China Timeline

1978

December 15, 1978

December 15, 1978 - The United States and China establish official diplomatic relations

Continue reading
June 4, 1989

June 4, 1989 - The Chinese government massacres hundreds of student protesters in Tiananmen Square.

Continue reading
July 1, 1997

July 1, 1997 - Control of Hong Kong is transferred to China from the British Government.

Continue reading
October 10, 2000

October 10, 2000 - President Bill Clinton signs a bill establishing normal trade relations with China.

Continue reading
November 11, 2001

November 11, 2001 - Trade ministers from countries throughout the world, including the United States, approve China’s admission to the World Trade Organization.

Continue reading
November 21, 2004

November 21, 2004 - China opens the first “Confucius Institute” in the United States on the University of Maryland campus.

Continue reading
March 5, 2007

March 5, 2007 - China announces an 18 percent increase in military spending. Premier Wen Jiabao says that China must “effectively carry out the historic mission of the army in the new stage of the new century.”

Continue reading
March 15, 2007

March 15, 2007 - FDA discovers tainted pet food imported from China is killing cats and dogs across America.

Continue reading
January 1, 2008

January 1, 2008 - Tainted blood thinner medicine from China kills 81 Americans.

Continue reading
November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008 - China becomes the largest holder of United States debt in the world, surpassing Japan. Beijing now owns almost ten percent of total U.S. debt. (As of 2021, this percentage has lowered.)

Continue reading
October 27, 2009

October 27, 2009 - Thousands of American homeowners report illnesses from toxic Chinese drywall.

Continue reading
August 15, 2010

August 15, 2010 - China becomes the second largest economy in the world, trailing only behind the United States.

Continue reading
February 23, 2011

February 23, 2011 - Over 12 million tons of Chinese rice are found to be contaminated by toxic metals.

Continue reading
May 20, 2012

May 20, 2012 - Chinese company Dalian Wanda Group buys AMC Entertainment. A Chinese firm now owns the world’s largest cinema chain.

Continue reading
December 12, 2012

December 12, 2012 - China overtakes the United States to become the world’s largest manufacturer.

Continue reading
May 29, 2013

May 29, 2013 - Shuanghui International Holdings, a Chinese meat processing company, buys Smithfield, the number one pork producer in America.

Continue reading
May 14, 2014

May 14, 2014 - Chinese noodles and dumplings are found to contain high levels of aluminum.

Continue reading
December 11, 2014

December 11, 2014 - America has outsourced 3.2 million jobs to China since 2001.

Continue reading
January 16, 2015

January 16, 2015 - Almost half of all Chinese food processing plants fail to meet international health and safety standards.

Continue reading
May 1, 2015

May 1, 2015 - The Chinese government hopes to attain its “Made in China 2025” policy, which places China as the leading global power in 10 key industries, including AI and healthcare.

Continue reading
June 5, 2015

June 5, 2015 - The United States Office of Personnel Management announces their system has been hacked by Chinese hackers. The hackers took social security numbers, employee information, and background check information.

Continue reading
January 11, 2016

January 11, 2016 - Dalian Wanda, the same Chinese firm that owns AMC Theaters, buys Legendary Entertainment film studios. The studio is known for producing mega-budget films like Jurassic Park.

Continue reading
December 15, 2016

December 15, 2016 - Banned antibiotics harmful to humans are found in Chinese fish and shrimp.

Continue reading
December 20, 2017

December 20, 2017 - China becomes the largest economy in the world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity, surpassing the United States.

Continue reading
June 13, 2018

June 13, 2018 - 15 U.S. colleges and universities admit to receiving more than $15 million from Hanban, a propaganda arm of the Chinese Communist Party.

Continue reading
July 16, 2018

July 16, 2018 - Blood pressure medication manufactured in China is recalled for contamination with a toxin once used in rocket fuel.

Continue reading
March 11, 2019

March 11, 2019 - President Trump is briefed that almost 97% of U.S. antibiotics come from China.

Continue reading
May 29, 2019

May 29, 2019 - 80% of rare earth minerals used in the United States come from China. These minerals are critical to many high-tech products, including cell phones and MRI machines.

Continue reading
December 18, 2019

December 18, 2019 - A Chinese propaganda outlet placed over 100 pages of ads in American newspapers in the previous year alone.

Continue reading
December 21, 2019

December 21, 2019 - The US Justice Department announces a $5.5 million settlement with Michigan’s Van Andel Research Institute after the institute admitted it lied about two of its researchers being funded by the Chinese government.

Continue reading

December 15, 1978June 4, 1989July 1, 1997October 10, 2000November 11, 2001November 21, 2004March 5, 2007March 15, 2007January 1, 2008November 20, 2008October 27, 2009August 15, 2010February 23, 2011May 20, 2012December 12, 2012May 29, 2013May 14, 2014December 11, 2014January 16, 2015May 1, 2015June 5, 2015January 11, 2016December 15, 2016December 20, 2017June 13, 2018July 16, 2018March 11, 2019May 29, 2019December 18, 2019December 21, 2019

2021