2019’s Top 10 Nation News Stories

1 70th Anniversary of PRC

The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples 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， Chinas GDP surged from $30 billion in 1952 to $13.61 trillion in 2018. Today， the country is the second largest economy in the world. Peoples 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.

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 Governments position on the situation clear. He said the continuous violence has seriously trampled the rule of law and the social order， undermined Hong Kongs 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.