A brief history of Redstar Earth (part 1)

紅星, or Redstar, was a Chinese solar energy company that specialized in producing solar panels and provided power for nearly all of China's citizens; it did so by utilizing 15% of the Gobi Desert's vast plains as medium-efficiency solar farms. RedStar also had its fingers in some other pies, namely nuclear power, water, agriculture, and the Chinese government. By the year 22 PiCo (confused? see "RedStar Earth dating conventions") RedStar gained enough clout to stage a coup de ta of the Chinese government, placing its CEO and several members of its board of directors in the highest seats of power. With this new-found power, RedStar forged a political coalition with North Korea; using their ties to nuclear power, the RedStar Coalition began massing weapons-grade plutonium and nuclear weapons to bully nearby countries into economic submission. Japan and South Korea withstood this political thuggery and placed embargoes on the RedStar Coalition with multiple other countries (Not including the United States) following suit. Failing at subtlety, the RedStar coalition declared war on Japan and South Korea,threatening use of Nuclear weapons should the United States or any other nation intervene. Japan and the Korean Peninsula fell and were placed under the RedStar Hegemony.

RedStar Earth dating conventions.

"PiCo" refers to dates before Roavic contact. (Pre-Contact...PiCo)
"PoCo" refers to dates after Roavic contact. (Post-Contact...PoCo)
Easy peasy! Now, while I don't really think that making contact with an extrasolar culture would spur a complete change in dating conventions (A change from the B.C./A.D. or B.C.E./C.E. convention for those keeping score at home), I think it's convenient for two reasons.
1. It makes datekeeping easy by creating a new context in which to view the events of my conworld's history
2. I don't have to mention the real-world date!