1 70th Anniversary of PRC

　　The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China （PRC）. A grand rally， a mass pageant and an evening gala in Beijing were part of the nationwide celebrations on October 1. In his address to the nation， President Xi Jinping said over the past seven decades the Chinese people have made great achievements that amazed the world.
　　According to the National Bureau of Statistics， China’s GDP surged from $30 billion in 1952 to $13.61 trillion in 2018. Today， the country is the second largest economy in the world. People’s average life expectancy has risen from 35 to 77 years， while 800 million-plus people have moved out of poverty， contributing to more than 70 percent of global poverty reduction.
　　Ahead of the October 1 celebrations， 36 Chinese and six foreign individuals were presented with the highest state honors to acknowledge their contributions to the development of the PRC.

2 Hosting Major International Events

　　The International Horticultural Exhibition 2019， held in Beijing from April 29 to October 9， was the largest expo of its kind. Themed Live Green， Live Better， it promoted a low-carbon and environmentally friendly lifestyle. It drew representatives and exhibitors from 110 countries and international organizations and 9.34 million visitors.
　　The Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing from April 25-27. At the closing ceremony， Xi said an extensive consensus had been reached on promoting high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
　　The Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations， which opened on May 15， resulted in the Beijing Consensus that diverse civilizations should respect each other and conduct more extensive and in-depth dialogue， exchanges and cooperation.
　　The Seventh CISM Military World Games were held in Wuhan， Hubei Province from October 18 to 27， the first of its kind in China. Over 9，000 athletes from more than 100 countries competed， and China topped the medal table with 239 medals， including 133 golds.

3 CPC Central Committee Plenum

　　The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， held in Beijing from October 28-31， heard and discussed a work report by Xi， who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. The 202 members and 169 alternate members of the CPC Central Committee adopted decisions on how to uphold and improve the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advance the modernization of China’s system and capacity for governance.
　　It was the first time that the modernization of China’s system and capacity for governance had been discussed at a plenum. The meeting set overall goals to improve Party institutions by the CPC’s centenary in 2021， basically achieve the modernization of China’s governance system and capacity by 2035， and realize the modernization completely by the PRC’s centenary in 2049.

4 New World Heritage Sites

　　The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province in east China， were inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage Site list on July 9.
　　These ruins， dating back 5，300 years， are described by UNESCO as “an outstanding example of early urban civilization expressed in earthen monuments， urban planning， a water conservation system and a social hierarchy expressed in differentiated burials in cemeteries within the property.”
　　While the walls of the ruins were discovered in 2007， the water conservation system was found in 2015. Abundant ceremonial jades found at the site show a complicated ritual system.
　　Another site， the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf （Phase I）， was inscribed onto the World Heritage Site list as a natural site on July 5.
　　Located in the Yellow Sea eco-region， it features an inter-tidal mudflat system considered the largest in the world. It provides rich food resources and a stopover for many migratory birds that use the East Asian-Australasian Flyway， including some of the world’s most endangered species.

5 First Home-Made Aircraft Carrier Put Into Service

　　The Shandong， the first aircraft carrier that China built entirely on its own， was put into active service in Sanya， Hainan Province in the south， on December 17. Construction started in November 2013. The carrier underwent several sea trials before being commissioned.
　　Now China has two aircraft carriers in active service. The first， the Liaoning， is a Soviet-era vessel that was extensively refitted before being put into service in September 2012. It has executed several long-range operations with other warships.

6 Chang’e-4 Lands on Far Side of Moon

　　Chang’e-4， consisting of a lander and rover Yutu-2， landed on the far side of Moon on January 3， becoming the first spacecraft to softland on an uncharted part of Moon invisible from Earth. The tasks for the mission include surveying Moon’s terrain， detecting its mineral composition and making low-frequency radio astronomical observation.
　　Yutu-2 is the second Chinese lunar rover landed on Moon. The first one landed there in 2013. China’s three-step lunar exploration is expected to be completed by the launch of Chang’e-5 later， which will bring lunar samples back to Earth.

7 New Law & Amendments

　　The Vaccines Administration Law， China’s first legislation on vaccine management， was adopted on June 29 and went into force on December 1. It imposes more effective wholeprocess supervision and higher penalties for producing and selling fake or substandard vaccines. The law is a response to problems exposed， in particular a scandal involving Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology in Jilin Province in northeast China. 　　In August， the top legislature adopted amendments to the Drug Administration Law， which went into force on December 1. The law addresses problems in the pharmaceutical industry such as counterfeit and substandard drugs and high drug prices.
　　Amendment to the Land Administration Law， also adopted in August， will enter into force on January 1， 2020.

8 New Transportation Facilities

　　The Beijing Daxing International Airport opened on September 25. The airport was built in less than five years， and is armed with technology allowing it to continue operating in sub-optimal weather conditions. It is planned to have an annual passenger throughput of 45 million by 2021 and 100 million eventually. It will promote the integrated development of Beijing， Tianjin and Hebei Province.
　　The Beijing-Zhangjiakou highspeed railway， expected to be put into operation by the end of 2019， will also promote integrated development of the region. Test runs of the railway started on December 3. The railway will shorten travel time between Beijing and Zhangjiakou， two cities to co-host the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games， to 50 minutes from the current three hours or more. It will be the smartest railway in the country， with trains that start， run and stop at stations automatically.

9 Hong Kong Situation

　　In February 2018， Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （HKSAR） resident Chen Tong-kai murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan， fled back to Hong Kong， and was arrested. As there is no extradition understanding between Hong Kong and Taiwan， he could not be handed over to Taiwan to be prosecuted for murder. To plug the legal loophole， HKSAR proposed a Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation （Amendment） Bill， which triggered protests and then violence and vandalism.
　　On June 15， the HKSAR Government announced the bill had been suspended but the protests escalated with the backing of external forces.
　　While attending the BRICS Summit in Brazil on November 14， Xi made the Chinese Government’s position on the situation clear. He said the continuous violence has seriously trampled the rule of law and the social order， undermined Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability， and seriously challenged the bottom line of the “one country， two systems” principle. He said the most urgent task for Hong Kong is to end violence and chaos and restore order.

10 Pilot Demonstration Area

　　Shenzhen in Guangdong Province， south China， will be built into a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics， according to a document issued on August 18.
　　According to the document， Shenzhen will be developed to become one of the leading cities in the world in terms of economic strength and quality of development by 2025； a national model of high-quality development， as well as a hub of innovation， entrepreneurship and creativity with international influence by 2035.
　　Shenzhen is the first special economic zone in China. It has a population of about 13 million and its GDP hit 2.42 trillion yuan （$346 billion） in 2018. This decision is expected to promote the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.