Mar

1 Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush swap greetings on the 30th anniversary of the release of the 1972 Shanghai Communique, which lays the foundation for the normalization of China-U.S. relations.

11 In response to U.S. State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices on March 4, the Information Office of the State Council issues the Human Rights Record of the United States in 2001, which cites facts and figures to show America's own human rights-related problems. The article urges the United States to give up its hegemonic practice of creating confrontation and interfering in the internal affairs of other nations by exploiting the human rights issue, to increase international cooperation and dialogue in the area of human rights, and to do more useful things for the progress and development of humanity.

21 The first group of Chinese judges and procurators receiving the "grand" titles are appointed. Xiao Yang, President of the Supreme People's Court and Chief Grand Judge, issues certificates to 41 first- and second-rank grand judges. Forty-one first- and second-rank procurators are also awarded the title of "grand procurator" by Han Zhubin, Procurator General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate and Chief Grand Procurator.

25 China launches its third unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou 3, at Jiuquan Satellite Launching Center in northwest Gansu Province. After seven days of flight, the spacecraft, which is technically designed exactly as a manned spaceship, lands in the central part of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 1, after successfully completing all of its missions.