2010:

-- On Jan. 1, the China-ASEANFree Trade Area went into effect.

-- From Jan. 11 to 13, the fifth plenary session of the Communist Party of China (CPC) 17th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Party's anti-graft body, was held. President Hu Jintao addressed the meeting, urging greater efforts in the fight against corruption and the building of a clean government.

-- On March 14, China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), adopted an amendment to the Electoral Law granting equal representation in legislative bodies to rural and urban people.

-- From March 31 to April 1, a bipartisan delegation from the United Statesvisited Beijing to attend the first high-level dialogue with the CPC. It was also the first time for the two U.S. political parties to send a bipartisan delegation to China.

-- From April 12 to 15, President Hu attended the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington and visited Brazil, where he also attended a meeting of the BRIC nations -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- in Brasilia.

-- On April 14, a 7.1-magnitude quake hit the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in northwest China's Qinghai Province, leaving at least 2,200 dead and 100,000 homeless.

On May 27, the State Council, China's Cabinet, released a guideline vowing to basically finish post-quake reconstruction in three years.

-- From May 1 to Oct. 31, Expo 2010 was held in Shanghai, making history by drawing more than 73 million visitors and 246 participating countries, regions and international organizations.

-- From May 17 to 19, a central work conference on Xinjiang was convened. During the conference, strategic plans were laid down for China's far west Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to achieve leapfrog development and lasting stability.

-- From June 23 to 27, President Hu paid a state visit to Canada and attended the fourth summit of the Group of Twenty (G20) in Toronto.

-- On June 29, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council released a document setting down plans for further implementing the strategy to develop the country's western regions in the following ten years. A work conference was held on developing the country's western regions from July 5 to 6.

-- From July 7 to 20, top legislator Wu Bangguo visited France, Serbia and Switzerland. During his stay in Switzerland, he also attended the 3rd World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, where he delivered an inaugural speech on the international community's obligations in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

-- On July 8, the National Plan for Medium and Long-term (2010-2020) Education Reform and Development was released.

-- From July 13 to 14, a high-profile national work conference on education was held as President Hu urged the CPC and the whole country to give priority to education in their work while calling for the allocation of financing and public resources in favor of education and human resources development.

-- On Aug. 8, a massive rain-triggered mudslide slammed Zhouqu County in northwest China's Gansu Province, leaving 1,472 dead and 294 missing. Later, on Oct. 18, the State Council unveiled a set of guidelines aimed at aiding in reconstruction work in the landslide-hit region.

-- On Aug. 27, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged government officials at all levels to strictly follow the laws and regulations in a bid to steer away from corruption and ensure public good.

-- On Sept. 6, Shenzhen, a southern coastal city neighboring Hong Kong, marked its 30th anniversary as China's first special economic zone. President Hu urged special economic zones to continue emancipating their minds and adhering to reform and opening up and spearhead in promoting scientific development and social harmony.

-- From Sept. 21 to 23, Premier Wen attended the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals and the general debate of the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, calling for common security and lasting world peace.

-- On Oct. 10, the State Council released a guideline on strengthening lawful administration.

-- From Oct. 15 to 18, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee was convened, approving proposal on drafting the 12th Five-Year Program (2011-2015) for National Economic and Social Development. The session was told that China aims to achieve "major breakthroughs" in economic restructuring and maintain "stable and relatively fast economic growth."

-- On Oct. 28, the top legislature adopted a decision to appoint Vice President Xi Jinping as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.The social insurance law was also adopted on the same day.

-- On Nov. 1, the 6th national census kicked off. On April 28, 2011, census data were released, showing that China's mainland population had reached 1.34 billion by Nov. 1, 2010.

-- From Nov. 12 to 27, the 16th Asian Games were held in Guangzhou, seeing the participation of more than 14,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions. China, the host country, led the gold medal count as well as the overall medal count.

-- From Dec. 10 to 12, the annual Central Economic Work Conference was held. According to a statement released after the meeting, China would enhance and improve macro-economic regulation to ensure stable and healthy economic development in 2011.

-- From Dec. 12 to 19, the First Asian Para Games were held in Guangzhou.

-- China's GDPreached 40.15 trillion yuan (6.43 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2010, making it the world's second-largest economy.