1971 in China

Events from the year 1971 in China.

Incumbents

 * Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party – Mao Zedong
 * President of the People's Republic of China – vacant
 * Premier of the People's Republic of China – Zhou Enlai
 * Chairman of the National People's Congress – Zhu De
 * Vice President of the People's Republic of China – Soong Ching-ling and Dong Biwu
 * Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China – Lin Biao (until 13 September), Deng Xiaoping (starting 13 September)

Governors

 * Governor of Anhui Province – Li Desheng
 * Governor of Fujian Province – Han Xianchu
 * Governor of Gansu Province – Song Ping
 * Governor of Guangdong Province – Liu Xingyuan
 * Governor of Guizhou Province – Ma Li
 * Governor of Hebei Province – Li Zaihe then Liu Zihou
 * Governor of Heilongjiang Province – Pan Fusheng then Wang Jiadao
 * Governor of Henan Province – Liu Jianxun
 * Governor of Hubei Province – Zeng Siyu
 * Governor of Hunan Province – Hua Guofeng
 * Governor of Jiangsu Province – Xu Shiyou
 * Governor of Jiangxi Province – Cheng Shiqing then She Jide
 * Governor of Jilin Province – Wang Huaixiang
 * Governor of Liaoning Province – Chen Xilian
 * Governor of Qinghai Province – Liu Xianquan
 * Governor of Shaanxi Province – Li Ruishan
 * Governor of Shandong Province – Yang Dezhi (starting unknown)
 * Governor of Shanxi Province – Liu Geping then Xie Zhenhua
 * Governor of Sichuan Province – Zhang Guohua
 * Governor of Yunnan Province – Zhou Xing
 * Governor of Zhejiang Province – Nan Ping

March

 * March 26 – Cameroon and the People's Republic of China established bilateral relations.

May

 * May 26 – Austria and the People's Republic of China establish diplomatic relations.

June

 * June 10 – The U.S. ends its trade embargo of China.

September

 * September 13 – The Chinese Communist military leader Lin Biao dies in a plane crash in Mongolia after what appeared to be a failed coup to oust Mao. After his death, he was officially condemned as a traitor.

October

 * October 25 – The United Nations General Assembly admits the People's Republic of China and expels the Republic of China (Taiwan).

November

 * November 23 – The People's Republic of China takes the Republic of China's seat on the United Nations Security Council (see China and the United Nations).
 * Henry Kissinger secretly visits Beijing

Births

 * January 26 – Li Ming, Chinese footballer and football executive
 * October 29 – Ma Huateng, Chinese business magnate, founder of TenCent
 * November 12 – Chen Guangcheng, Chinese civil rights activist

Deaths

 * January 27 — Weng Wenhao, geologist and politician (b. 1889)
 * April 25 — T.V. Soong, businessman, banker and politician (b. 1894)
 * April 29 — Li Siguang, geologist and founder of China's geomechanics (b. 1889)
 * June 15 — Xie Juezai, 3rd President of the Supreme People's Court (b. 1884)
 * September 13 — Lin Biao Incident
 * Lin Biao, 2nd Minister of National Defence and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (b. 1907)
 * Ye Qun, politician and wife of Lin Biao (b. 1917)
 * Lin Liguo, son of Lin Biao (b. 1945)
 * October 27 — Zhang Jingwu, politician and lieutenant general of the People's Liberation Army (b. 1906)