China establishes the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone

The Liaoning entered service as the PRC’s first aircraft carrier. Its commissioning signaled a new phase in naval modernization and power projection, although the carrier’s operational capability...

The 18th Party Congress opened in Beijing and began a leadership transition that brought Xi Jinping to the party’s top post. The congress’s report addressed growth, reform, social development and...

The 18th Party Congress installed Xi as the Party’s general secretary and chairman of the Central Military Commission. This succession began a more centralized leadership period that reshaped domestic...

Chinese customs figures for 2012 showed that the value of its goods trade had surpassed that of the United States. The milestone reflected decades of export-led industrialization and global...

In a speech in Kazakhstan, Xi proposed a Silk Road Economic Belt, later joined by a maritime component as the Belt and Road Initiative. The initiative connected infrastructure finance, trade...

Xi proposed a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road during a visit to Indonesia. Paired with the overland belt, the proposal widened China’s regional infrastructure and connectivity agenda toward...

The Party Central Committee adopted a decision outlining reforms in markets, governance, and state institutions. It announced a larger role for market forces while retaining strong Party direction,...

Students and civic groups occupied the Legislative Yuan in protest against opaque handling of a proposed cross-strait trade-in-services agreement. The movement demanded public scrutiny of economic...

Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents took to the streets demanding democratic reform after Beijing’s framework for the 2017 chief executive election. The movement foregrounded local political...

Twenty-one prospective founding members signed the AIIB Articles of Agreement in Beijing. The bank represented China’s effort to shape multilateral development finance and address infrastructure gaps,...