Top 10 National News Stories in 2013

Reform Roadmap

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee was held in Beijing on November 9-12， where the Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms was adopted.

According to the document， the general objective of the approved reforms is to improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and push on with the modernization of the countrys governing system and capabilities. Decisive results are expected to be obtained in key areas in 2020.

The decision also said that the market should be given a decisive role in allocating resources.

Other highlights of the decision included the establishment of a leading group for overall reform and a national security committee， the abolishment of the re-education-through-labor system， as well as the adjustment of birth control policies so that families may have a second child so long as one of the two parents is from a single-child family.

Power Transfer

The largest change in state leadership since 2003 was completed at the First Session of the 12th National Peoples Congress， Chinas top legislature， on March 5-17， with Xi Jinping elected as Chinas new president and Li Keqiang appointed as premier of the State Council.

Lawmakers also adopted a cabinet reorganization plan， which brought down the number of ministries under the State Council down to 25 from 27.

In overhauling the cabinet， the Central Government emphasized that the most important task is to transform government functions and reduce administrative intervention in the market and on social issues.

The National Committee of the 12th Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference， the countrys top political advisory body， also elected new leadership at its first session on March 3-12.

Space Exploration Milestones

China launched its fifth manned space mission on June 11 on the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft. Three astronauts boarded the craft and embarked on a 15-day space flight， which marked another step toward the countrys goal of building a permanent manned space station by 2020. The mission also saw Shenzhou-10 successfully dock with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-1 twice， once through automatic operation and the other manually.

China also achieved another milestone with the successful soft landing of its lunar probe Change-3 on moon surface on December 14， becoming third country to do so after the former Soviet Union and the United States.

Tackling Air Pollution

The State Council issued the Airborne Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan （2013-17） on September 12， setting a goal for 2017 to have cut PM2.5 by at least 10 percent in major cities nationwide compared to the levels recorded in 2012. PM2.5 is all airborne particular matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter， making it small enough to pass into the gas exchange regions of the lung.

Under the plan， China will cut coal use， shut down polluting industries and promote cleaner production in a bid to clean up the environment. It aims to cut coal consumption to below 65 percent of total primary energy use by 2017.

The Chinese Government pledged to invest 1.7 trillion yuan （$277.32 billion） in the fight against air pollution over the next five years.

Crackdown on Corruption

The Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee adopted an anti-corruption work plan for 2013-17 on August 27.

In 2013， at least 14 officials at a ministerial level or higher were put under investigation for corruption and other job-related crimes， with another four given prison sentences.

Preventing Miscarriages of Justice

The Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of the CPC Central Committee issued Chinas first guideline for preventing incorrect judgments on its website on August 13.

The guideline reiterates legal principles that prevent punishments for people whose guilt cannot be confirmed absolutely. It also stipulates that judges， procurators and police officers will bear a “life-long responsibility” for their roles in wrongful judgments.

Combating Online Defamation

The Supreme Peoples Court and the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate issued a judicial interpretation on September 9 regarding convicting and sentencing for offenders who spread false rumors online that defame， blackmail or provoke.

Internet users sharing false information that is defamatory or harms national interests face up to three years in prison if their posts are viewed more than 5，000 times or forwarded more than 500 times， according to the document.

Major Earthquake

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Lushan County， Sichuan Province， on April 20， leaving at least 196 dead and 11，470 injured.

On July 15， the Chinese Government released a post-quake reconstruction plan for an area of 10，706 square km that was severely hit， with 1.15 million living there benefiting.

The government has estimated that reconstruction efforts could cost up to 86 billion yuan （$13.9 billion） over the next three years.

Fatal Virus

Since the worlds first three cases of human infection with H7N9 avian influenza were confirmed by Chinas health authority on March 31， the Chinese mainland had reported a total of 143 human infections by December 18， resulting in 45 deaths.

An influenza A virus， H7N9 normally circulates among birds.

No mutation of H7N9 bird flu has been monitored yet and transmission from animals remains the only way in which humans have caught the virus， said Yao Hongwen， a spokesman for the National Health and Family Planning Commission， on December 10.

Airborne Threat Precautions

The Ministry of National Defense issued a statement on November 23 revealing the establishment of Chinas first air defense identification zone（ADIZ）， which extends over the East China Sea.

Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said that the Chinese Government has followed common international practices in the establishment of the East China Sea ADIZ， with aims at protecting its state sovereignty and territorial and airspace security， and maintaining flying orders. He added that the zone has no particular target and will not affect the freedom of flight in relevant airspace.

Yang said that China will set up other ADIZs at the appropriate moment after necessary preparations are completed.