Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on Macau signed

The National People’s Congress adopted the current PRC Constitution, establishing the formal framework for reform-era institutions and state modernization. The document affirmed Party leadership and...

The CCP Central Committee adopted a decision to reform China’s economic structure, expanding the reform agenda beyond agriculture and rural policy. It gave market mechanisms a larger role while...

China and the United Kingdom set terms for Hong Kong’s 1997 transfer under the “one country, two systems” framework. The agreement addressed a colonial-era settlement, while subsequent disputes over...

The PRC formally requested to resume its status in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, beginning a long process that eventually led to WTO accession. The application marked an attempt to enter...

Taiwanese opposition activists founded the Democratic Progressive Party while martial law was still in force, challenging the Kuomintang’s one-party system. The move reflected local democratic...

President Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law in Taiwan after 38 years. The decision followed sustained opposition organizing and opened a transition toward competitive politics; this history...

The National People’s Congress approved Hainan’s elevation to provincial status and designated it a special economic zone. The measure extended the experimentation with market opening and sought to...

Chinese troops used force to end the occupation of Tiananmen Square and surrounding protests, causing deaths and injuries. The crackdown isolated China diplomatically for a period and revealed the...

Nine students began a sit-in at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, demanding political reform and an end to the entrenched “ten-thousand-year” legislature. The six-day protest helped press Taiwan’s...

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...