China becomes a WTO member

Portugal transferred administration of Macau to China under a high-autonomy arrangement. The event completed the transfer of the last major European colonial possession on the Chinese coast, while...

China and African states launched FOCAC as a multilateral platform for political and economic cooperation. The forum institutionalized South-South engagement, while raising questions about African...

A US reconnaissance plane and Chinese interceptor collided over the South China Sea; the Chinese pilot died and the US aircraft made an emergency landing on Hainan. The incident produced a...

The International Olympic Committee selected Beijing to host the 2008 Summer Games. The decision gave China a highly visible platform to present itself as a modern global power after decades of...

APEC leaders meeting in Shanghai adopted the Shanghai Accord, setting a regional agenda for trade facilitation, transparency and digital commerce. Hosting the meeting showed China’s growing role in...

China and ASEAN states signed a declaration intended to manage disputes and encourage confidence-building. It reflected China’s growing role in regional diplomacy but did not resolve territorial...

The World Health Organization issued a global alert after cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome appeared across several countries. The outbreak tested China’s public-health transparency and...

The mainland and Hong Kong governments signed the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, reducing trade barriers and expanding economic integration. The agreement responded to Hong Kong’s economic...

A mass march in Hong Kong opposed proposed national-security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law and voiced broader dissatisfaction with governance. Estimates of turnout differed...

The World Health Organization announced that the last known chain of person-to-person SARS transmission had been interrupted. SARS began in southern China and became a transnational health crisis; the...