April 13

   The Joint Declaration of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Portugal on the Issue of Macao was formally signed in Beijing, which claimed that the sovereignty over Macao would be restored to the Chinese government on December 20, 1999.

April 17

   The CPC Central Committee and the State Council approved and forwarded the Report on Several Issues Concerning Ethnic Affairs submitted by the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, which illustrated the general guideline and the fundamental task of ethnic affairs in the new period.

October 16

   The General Office of the State Council released the Measures for Receiving Compatriots from Taiwan who came to the Chinese mainland to visit their relatives. On November 2, the first batch of Taiwan compatriots headed for the Chinese mainland via Hong Kong, which marked that the 38-year-long isolation for compatriots living on both sides of the Taiwan Straits was terminated and opened up a new page in cross-Straits relations.

October 25–November 1

   The 13th CPC National Congress was held. The report titled “Advance along the Road of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” was adopted at the Congress, which expounded the theory of the primary stage of socialism, put forward the basic line of the CPC on this stage, and formulated a strategic plan involving three steps for the realization of China’s modernization by the mid-21st century. The Constitution of the Communist Party of China (Revised) was also passed at the Congress.

November 2

   The 1st Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee elected Zhao Ziyang general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, appointed Deng Xiaoping as chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, and approved Chen Yun as director of the Central Advisory Commission and Qiao Shi as secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

November 24

   The 23rd Session of the Standing Committee of the 6th NPC adopted the Organic Law of the Villagers’ Committees of the People’s Republic of China (For Trial Implementation). The Organic Law of the Villagers’ Committees of the People’s Republic of China was passed on the 5th Session of the 9th NPC Standing Committee on November 4, 1998.

December 1 

   The Shenzhen Special Economic Zone pioneered the auction of rights to use state-owned land in China.

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.128-130.