China adopts the Anti-Secession Law

The mainland and Hong Kong governments signed the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, reducing trade barriers and expanding economic integration. The agreement responded to Hong Kong’s economic...

A mass march in Hong Kong opposed proposed national-security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law and voiced broader dissatisfaction with governance. Estimates of turnout differed...

The World Health Organization announced that the last known chain of person-to-person SARS transmission had been interrupted. SARS began in southern China and became a transnational health crisis; the...

Yang Liwei launched aboard Shenzhou 5, making China the third country to independently send a human into space. The mission signaled technological and industrial capabilities associated with a...

The National People’s Congress amended the constitution to state that citizens’ lawful private property is inviolable and that the state protects inheritance rights. The change recognized a larger...

The People’s Bank of China moved from a strict US dollar peg toward a managed floating exchange-rate regime referencing a basket of currencies, and revalued the renminbi. The step responded to...

Chinese and Russian forces conducted a large joint exercise, with participation by other Shanghai Cooperation Organization states. It demonstrated expanding military cooperation and regional...

China launched Shenzhou VI, its first crewed mission carrying two astronauts and its first multi-day human spaceflight. The mission demonstrated advances in engineering and state capacity. Space...

The 1958 Agricultural Tax Regulations were annulled effective January 1, ending the agricultural tax nationwide after phased reductions. The measure shifted the state’s fiscal relationship with...

The railway linking Xining and Lhasa began operation, connecting Tibet more directly to the Chinese national transport network. The line enabled mobility and commerce but also raised concerns about...