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
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party – Xi Jinping President – Xi Jinping Vice President – Wang Qishan Premier – Li Keqiang Congress chairman – Li Zhanshu Consultative Conference chairman – Wang Yang Supervision Commission director – Yang Xiaodu
Communist Party secretaries
Post Name Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Communist Party Committee Cai Qi Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Communist Party Committee Li Hongzhong Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Communist Party Committee Li Qiang Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Communist Party Committee Chen Min'er Secretary of the Anhui Province Communist Party Committee Li JinbinZheng Shanjie Secretary of the Fujian Province Communist Party Committee Yin Li Secretary of the Gansu Province Communist Party Committee Lin DuoYin Hong Secretary of the Guangdong Province Communist Party Committee Li Xi Secretary of the Guizhou Province Communist Party Committee Shen Yiqin Secretary of the Hainan Province Communist Party Committee Shen Xiaoming Secretary of the Hebei Province Communist Party Committee Wang Dongfeng Secretary of the Heilongjiang Province Communist Party Committee Zhang QingweiXu Qin Secretary of the Henan Province Communist Party Committee Wang GuoshengLou Yangsheng Secretary of the Hubei Province Communist Party Committee Ying Yong Secretary of the Hunan Province Communist Party Committee Xu DazheZhang Qingwei Secretary of the Jiangsu Province Communist Party Committee Lou QinjianWu Zhenglong Secretary of the Jiangxi Province Communist Party Committee Liu QiYi Lianhong Secretary of the Jilin Province Communist Party Committee Jing Junhai Secretary of the Liaoning Province Communist Party Committee Zhang Guoqing Secretary of the Qinghai Province Communist Party Committee Wang Jianjun Secretary of the Shaanxi Province Communist Party Committee Liu Guozhong Secretary of the Shandong Province Communist Party Committee Liu JiayiLi Ganjie Secretary of the Shanxi Province Communist Party Committee Lou YangshengLin Wu Secretary of the Sichuan Province Communist Party Committee Peng Qinghua Secretary of the Yunnan Province Communist Party Committee Ruan ChengfaWang Ning Secretary of the Zhejiang Province Communist Party Committee Yuan Jiajun Secretary of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Communist Party Committee Shi Taifeng Secretary of the Guangxi Autonomous Region Communist Party Committee Lu XinsheLiu Ning Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Communist Party Committee Wu YingjieWang Junzheng Secretary of the Ningxia Autonomous Region Communist Party Committee Chen Run'er Secretary of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Communist Party Committee Chen Quanguo
Governors Post Name Governor of Anhui Province Li Guoying (until 1 February)Wang Qingxian (from 1 February) Governor of Fujian Province Wang Ning Governor of Gansu Province TBA Governor of Guangdong Province Ma Xingrui Governor of Guizhou Province Li Bingjun Governor of Hainan Province Feng Fei Governor of Hebei Province Xu Qin Governor of Heilongjiang Province Hu Changsheng Governor of Henan Province Yin Hong (until 31 March)Wang Kai (from 31 March) Governor of Hubei Province Wang Xiaodong (until 7 May)Wang Zhonglin (from 7 May) Governor of Hunan Province Mao Weiming Governor of Jiangsu Province Wu Zhenglong Governor of Jiangxi Province Wu Zhenglong Governor of Jilin Province Han Jun Governor of Liaoning Province Liu Ning Governor of Qinghai Province Xin Changxing Governor of Shaanxi Province Zhao Yide Governor of Shandong Province N/A Governor of Shanxi Province Lin Wu (until June)Lan Foan (starting June) Governor of Sichuan Province Huang Qiang Governor of Yunnan Province Chen Hao Governor of Zhejiang Province Zheng Shanjie (until 30 September)Wang Hao (starting 30 September)
Ongoing
2020–2021 China–India skirmishes 2020–2021 Xi Jinping Administration reform spree 2020–2022 Chinese property sector crisis 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes 2021 arrests of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures Anti-China terrorism in Pakistan Chinese elephants expedition COVID-19 pandemic in China Chinese government response to COVID-19 East China Sea EEZ disputes Tang ping Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
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
5 March – The 2021 National People's Congress begins. 8 March – Several Chinese companies file a government-backed lawsuit against Adrian Zenz for his investigation of the persecution of Uyghurs in China. 11 March – The Chinese legislature grants a committee the power to choose which candidates are eligible for elections in Hong Kong. 15 March – Beijing is covered by the 2021 East Asia sandstorm. 17 March – The European Union declares its first sanctions against China since 1989 in response to China's persecution of Uyghurs. 18 March – The United States–China talks in Alaska are held. 20 March – The recovery of hundreds of artifacts from a Sanxingdui dig site is announced. 22 March A suicide bombing occurs at a government land use office in Guangzhou. A diplomatic incident takes places between China and the Philippines when China stations hundreds of ships off the coast of Whitsun Reef. 27 March – China and Iran sign a 25-year Cooperation Program.
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
1 June – The first human case of influenza A virus subtype H10N3 is documented in Jiangsu. 2 June – The June 4th Museum honoring the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre is closed following a probe into its licensing status. 4 June – COVID-19 pandemic: The Sinovac vaccine is authorized for emergency use in children.