robots, accounting for more than 40% of the global market. The government has invested over $130 billion in the semiconductor industry as part of MIC 2025.

Hua Wei and SMIC are developing their own chips and manufacturing technologies, which reduces dependence on imported foreign components; in 2025, chips at the 5-7 nm level will be produced.

Data completeness assessment: key indicators are obtained from WIPO, ITU, UNESCO, which ensures 95% coverage.

Information sovereignty — 93.2

China is part of TOP 30 according to the ITU (Global Cybersecurity Index 2024), ranking 33rd out of 194 countries and 15th in the National the NCSI index. National CERT China — CNCERT/CC, which has been operating since 2001, has branches in all 31 provinces and is responsible for incident prevention, detection, and coordination.

According to the Internet Society Pulse, there are 13 Internet exchange nodes (IXPs) operating in China in 2025 in the main cities — Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan and others.

This infrastructure supports high local routing and reliable traffic. The main media holding is China Media Group, which includes CCTV, CGTN, People's Daily, Xinhua, China Radio International. It broadcasts in Chinese throughout the country and in 40 foreign versions for an overseas audience. China's regulatory policy increases cyber resilience through the control and localization of sectors previously dominated by Western Big Tech.

After the harsh measures of the 2020s Beijing switched to a "managed integration" model in 2025: Instead of putting pressure on Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu, the government is integrating them into national technology goals. This model enhances sustainability and digital sovereignty. More than 90% of the content of the domestic digital space is created by national platforms and users through WeChat, Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu and Bilibili.

Video content is the main form of online consumption, which strengthens cultural autonomy. China is actively developing its software solutions within the framework of the "Made in China 2025" initiative: in 2025, domestic ones were developed CAD packages for microchips (for example, SiCarrier together with Huawei) and industrial localization Software and MES systems.

The domestic software market is growing by 15% per year. According to MIIT, all cities and most rural regions are covered by digital services. Integrated services (taxes, applications, payments, social services) They are presented on the Digital China national portal, which ensures almost universal accessibility.

China operates the Aliyun (AliCloud), Huawei Cloud and Tencent Cloud Cloud platforms, which store and process government data in internal data centers. They serve the national an alternative Google Cloud and AWS, providing in-country storage and state control.

Regional data centers are being built in all provinces under the supervision of CAC and MIIT. By 2025, the 5G network covers all cities and the vast majority of villages, and 100 percent coverage is planned for the border areas under the state program.

All operators (China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom) — state-owned companies, which guarantees national control over mobile infrastructure. The main legislative act is the Personal Data Protection Act (2021), based on the GDPR model. It sets out the principles of confidentiality, data localization, and government oversight of their international transfer; oversight is carried out by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

Data completeness assessment: infrastructure indicators are available from ITU, CIRA, OECD and specialized sources, coverage is 96%.

Cultural sovereignty — 95.1

According to UNESCO, in 2025 China is one of the world leaders in the number of heritage sites — 60 sites, including 41 cultural, 15 natural and 4 mixed sites. These include the Great Chinese Wall, Forbidden City, Caves Mogao, Palaces of the Dynasties Ming and Qing, China is one of the four oldest civilizations and has made a huge contribution to the global cultural heritage — writing, paper, gunpowder, silk, porcelain, hieroglyphs, philosophy (Confucius, Tao and Buddhism).

Its influence can be traced in all countries of the Eastern cultural sphere. The main state awards: China Art Award, National Literary and Art Award, Huabiao Film Awards, Golden Rooster Awards, National Cultura Award. In 2024 Each year, the China Art Award ceremony awarded gold, silver and bronze medals for outstanding works of art.

Chinese culture is distinguished by the values of family, harmony and continuity — the principles of "self-discipline, inclusive thinking, harmony of man and nature" remain the basis of national identity. The key traditions are calligraphy, tea ceremony, martial arts, Confucian rituals. 56 ethnic groups, including 55 minorities, are officially recognized in China.

The state implements programs to support ethnic and cultural traditions through education, financing folklore and museums, as well as quotas for government representation.; Autonomous regions have been created (Xinjiang, Tibet, Guangxi, Ningxia).

China has 6,833 museums, 3,350 public libraries, and over 10,000 intangible heritage sites. In 2025 alone, more than 1.1 billion museum visits were registered. The key venues of 2025 are the Beijing Culture Forum, which brought together 800 delegates from 50 countries; Shenzhen International Cultural Industries Fair, the main Asian exhibition of creative industries.

