January 1

The NPC Standing Committee issued the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan, which solemnly declared that it was a major policy of China to strive for peaceful national reunification. On the same day, Xu Xiangqian, defense minister, issued a declaration that starting from the day, bombarding of Kinmen and other islands would cease. This opened a new chapter for the cross-Straits relations.

January 18–April 3

A forum on the Party’s theoretical work was held. On March 30, Deng Xiaoping addressed the forum with his speech “Uphold the Four Cardinal Principles.” He stressed the ideological and political need to keep to the socialist road and uphold the dictatorship of the proletariat (later rephrased as “the people’s democratic dictatorship”), leadership by the Communist Party and Marxism, Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. The Four Cardinal Principles were the fundamental pre-conditions for the realization of the four modernizations.

January 31

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council decided to establish China’s first industrial zone open to the outside world—the Shekou Industrial Zone in Shekou, Guangdong Province.

February 17–March 16

Chinese border troops launched a campaign of self-defense against the Vietnamese invaders.

April 5–28

The CPC Central Committee held a work conference, which decided to adopt the principle of “adjusting, restructuring, consolidating and improving” the national economy. Earlier on March 14, Chen Yun and Li Xiannian made a suggestion in their joint letter to the CPC Central Committee to adjust the national economy.

June 15

Deng Xiaoping addressed the 2nd Session of the 5th CPPCC National Committee, clearly pointing out in his speech that the task facing the united front and the people’s political consultative conferences in the new period was to mobilize all possible positive factors, try to turn negative factors into positive ones, unite all forces that could be united, act with one heart and mind, pool the wisdom and strength of all, preserve and develop the political situation of  stability and unity, and strive to build China into a strong modern socialist country. When addressing the representatives of other political parties and the All-China Federation of  Industry and Commerce on October 19, Deng Xiaoping pointed out that the united front had become the broadest possible alliance composed of all socialist workers, patriots who supported socialism and patriots who supported the reunification of their motherland.

July 1

The 2nd Session of the 5th NPC adopted the Resolution on Revising Several Provisions of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of  China and seven laws, including the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Criminal Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Chinese-Foreign Joint Venture Enterprises.

July 15

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council approved and distributed two reports from the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and the Fujian Provincial Party Committee on the implementation of special policies and flexible measures regarding foreign economic activities, and endorsed the establishment of pilot special export zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou and Xiamen. On May 16, 1980, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council approved and distributed the Meeting Minutes of Guangdong Province and Fujian Province, and officially changed the name of “special export zones” to “special economic zones.” On August 26, the 15th Session of the Standing Committee of the 5th NPC approved the Regulations Concerning the Economic Zones in Guangdong Province proposed by the State Council.

September 13

The 11th Session of the Standing Committee of the 5th NPC adopted in principle the Environmental Protection Law of  the People’s Republic of China (for Trail Implementation). On December 31, 1983, the State Council held the second national conference on environmental protection, and expressly pointed out that environmental protection was a basic national policy of  China. On December 26, 1989, the 11th Session of the Standing Committee of the 7th NPC adopted the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China.

October 30

Deng Xiaoping delivered a congratulatory speech at the 4th Representative Congress of Chinese Literary and Art Workers, pointing out that high-level material progress must be accompanied by high-level progress in the development of socialist culture and ideology.

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, PP96-100