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2021 in China

In 2021, China continued to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the country with a Zero-COVID policy that significantly reduced transmission through large scale lockdowns and testing. The Convidecia and Sinopharm vaccines were approved for general use in China in February 2021. China achieved a record number of 55 space missions in 2021, including the development of the Tiangong space station and the first Chinese craft to land on Mars. Concerns about declining birth rates caused the national government to replace its two-child policy with a three-child policy in May 2021. In the Chinese zodiac, 2021 was the year of the Ox and associated with the element of metal.

Long standing territorial disputes continued in China. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea led to a diplomatic incident with the Philippines in April 2021. Disputes over the recognition of Taiwan included the possibility of Lithuanian recognition of Taiwan, leading to a diplomatic crisis in August 2021. Other diplomatic disputes included the East China Sea EEZ disputes, skirmishes with India along the China–India border, and the continuing trade war with the United States. China strengthened its relations with Afghanistan, Iran, and Russia in 2021.

A wave of political reforms continued in 2021, applying restrictions or bans to cryptocurrency, skyscrapers, private tutoring, celebrity gossip, and video games. Tech companies were placed under increased scrutiny by the Chinese government in 2021. Anti-monopoly measures were carried out, and several major companies saw significant penalties throughout the year. A property sector crisis affecting companies such as the Evergrande Group in 2021 prompted economic troubles in China. Political reforms in Hong Kong restricted democracy and limited elections to candidates approved by the Chinese Communist Party. Pro-democracy newspapers and groups in Hong Kong were also shut down. Alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang continued, including accusations of genocide.

Incumbents

Communist Party secretaries

Governors

Ongoing

Events

January

  • 1 January – Amendments to the National Defence Law take effect, transferring military powers from the State Council to the Central Military Commission, effectively giving Xi Jinping control over the military.
  • 5 January
  • COVID-19 pandemic: The team sent by the World Health Organization to study the origins of the coronavirus pandemic virus is blocked from entering China. The team claims their visas had not been approved yet. Tedros Adhanom expressed his dismay, saying he had been in contact with senior Chinese officials, and how important the expedition was.
  • Lai Xiaomin, former chairman of the China Huarong Asset Management, is sentenced to death for collecting bribes.
  • 6 January – COVID-19 pandemic: 11 million people are locked down in Shijiazhuang due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
  • 10 January – An explosion triggers a mining accident in Qixia, Shandong.
  • 11 January – COVID-19 pandemic: 13 members of the 15 member World Health Organization team sent to study the origins of COVID-19 arrive in Wuhan, China. The last two members are awaiting in Singapore for their COVID-19 test results.
  • 14 January – COVID-19 pandemic: The first recorded death from COVID-19 since May 2020 is reported in Hebei.
  • 20 January – 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes: Chinese forces clash with Indian forces in Naku La.
  • 22 January – East China Sea EEZ disputes: China passes a law authorizing the China Coast Guard to fire on foreign vessels in the East China Sea.
  • 30 January – The Hualong One nuclear reactor begins commercial operation.

February

  • 2 February – ByteDance files a lawsuit against Tencent for monopolistic practices.
  • 6 February – COVID-19 pandemic: China approves the CoronaVac vaccine for general use.
  • 7 February – China issues stricter anti-monopoly regulations to regulate internet platforms.
  • 8 February – Clubhouse is blocked in China after increasing in popularity.
  • 10 February – The Tianwen-1 orbiter and rover is inserted into orbit.
  • 11 February – The CCTV New Year's Gala attracts international controversy for the use of blackface.
  • 15 February – A series of attacks are carried out on Chinese-owned factories in Myanmar as part of the 2021–2022 Myanmar protests.
  • 20 February – 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes: Chinese and Indian forces complete a withdraw from Pangong Tso after a months-long standoff.
  • 22 February – The Parliament of Canada votes to recognize the Chinese persecution of Uyghurs as a genocide, becoming the second country to do so.
  • 25 February
  • COVID-19 pandemic: China approves the Convidecia and Sinopharm vaccines for general use.
  • The States General of the Netherlands votes to recognize the Chinese persecution of Uyghurs as a genocide.

March

April

  • 6 April – 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes: The Tibet Autonomous Region introduces 15 regulations on the border with India to limit entry.
  • 10 April – Alibaba Group is fined 18 billion yuan ($2.75 billion USD).
  • 11 April – COVID-19 pandemic: China ends the mandatory vaccination policy of several localities amid vaccine hesitancy.
  • 27 April – An oil spill takes place off the coast of Qingdao.
  • 29 April – The Tianhe core module is launched into space as the first component of the Tiangong space station.

May

  • 8 May – The rocket body from the Tianhe launch plunges into the ocean, prompting international concerns about safety measures for returning spacecraft.
  • 9 May – China deletes two million posts from the internet for their discussion of Chinese history.
  • 14 May
  • The Zhurong rover is the first Chinese craft to successfully land on Mars.
  • Tornadoes form in Wuhan and Shengze, killing 12 people.
  • 19 May – China bans the use or transfer of cryptocurrencies by banks, prompting Bitcoin to decline in value by nearly 30 percent.
  • 20 May – Chinese industry sees significant economic turn down after China announces price controls on raw materials.
  • 21 May – A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurs in Yunnan Province.
  • 22 May
  • 21 runners die from hypothermia in the Gansu ultramarathon disaster.
  • A 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurs in Qinghai.
  • The Zhurong rover successfully deploys on Mars.
  • 24 May – The funeral of Yuan Longping is attended by thousands of people.
  • 25 May – Thousands are evacuated in Shenzhen after SEG Plaza begins wobbling without apparent cause.
  • 29 May – The Tianzhou 2 is launched into space and it docks with the Tiangong space station.
  • 31 May – China replaces the two-child policy with the three-child policy to account for population decline.

June

July

August

  • 1 August – COVID-19 pandemic: Millions of people in Beijing and other cities go into lockdown amid a COVID-19 outbreak.
  • 10 August – China severs diplomatic relations with Lithuania in response to the establishment of a Lithuanian embassy in Taiwan.
  • 15 August – The Hong Kong rights group Civil Human Rights Front disbands.
  • 20 August – The Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China is enacted.
  • 23 August – The discovery of Bianchengichthys is reported following the excavation of its fossils.
  • 23–24 August – COVID-19 pandemic: Thousands of people in Ruili are evacuated to Mangshi for a 14-day quarantine.
  • 24 August – The Ministry of Education establishes new guidelines requiring Xi Jinping Thought to be taught in schools.
  • 26 August – Dong Hong, former corruption investigator at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, is put on trial for accepting bribes.
  • 27 August – China establishes regulations on fan culture on the internet, including a ban on celebrity gossip. All content relating to actress Zhao Wei is removed from Chinese internet.
  • 30 August – China bans children from accessing online video games outside of a designated periods that add up to three hours each week.

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

See also

Country overviews

Related timelines for current period

Timelines of Chinese regions

References

Links