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| 1949 |
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| The rapid decomposition of the GMD armies; the capture of Tianjin (Jan. 15) and Beijing (Jan. 21) by the Communists; and the imminent Communist advance into the lower Yangzi valley brought about a temporary change in the GMD government. | 1 |
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| Jan. 21 |
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| Gen. Jiang Jieshi resigned the presidency, leaving V.P. Li Zongren (1891–1969) in charge of peace talks with the Communists. These negotiations broke down. | 2 |
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| April 20 |
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| Communist demands, including the formation of a coalition cabinet under Mao Zedong and the punishment of “war criminals” (notably, Jiang Jieshi), proved unacceptable to the Nationalists. The Communists thereupon resumed their offensive, and in the course of the year they drove the Nationalist armies off the Chinese mainland. | 3 |
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| July 16 |
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| The GMD organized a supreme council under Jiang Jieshi and began to prepare for withdrawal to the island of Taiwan, a plan that was completed by Dec. 8. | 4 |
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| Aug. 5 |
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| The U.S. issued the White Paper, announcing the cessation of all aid to Nationalist China. The latter's collapse was attributed to the military, political, and economic incompetence of GMD leaders, who had come to rely on the U.S. to win the war and keep them in power. | 5 |
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| Oct. 1 |
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| THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA was officially proclaimed in Beijing, with MAO ZEDONG as chairman of the central people's administrative council and ZHOU ENLAI (1899–1976) as premier and foreign minister. The new regime was immediately recognized by the Soviet Union and the eastern bloc countries, and later by Burma, India, and Great Britain (Jan. 6, 1950). | 6 |
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| Dec. 8 |
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| The UN General Assembly called upon all states to respect the political independence of China and the right of the Chinese people to choose their own political institutions. | 7 |
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