May

7 A MD-82 airliner belonging to China Northern Airlines crashes into the Dalian Bay of the Bohai Sea, claiming the lives of all 103 passengers and nine crew members on board.

22 The Ministry and Science and Technology and PetroChina Co. Ltd. jointly announce the discovery of the nation's largest natural gas field in the Ih Ju Meng League in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. With verified reserves of 602.53 billion cubic meters of gas, it is also China's first world-class gas field in size.

26 China's World Cup squad, making their first-ever appearance at the premier soccer tournament in 44 years, arrives at their training camp in Seogwipo, the Republic of Korea. The Chinese team eventually ends up in the 31st place among all 32 competitors participating in the event.

31 Speaking at the commencement of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, says that China has entered a new development era of building an overall well-off society, in which the country should accelerate the pace of socialist modernization. He calls on the entire Party and people from all works of life to hold high the great banner of the Deng Xiaoping Theory, to thoroughly put into practice the important thought of the "Three Represents," and to devote themselves to the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.