Timeline: Seven decades of Communist China
Timeline: Seven decades of Communist China
1949 - Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China in Beijing
1950 - China supports North Korea in the Korean War ... At least 100,000 Chinese "volunteers" die
1958 - Mao launches his "Great Leap Forward" ... by increasing industry and agriculture through collectivisation
1961 - The plan collapses and brings widespread famine ... An estimated 30 million people die
1976 - Mao dies, paving the way for Deng Xiaoping to take charge
1979 - The U.S. and China re-establish diplomatic relations
1989 - Pro-democracy protests errupt on Tiananmen Square ... An army crackdown kills hundreds, if not more
1997 - British colony Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule
2001 - China joins the WTO, heralding its rise as a global manufacturing powerhouse
2008 - The Olympic Games open in Beijing
2012 - Xi Jinping becomes head of the Communist Party ... and president the next year
2018 - China lifts presidential term limits ... meaning Xi can remain president until he dies
