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| 1999, May 1 |
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| The U.S. Congress accused China of stealing nuclear secrets from its classified reports during the past 20 years. | 1 |
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| May 7 |
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| Sino-American relations deteriorated as U.S. forces mistakenly bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Three died and twenty-seven others were wounded in the bombing strike that was part of Operation Allied Force. | 2 |
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| July 9 |
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| Japan reached a comprehensive trade agreement with China, lowering duties on various important commodities between the two nations. This agreement won Japanese backing for China's application to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). The U.S. agreed upon a similar pact with China on Nov. 15 in a landmark trade agreement to significantly reduce obstacles to imported goods and foreign investments and to give China a normal status as a trading partner with the U.S. | 3 |
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| July 10 |
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| New military missile threats faced Taiwan as tensions mounted when Taiwan's president Lee Teng-hui said publicly that his country was a separate state from China; the announcement abandoned the long-standing “One China” policy in an indirect declaration of Taiwan's independence. | 4 |
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| July 22 |
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| Another human rights issue developed in China: the government banned the Falun Gong religious movement, a combination of Buddhism, Daoism, and martial arts. The group was publicly persecuted by actions of the national government, which was reported to have responded so violently because of suspicions that the incredibly popular group encouraged beliefs contrary to the Chinese communist philosophy. Thousands protested in Beijing's largest unauthorized demonstration since 1989. | 5 |
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| Dec. 20 |
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| Macao was returned to Chinese sovereignty after 442 years as a Portuguese colony. | 6 |
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