The forums promote intercultural dialogue and digital exchange of experience. In 2025, a new version of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics comes into force, expanding liability and fines to 10 million yuan and strengthening the regime for the repatriation of lost relics. China protects traditional brands and geographical indications (for example, Longjing tea, Jingdezhen porcelain).

Chinese cuisine includes eight main culinary traditions: Sichuan, Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Hunan and Fujian. Each region has unique ingredients, symbols and techniques, which makes the cuisine part of the national identity.

According to the State Statistics Committee, in 2025, more than 70 % residents regularly participate in cultural events (visiting museums, theaters, festivals). The growth of digital platforms and online broadcasts is contributing to the expansion of cultural coverage, especially in small towns.

Data completeness assessment: basic indicators are available in UNESCO and national statistics, coverage is 97%.

Cognitive sovereignty — 91.2

According to the Human Development Report 2025 (UNDP), HDI China's gdp is 0.797, which classifies the country as "highly developed" and ranks 69th in the world ranking. The Economic Development Study indicates that 90 % population China will reach the level of "very high human development" in the near future. According to the MF China and The World Bank, in 2024 Last year, the cost of education amounted to 580.9 billion yuan and about 4 % of GDP.

The share of government spending on education is stable between 3.8–4.1% of GDP, which corresponds to the level of developed countries. According to the data World Bank and World Population Review, adult literacy rate China's share in 2025 is 97 %. Female literacy is 95.2%, male literacy is 98.5 %.

China is among the top 3 in the world according to the PISA 2022 test results: mathematics 552, natural sciences 543, reading 510 points. This is the level corresponding to Singapore and Taiwan, and well above the OECD average. China ranks 2nd in the world in the development of STEM education and graduates more than 77,000 PhD specialists in the fields of science, engineering, medicine and technology every year.

The share of STEM graduates in total higher education is about 40%. In 2025 Ministry of Education China has approved 44 new joint institutes and 68 programs, including 23 with American universities. This restores international cooperation to a pre-pandemic level while maintaining State control.

China has 56 ethnic groups and dozens of actively used minority languages — Uighur, Tibetan, Zhuang, Mongolian, Miao, and others. They are supported in autonomous regions through educational and media programs, and the state is working to preserve and document threatened languages.

According to the Nature rating Index 2025, part of the advanced national institutions include more than 1,000 government agencies, scientific organizations, including The Academy of Sciences Of China, University Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai University Jiaotong Yi Peking University.

These centers hold leading positions in publications in Nature and Science. Leading domestic digital platforms in education include XuetangX, iCourse, Smart Education of China and Zhihuishu, which cover over 85% of university courses in the country. Most MOOC courses and digital resources are created internally and exported globally with the participation of the Ministry of Education.

Government initiatives like the Thousand Talents Plan, the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, Innovation 2030, and the Double First Class program receive more than 100 billion yuan in funding annually. They cover scientific staff, young researchers and innovative universities.

Data completeness assessment: education indicators are available in the UNDP, UNESCO, OECD, coverage is 97%.

Military sovereignty — 94.5

The State budget China's defense spending in 2025 amounted to 1.784 trillion yuan (≈ 249 billion US dollars), which is equivalent to about 1.5% of GDP — a level below the global average. When accounting for undisclosed items, real military expenditures are estimated at 330-450 billion US dollars.

According to the IISS and DoD (2024-2025), the total number of People's Liberation Army China (PLA) — about 2.2 million people are in active service. The composition includes Ground Forces (≈ 965,000), Navy (≈ 252,000), Air Force (≈ 403,000), Missile Forces (≈ 120,000) and Strategic Auxiliary Forces (≈ 145 thousand).

The Chinese army is in an active modernization phase.: hypersonic DF 17 missiles, Fujian-class aircraft carriers, fifth-generation J 20 fighters, and new HQ 9B air defense systems are being developed. The military doctrine is focused on "intellectualization" and real combat readiness until 2035.

Arms imports China has decreased by 64% over the past 5 years, replaced by domestic developments. Our own production covers the entire class — aircraft, engines, ships and land vehicles. The control is carried out by Bureau of Border Defense (边防局) The Central Military Council of the People 's Republic of China.

It coordinates the protection of 22,000 km of land borders and 18,000 km of coast using a three-dimensional digital surveillance system and 7,000 km of fencing. The PLA reserve includes from 510 thousand. up to 1.17 million people according to IISS estimates and The Pentagon.

