China and South Korea establish diplomatic relations

Premier Li Peng announced the decision to develop Pudong, across the Huangpu River from Shanghai’s historic center. The project became a showcase of urban modernization, finance, and foreign...

The Shanghai Stock Exchange was established as China rebuilt domestic securities markets. It became a key institution in the gradual expansion of market mechanisms under party-state supervision. Its...

China joined APEC at the Seoul ministerial meeting, alongside Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei under agreed names. Participation connected the PRC to a major regional economic forum and supported its...

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 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 PRC launched missile tests near Taiwan during a period of political tension ahead of Taiwan’s first direct presidential election. The crisis brought US carrier deployments and exposed the risk...

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...