offers an "eight-point proposal" for peaceful reunification with Taiwan. Taiwan later issues a counter proposal.June: China is enraged by a visit by Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to his alma mater, Cornell University in the United States. Although the visit is private, Beijing sees it as promoting Taiwan's independence and suspends SEF-ARATS contacts.
July: China starts a series of military wargames near Taiwan.
March, 1996: China conducts three missile tests and military maneouvres ahead of the Taiwan's first direct presidential elections. Lee is elected with 54 percent of the vote.
June, 1997: Beijing holds up the smooth return of Hong Kong from Britain as an example for Taiwan.
February, 1998: ARATS and SEF agree to resume high-level talks and a second Koo-Wang encounter is proposed.
April: SEF sends its deputy secretary general to Beijing and confirms Koo's mainland visit in the autumn.
July: ARATS sends deputy secretary general to Taiwan, but details of Koo's visit are not confirmed. Despite the agreement on the landmark visit, major differences remain.
Oct: Koo makes an historic visit to the mainland. Koo invites Wang for a return visit. Wang accepts, initially proposing spring 1999 as a date.
July, 1999: Lee claims Taipei and Beijing enjoy "state to state" relations, infuriating China which sees the announcement as separatist and holds military exercises along its southeast coast in reaction.
September: Wang drops plans to visit Taiwan without a retraction by Lee. Jiang also asks US President Bill Clinton not to sell arms to Taiwan while reiterating China will "never renounce the use of force" against Taiwan.
October: Jiang predicts to The Times of London that Taiwan will return to the Chinese fold in the first half of the next century.
December: The Chinese government uses the return of Macau from Portugal to exhort Taiwan to return to Beijing's sovereignty.
February 21, 2000: China issues a White Paper hardening its stance on Taiwan, warning Taipei to start reunification talks or risk war. The United States warns China against any aggression.
March 6: Ahead of the presidential election, China says it has millions of troops on "high alert" ready for an immediate strike if Taiwan moves towards independence. The candidates insist Taiwan enjoys "independent sovereignty."
March 18: The pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chen Shui-bian is elected president in Taiwan's second democratic presidential elections.
March: China says it will listen to Chen but demands he accept the "One China" principle and the "fact" that Taiwan is part of China as a precondition for all talks.
Chen drops earlier attachment to independence and vows not to promote separatism but offers only to discuss intrepretations of "One China," saying any definition that includes the rule of Taiwan by the Chinese communist leadership is unacceptable.
April 5: China's top general warns Chen his forces will smash any attempt by the island to break free.
April 9: China launches a fresh tirade against Taiwanese Vice President-elect Annette Lu, with the official media describing her as a "lunatic advocate of Taiwan independence."
April 17: The United States postpones a decision on the sale of four sophisticated Aegis naval destroyers to Taiwan.
April 27: China's top official handling affairs with Taiwan again threatens war unless the island does not agree to "One China."
April 29: Taiwan's top mainland affairs envoy appeals to Beijing for a resumption of peace talks.
May 5: Chen repeats offer to talk with China on the basis of equality and mutual respect.
May 15: In a further sign that it is losing patience, China turns the screw on Chen, bluntly warning him to stop playing games and recognise "One China."
May 16: The commander in chief of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Thomas Fargo, says any attempt by Beijing to seize Taiwan was unlikely to succeed.
May 20: The inauguration of Chen Shui-bian and his government. Chen is to set out his policy on relations with China.
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