January 1 to 8

January 1 China's revised Law on Statistics will come into effect, which aims to improve statistical quality and credibility. A chapter about supervision over statistics has been added to the latest changes. Under the revised law, the maximum administrative penalty will increase from 50,000 to 200,000 yuan.

January 5 The China Scholarship Council will issue a detailed plan for the program of State-funded Study Abroad in 2010 on its website. During the first 11 months of 2009, 12,715 Chinese received state-funded study abroad scholarships. The council indicated applicants specializing in energy and environmental studies have been given greater preference.
 
January 6 The naval fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army will celebrate their first anniversary since they began their escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and Somalian waters. The current contingent consists of three vessels, with over 700 soldiers. The escort mission was aimed at protecting merchant ships from local pirates. It will mark the first time that Chinese vessels conduct joint escorts as well as information exchanges with foreign naval forces.

January 8 The implementation of the 2008-2020 Pearl River Delta development plan will have completed one year. Progress has been made in the fields of financial services, infrastructure, urban planning and technological innovation through regional cooperation, especially between Guangdong and Hong Kong. One of the key projects of the plan, the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, began in December 2009. 

Translated by GC