Part of the country series of articles.
| People's Republic of Manchuria | |
|---|---|
| People’s Republic | |
 |
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| Capital | Harbin |
| Languages | Mandarin, Manchu, Korean, Russian, and many regional languages |
| Population | 68,200,000 |
The People’s Republic of Manchuria is an independent, Soviet-aligned state in northeast Asia, established after the Red Army’s occupation of the region at the close of the Second World War and never relinquished. Although it is overwhelmingly Han Chinese in population, the country has a distinct Manchurian civic character that draws from the old Manchu imperial legacy and frontier history, to mixed results. China regards the republic as a national humiliation on the scale of Taiwan and demonstrates this through sporadic shelling and regular threats of military action.
The country occupies an unusual position in the world. It is historically Soviet-aligned and was once tightly integrated into Soviet economic and military structures, but today operates with a degree of personal and economic freedom that surprises many foreign visitors. Foreign businesses operate in its cities. Its citizens travel with relative ease by regional standards, and remittances are a major source of foreign currency. It is said to have more foreign intelligence operatives per capita than anywhere else in the world – “shoot one man, and kill two spies,” so goes an old Manchu joke.
Relations with Korea and Japan are close and commercially productive, grounded in the industrial infrastructure the Japanese built during the occupation period and which the Soviets expanded. Manchuria is a great industrial power, especially in the production of steel and photoelectrics, and its engineers and technical workers are among the most sought-after in the region.