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News > International
A history of discord
May 22, 2000: 3:46 p.m. ET

Can two of the world's biggest nations, foes for 50 years, become allies?
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Human rights, Tibet and Taiwan are some of the issues that have forced both the United States and China to walk a delicate line since the end of World War II. Following is a chronology of the thorny relations between the two nations in the past 50-plus years:

graphic1946 - The United States' attempt to conduct peace talks between the Chinese Nationalists and Communists failed after the civil war in China escalated into all-out fighting at the end of the World War II.

1949 - Despite initial Nationalist advances in the renewed civil war, the Communists, now called the People's Liberation Army, swept through poorly guarded cities held by the overextended Nationalist troops. The Communist soldiers strengthened and supplied themselves with arms and equipment captured from the Nationalists.

graphicAfter a series of defeats and retreats, Chiang Kai-shek and his supporters fled to the island of Taiwan, and Mao Tse-tung formally established the People's Republic of China in Beijing, patterned after the Soviet model.

1950 - The Korean War began, and the United States led the United Nations into the conflict against the communists. U.N troops advanced into North Korea, but were then thrown into full-scale retreat as the Chinese army, reinforcing North Korean troops, blunted the U.N. advance. In the end, the United States and Soviet Union agreed to a temporary measure, dividing Korea along the 38th parallel.

1951 - Chinese forces invaded Tibet, overwhelming its modest military resources. Some years later in 1959, Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled with some of his followers to India.

1964 - China strongly opposed the U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, claiming such an aggression was prelude to an attack on China. In the same year, China entered the nuclear age by successfully testing its first atomic bomb. 

graphic1971 -Taiwan's seat at the United Nations was given to China, and the following year, U.S. President Richard Nixon, known for his anti-communist sentiments, shocked the world by making a visit to China. Prior to Nixon's visit, his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, had held several secret meetings with Mao and other Chinese leaders to pave the way.

1976 - Chairman Mao died. Deng Xiaoping took his place and became China's top leader.

graphic1979 - The United States broke official ties with Taiwan and established formal relations with China. The same year Congress passed the "Taiwan Relations Act," which says the United States is obligated to protect Taiwan against any force.

1986 - The U.S. government agreed to supply high-technology aviation equipment to China for its military modernization. And the Chinese government encouraged overseas investment in China.

1987 - The U.S. Senate criticized Chinese brutality in Tibet, but China protested any outside interference in its internal affairs.

graphic1989 - Thousands of university students held pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), calling for democratic reforms and cleanup of government's corruption. On the eve of June 4, the Chinese government sent in troops to clear the square, and hundreds of protesters were killed. The Bush administration suspended U.S.-China military contacts and sales.

graphic1996 - Taiwan held its first democratic presidential election. China's verbal attacks and military exercises near the island worried the United States, Japan, and other Asian nations. Two U.S. naval carriers were sent into the Taiwan Straits to stabilize tensions.

That same year President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were questioned by the Republicans on a series of alleged campaign finance abuses, including a link to a Chinese American businessman John Huang, who later pleaded guilty to a felony charge in connection with his fund-raising activity for the Clinton-Gore reelection campaign.

1997 - Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping died at the age of 93. Hong Kong reverted to China, ending more than 150 years under British colonial rule.

graphicChina awarded the contracts for the supply of power to the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangzi River, to a group of French, Swiss, and Norwegian companies. The deal was valued at $740 million.

1999 - China violently protested NATO's accidental bombing of its embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency fired one employee and disciplined six others for their roles in the bombing during the Kosovo conflict, but Beijing demanded further investigation.

Later that year, Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., released the "Cox Report," detailing more than two decades of Chinese espionage in America's most sensitive nuclear secrets and other illegal transfers of rocket technology in the 1990s.

graphicAt the same time, human rights critics overseas protested against the Chinese government for detaining followers of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement based on Buddhism and Taoism. China called the organization an "evil cult."

2000 - In an all-star gathering of Republican and Democratic administrations spanning three decades, former Presidents Ford and Carter joined President Clinton to push Congress to pass a landmark trade deal for China. Back to top

- compiled by Staff Writer Joseph Lee





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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.