3. The stock-market plunge in summer offsets gains

On August 24, Chinese stocks plunged by more than 8.5 percent, the biggest one-day percentage loss since 2007. The decline offset market gains made since the beginning of 2015 with more than 1,000 shares losing 10 percent, the daily limit. From June 15 to August 26, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost some 45 percent. The rout wiped out some $5 trillion in market value.

Analysts said the A-share market volatility was a result of many factors, including irrational speculation in the first few months of 2015, which pushed up share prices much higher than companies' performance and macro economic growth would warrant.

That weakened market confidence amid sluggish economic growth, and caused illegal practices such as insider trading and malicious short-selling. Authorities investigated related issues during the entire summer of 2015, making efforts to reform the market into a more transparent and effective one.

Regulators launched a series of measures to boost market confidence in the long run, enabling investors to trade in a safer environment.