Third Taiwan Strait crisis escalates

Deng began a tour of southern China, publicly urging faster reform and opening after political and economic retrenchment. The tour helped restore momentum to market reforms and investment,...

China deposited its instrument of accession to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Accession integrated the country more deeply into global nuclear governance after it had developed its own...

The two governments signed a joint communique establishing diplomatic ties, opening a period of expanding trade and people-to-people contact. The rapprochement showed China’s ability to normalize...

The Party congress opened in Beijing and endorsed establishing a socialist market economy as the goal of reform. This accelerated integration with global markets while preserving state and Party...

A new tax system divided revenue between central and local governments and strengthened central fiscal capacity. It helped finance national infrastructure and state functions, while intensifying local...

The UN conference brought governments and a large international civil-society forum to Beijing. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action became a major global gender-equality framework; the...

Voters elected Taiwan’s president directly for the first time, choosing Lee Teng-hui. The election consolidated democratic legitimacy rooted in Taiwan’s electorate and took place amid military...

China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan signed an agreement on military confidence-building in border areas. This was an early step toward the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and...

The United Kingdom transferred Hong Kong to China under the Joint Declaration and Basic Law framework. The event ended formal British colonial rule and carried symbolic weight in China’s recovery of...

US President Bill Clinton met Chinese President Jiang Zemin during a state visit, addressing Taiwan, trade, human rights, and strategic relations. The meeting reflected efforts to manage an...