evidence: The People's Republic of China (PRC) (simplified Chinese: 中华人民共和国; traditional Chinese: 中華人民共和國) is a one-party state in East Asia governed by the Communist Party of China (CPC). It was founded on 1 October 1949. It currently has more than 1.4 billion people (as of 2017).[3] It covers an area of 9.6 million square kilometers.