February 25 

   The State Council issued the Plan for Implementing a Gradual Housing System Reform in Urban Areas. On July 18, 1994, the Decision on Deepening the Urban Housing System Reform was released by the State Council, which made clear that the housing supply management would gradually change from affiliation-based to society-based and become more specialized. On July 3, 1998, the Circular of the State Council on Further Deepening the Urban Housing System Reform and Accelerating Housing Construction was issued, which urged to stop the housing allocation in kind and gradually practise the monetization of housing distribution. 

March 14

   The PLA Navy launched the defensive counterattack against Viet Nam in the Nansha Islands.

March 24–April 10 

   At the 1st Session of the 7th CPPCC National Committee, Li Xiannian was elected chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

March 25–April 13 

   The 1st Session of the 7th NPC passed the decision to set up the Hainan Province and the resolution on the establishment of the Hainan Special Economic Zone. The Session approved the institutional reform plan of the State Council. After that, the “Three Decides”— to decide functions, to decide institutions and to decide staff, was implemented for the first time. At the Session, Yang Shangkun was elected president of the PRC, Wan Li chairman of the NPC Standing Committee and Deng Xiaoping chairman of the PRC Central Military Commission, and Li Peng was appointed as premier of the State Council.

April 27

   The Provisional Regulations on the Civilian Officials of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was issued by the Central Military Commission. On June 23, 2005, the State Council and the Central Military Commission issued the Regulations on the Civilian Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, determining to carry out the civilian personnel system among the PLA. The revised Regulations on the Civilian Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was issued by the State Council and the Central Military Commission on September 27, 2017.

July 1

   The 2nd Session of the Standing Committee of the 7th NPC passed the Regulations Concerning the Military Ranks of Military Officers of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, which marked the birth of a new system of military ranks to be applied to the PLA officers. On December 17, the Specific Measures for the Implementation of the System of Police Ranks of Police Officers by the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force was issued, which made clear that the system of police ranks was to be carried out for police officers.

August

   The State Council approved the implementation of “Torch Program” which aimed at developing China’s high-tech industry.

September 5 

   During his talk with foreign guests, Deng Xiaoping said, “Marx once claimed that science and technology were part of the productive forces. Facts showed that he was utterly right. In my opinion, science and technology are the primary productive force.” 

   On the same day, the 3rd Session of the Standing Committee of the 7th NPC adopted the Regulations of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on the Military Service of Officers in Active Service. The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Officers in Active Service was passed at the 19th Session of the Standing Committee of the 9th NPC on December 28, 2000.

September 12 

   While listening to a work report, Deng Xiaoping put forward the great conception of “two larger pictures” and pointed out that the coastal areas, which comprised a vast region with a population of 200 million, should accelerate their opening up to the outside world so that they could develop rapidly first before they could help promote the development of the inland areas. The development of the coastal areas was of overriding importance, and the inland areas should look at this larger picture. When the coastal areas developed to a certain extent, they would be required to give still more help to the inland areas. Then, the development of the inland areas would be of overriding importance, and the coastal areas would in turn have to look at this larger picture.

September 14–27

   A nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine independently developed by China successfully launched the test of a carrier rocket from underwater in the region of the East China Sea.

September 23

   The State Council and the Central Military Commission issued the Regulations of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on the Military Service of Soldiers in Active Service, which confirmed the implementation of a new system of military ranks for the PLA soldiers and stipulated sergeancy as the military rank of volunteer soldiers. The Regulations was revised for three times respectively on April 27, 1993, June 30, 1999 and July 26, 2010.

October 16

   The collisions of China’s first high-energy particle accelerator—Beijing Electron-Positron Collider took place.

From:Chronicle of the People's Republic of China(October 1949—September 2019), edited by The Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, PP.131-135.