Internal Section

January 1

China's Second Five-Year Plan ?¨º?¡ì1958-62?¨º(c) period commences. Baoji-Chengdu Railway, 668.36 kilometers long, formally opens to traffic.

January 11-22

CPC Central Committee convenes a conference in Nanning, attended by some central and local government leaders, to discuss achievements of First Five Year Plan and prospects for Second Five-Year Plan and beyond. Mao Zedong drafts Sixty Articles on Working Methods which emphasizes concept of uninterrupted revolution.

March 5

Official establishment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

April 20

First rural people's commune, Weixing People's Commune, is founded at Cuoxia Hill, Suiping County, Henan Province.

May 5-23

Second Plenum of Eighth National Congress of Chinese Communist Party is held in Beijing. It adopts general line of going all out, aiming high and achieving greater, faster, better and more economical results to build socialism, proposed by Mao Zedong and put forward by Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party. It also calls for promoting technological and cultural revolutions.

August 1

1,000-kilometre Baotou-Lanzhou Railway opens to traffic.

August 1-1O

Mao Zedong inspects rural areas in Hebei, Henan, Shandong and other provinces and announces, The people's communes are good.

August 17-30

Political Bureau of Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party convenes enlarged conference in Beidaihe. It decides that 10.7 million tons of steel will be produced in 1958, double that of the previous year, and passes Resolution on Establishing People's Communes in Rural Areas. Combined, these spark The Great Leap Forward movement and the spread of people's communes.

August 23

People's Liberation Army in Fujian shells KMT warships carrying reinforcements to KMT troops on Jinmen Quemoy Island who have been bombarding coastal villages and towns. On October 25, Ministry of National Defense sends message to compatriots in Taiwan, stating that the island will be shelled on odd days of calendar.

September 4

Chinese Government publishes a statement, declaring that China's territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles.

September 30

Across rural China, 90.4 percent of all households are incorporated into people's communes.

October 25

Establishment of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

November 2-10

Mao Zedong convenes first Zhengzhou conference with some central and local government leaders. After fully affirming general line, great leap forward and people's commune movement, Mao points out that some leaders are wrong in being too eager to replace collective ownership of people's communes with ownership by whole people and to make quick transition from socialism to communism. He also refutes the incorrect proposition of Chen Boda and others to abandon commodity pro4uction.

November 28-December 10

Sixth Plenum of Eighth Party Central Committee convenes in Wuchang. The session passes Resolution on Some Questions Concerning the People's Communes, and decision approving Mao Zedong's proposal that he will not be elected chairman of People's Republic of China when next NPC convenes.

Foreign Relations

February 14-21

Chinese government delegation headed by Premier Zhou Enlai visits People's Democratic Republic of Korea. On February 19 governments of the two countries issue joint statement declaring that Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) will withdraw from North Korea by end of 1958. By October 26 CPV withdrawal was completed.

July

The Soviet leader makes requests to the Chinese government that the two countries establish a joint naval fleet, but this is rejected by China.

July 19

Diplomatic relations established with Kampuchea (Cambodia).

August 20

Diplomatic relations established with Iraq.

November 1

Diplomatic relations established with Morocco.

December 20

Diplomatic relations established with Algeria.