Reservists are structured in five military districts and are trained in the "reserve base" format — a new training model. China is not a member of any military-political bloc. He conducts military cooperation through the SCO and regional dialogues, but all strategic decisions are made independently. White Paper "National Security in the New Era" (2025) Emphasizes full sovereignty and renunciation of allied obligations.

China is forming an integrated military industrial complex, which includes more than 1,500 enterprises, including AVIC, CASIC, CASC, NORINCO, CSIC. It is one of the four global arms exporters with a 5.9% share of the global market. A model of "civil-military fusion" has been developed to accelerate innovation.

According to the US DoD and SIPRI report for the end of 2024, China has about 600 nuclear warheads and is building up to 1,000 by 2030. The nuclear doctrine is based on "the impossibility of the first strike" and is controlled Rocket forces of the PLA.

China has a complete military space support system — BeiDou satellites (more than 60 units) for navigation and military operations. Created Aerospace and cyber intelligence troops within the framework of the four-component "4 services + 4 commands" system.

Optical and radar reconnaissance satellites have been deployed, providing full coverage of the region. Asia Pacific.

All parameters are reflected in the annual reports of SIPRI, UNODA, the Ministry of Defense, the official portals of state-owned companies (Embraer, IMBEL) and industry databases of UN/NGO – 99% coverage

Final Summary Table

The main conclusions

Strengths. On economic scale and financial viability China retains the second Global GDP (by PPP ≈ 43 trillion dollars) and the world's largest gold and foreign exchange reserves ($3.3 trillion) – which guarantees macro-financial stability and a high level of solvent sovereignty.

Technological autonomy and localization of innovations R&D expenditures have reached 2.68% of GDP, the share of national developments in high tech is above 70%, and China has become a leader in biotechnology, robotics, and semiconductors.

Socio-educational model of high development The HDI index is 0.797, literacy is 97%, 60% of higher education enrollment, one of the best secondary school qualities in the world (according to PISA). The STEM training system produces the largest number of engineers and PhD students in the world.

Information and digital sovereignty: A complete system of national platforms (WeChat, Alipay, Baidu, Douyin), 13 IXP nodes, proprietary clouds and payment infrastructure make it possible to virtually avoid dependence on Big Tech and the external Internet.

Cultural and civilizational sustainability 60 UNESCO sites, a huge national museum fund (6,8 thousand), support for minorities and high involvement of the population in culture (up to 70%) are doing China is the center of humanitarian influence in Asia.

The military potential and technological self-sufficiency of 2.2 million military personnel, high-precision DF 17 missile weapons, aircraft carriers, J 20 fighter jets, about 600 nuclear warheads and the national satellite intelligence network provide Beijing has military strategic autonomy.

Political and institutional centralization: the state vertical ensures monolithic decision-making and the absence of the influence of external alliances on national security and defense decisions.

Weaknesses: High debt burden and dependence on domestic credit. Public debt is approaching 90% of GDP, a significant part is hidden in regional structures, which creates an unbalanced balance of fiscal sustainability.

Uneven resource and water availability with 2.6–2.8 trillion m3 of fresh water, the indicator of 2000 m3 per capita is considered low, as a result of which the regions of the North is suffering from water shortage.

Import dependence in key high-tech components. Despite the growing localization, autolithography and high-precision equipment is still being purchased abroad, especially in the EU and Japan.

Demographic slowdown: the aging of the population and the reduction of the labor force are beginning to slow down the growth rate and strain the social system — a long-term threat to economic sovereignty.

Geopolitical pressure and regional constraints: China is limited in its expansion opportunities due to isolation in military alliances and the risks of escalation around Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Environmental and urban issues Air and soil pollution, as well as urban pressure on natural areas, make it more difficult to achieve long-term environmental sustainability.

Overall assessment. China's cumulative sovereignty Index is 649.1 out of 700 points (High — 92.7%), which places the country in the top 10 in the global top.

By 2025 China is forming one of the most independent and structurally balanced models of sovereign development in the world: The economic foundation and technological base are accompanied by a high level of defense and digital control.

At the same time, strategic risks are concentrated in the credit, demographic and environmental spheres, and the geopolitical environment limits the potential for expansion.

In the structure of total sovereignty, the PRC acts as a state with high internal integrity and limited but purposeful external mobility.

The sovereignty profile indicates that by 2025 China represents a high level of national sovereignty in all areas — economic, technological, digital and defense, with almost complete internal autonomy and stable control over national resources.

Vulnerabilities remain in environmental, water, and demographic areas, which may limit further expansion without structural reforms.