The following are the top 10 China news events of 2002 selected by the People's Daily, published in time order.
On February 4, the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held a meeting discussing plans to help the needy people in China to manage difficult times in both their life and work. On September 12, the Central Committee of CPC held a national re-employment conference, which stressed to improve social security system and increase employment. On December 12, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of CPC urged labor and social security departments across the country to work hard to create more jobs and build a better social security system.
On March 25, China successfully launched the "Shenzhou III" spacecraft from Jiuquan Satellite Launching Center. On December 30, the "Shenzhou IV" entered preset orbit. This marks that China's space technology is becoming mature.
On April 15, an Air China Boeing passenger plane, flight number CA129, crashed into a mountainside near Pusan airport of ROK. (full coverage) On May 7, a passenger plane of China Northern Airlines plunged into sea near Dalian. Then a security check was launched nationwide to prevent serious accidents from occurring. (full coverage)
Former CPC General secretary Jiang Zemin made an important speech at the graduation ceremony of the Party School of CPC Central Committee, May 31, saying China has entered a new development era of building an overall well-to-do society, in which the country should accelerate the pace of socialist modernization. (full story)
The west-east gas pipeline project was kicked off on July 4, a big event in the nation's west development campaign. The open diversion channel of the Yangtze River is dammed up November 6, starting the third-stage construction of the Three Gorges project. December 27 saw the kicking off south-north water diversion project, being the world biggest water conservancy project by now.
The CPC central committee published a notice on Party cadre selection July 9, which is of great significance in establishing sound cadre selection and supervision mechanism to as to guarantee implementation of the basic lines and policies of the communist party.
At the Busan Asian Games which last from end of September to October, Chinese delegation won 150 gold medals, being the No 1 on gold medal list for six successive times. Two gold medals were also achieved in the 19th Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City in last February to break the zero record.
The 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was opened in Beijing November 8, at which the important thought of "Three Represents" was included in the Party Constitution, the goal of building a well-off society in an all-round way was set, and a new central leadership was elected.
China's Shanghai won the hosting rights for World Expo 2010 at the 132nd general assembly of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) in Monte Carlo, December 3, the first time the event to be held in a developing country.
Chinese economy saw rapid, successive growth. The whole year GDP exceeded 10 trillion yuan for the first time with the growth rate registered at 8 percent. The total import/export volume stood at 620 billion US dollars, and realized foreign direct investment surpassed 50 billion US dollars, being the world top.