| 1980
|
|
| Jan. 3 -- |
The US government informs the ROC government
that it will resume arms sales to the ROC after a one-year suspension. |
| Dec. 27 -- |
Twenty-two supplementary members are
elected to the Control Yuan from among 54 candidates by members of
the Taiwan Provincial Assembly, the Taipei City Council, and the Kaohsiung
City Council. |
| 1981
|
|
| Apr. 2 -- |
President Chiang Ching-kuo is reelected
chairman of the Kuomintang by acclamation at the 12th National Congress
in Taipei. |
| May 4 -- |
The first European Trade Fair in the
Republic of China is held at the Taipei World Trade Center with some
293 companies from 13 Western European countries participating. |
| 1982
|
|
| May 12 -- |
The Council for Agricultural Planning
and Development (CAPD) reveals the second phase of the land reform
program. |
| 20 -- |
The Cabinet approves the draft of a
Genetic Health Law to legalize abortion and prevent couples
with known genetic diseases from having children. |
| June 20 -- |
The Directorate General of Telecommunications
(DGT) opens the first public data switching service in the ROC. |
| Oct. 16 -- |
Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn, 1970 Nobel
Literature Prize winner, arrives in Taiwan from Tokyo at the invitation
of Wu San-lien Awards Foundation of the ROC. |
| 1983
|
|
| Jan. 14 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes a revision
of the Trademark Law to impose prison terms for infringement
of trademarks. |
| Feb. 16 -- |
The Dutch airline Martinair inaugurates
flight service to Taiwan, marking the opening of air service between
the Netherlands and the Republic of China. |
| Apr. 12 -- |
China Airlines inaugurates regular flight
service to Amsterdam as the first step toward establishing a world-girdling
commercial air service. |
| June 7 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes the Firearms
Control Law, placing the manufacture, possession, and use of firearms
and other weapons under stricter control. |
| Oct. 31 -- |
Taipei's 809-m-long Kuantu Bridge, the
first multi-arch steel bridge in East Asia, is opened to traffic. |
| 1984
|
|
| Jan. 12 -- |
The Cabinet approves a plan to build
a synchrotron research center within five years. |
| Mar. 1 -- |
The Republic of China's first domestically
developed jet trainer AT-3 rolls off the assembly line. The twin-seat
trainer, fitted with two Garrett TFE 731-2-2L engines, each with a
thrust of 1,590 kg, was developed by the Aeronautical Institute of
Science and Technology. |
| 21 -- |
President Chiang Ching-kuo is reelected
for a second six-year term. |
| May 20 -- |
President Chiang Ching-kuo nominates
Yu Kuo-hwa, chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development
and governor of the Central Bank of China, as the new premier. |
| June 29 -- |
The Legislative Yuan approves the long-awaited
and controversial Genetic Health Law. |
| July 20 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes the Labor
Standards Law. |
| Sep. 20 -- |
The ROC Council of Agriculture is formally
established. |
| Oct. 12 -- |
The ROC-Australia Trade Association
and the Chinese-New Zealand Business Council are formally inaugurated
in Taipei. |
| 1985
|
|
| Jan. 8 -- |
The Hong Kong Affairs Task Force under
the Executive Yuan decides to simplify exit and entry application
procedures, relax controls on foreign exchange, and adopt incentive
measures to encourage large enterprises and monetary institutions
in Hong Kong to move to Taiwan. |
| Apr. 16 -- |
The first test tube baby in the Republic
of China is born at Veterans General Hospital in Taipei. |
| July 9 -- |
The last part of a transoceanic telecommunication
cable system, which will link Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, is
hauled ashore in Toucheng, Ilan. |
| 19 -- |
The Ministry of National Defense announces
that a domestically developed surface-to-air missile named "Sky Bow"
made a successful debut in a test firing. |
| Sep. 29 -- |
ROC decathlon athletes Ku Chin-shui
and Li Fu-en win a gold and silver medal respectively in the sixth
Asian Track and Field Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. |
| 1986
|
|
| Apr. 23 -- |
National Taiwan University Hospital
separates a pair of 14-day-old Siamese twins, saving one of the baby
girls' life and setting a world record for separating the youngest
Siamese twins. |
| 24 -- |
ROC Minister of Foreign Affairs Chu
Fu-sung and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Carlos Augusto Saldivar sign
an extradition treaty in Taipei on behalf of their respective governments. |
| May 18 -- |
The Ministry of National Defense announces
that an air-to-air "Sky Sword" missile has been successfully tested
by shooting down a Hawk missile. |
| Aug. 3 -- |
Construction of the Synchronous Radiation
Research Center is started at the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial
Park. |
| Sep. 25 -- |
The Republic of China, after withdrawing
13 years ago, is readmitted to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). |
| Oct. 15 -- |
Lee Yuan-tseh, a member of the Academia
Sinica, wins the 1986 Nobel Prize in chemistry. |
| Nov. 6 -- |
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
holds its first Representative Assembly and releases a draft of its
charter and platform. |
| 1987 |
|
| June 23 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes the National
Security Law during the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression
of the Communist Rebellion. After the law becomes effective, the
Emergency Decree in Taiwan and the Pescadores (Penghu) will
be lifted. |
| July 15 -- |
The Emergency Decree is lifted
in the Taiwan area, the National Security Law is promulgated,
and foreign exchange controls are relaxed. |
| Aug. 1 -- |
The Council of Labor Affairs is formally
established under the Executive Yuan. |
| Nov. 2 -- |
The ROC Red Cross Society begins accepting
applications from local residents wishing to visit relatives in the
Chinese mainland. |
| 10 -- |
ROC-US talks on intellectual property
rights begin in Taipei. |
| 1988
|
|
| Jan. 1 -- |
Registrations for new newspapers are
opened, and restrictions on the number of pages per issue are relaxed. |
| 11 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes the Law
on Assembly and Parades during the Period of National Mobilization
for Suppression of the Communist Rebellion, which outlines three
fundamental principles and specifies areas that will be off-limits
to demonstrators. |
| 13 -- |
President Chiang Ching-kuo passes away
of heart failure and hemorrhage at 3:50 p.m. |
| -- |
Vice President Lee Teng-hui is sworn
in as president of the Republic of China to complete the late President
Chiang's second six-year term, which runs from 1984 to 1990. |
| Mar. 3 -- |
The Council for Economic Planning and
Development approves the establishment of a US$11 billion International
Economic Cooperation and Development Fund to assist developing countries. |
| 24 -- |
The Government Information Office and
the Ministry of National Defense reiterate that the ROC has never
engaged in the development of nuclear weapons. This is confirmed by
the US government. |
| Apr. 18 -- |
The ROC Red Cross Society begins forwarding
mail from Taiwan residents to the Chinese mainland. |
| 28 -- |
An ROC delegation attends the annual
convention of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. |
| July 8 -- |
Acting Chairman Lee Teng-hui is elected
chairman of the Kuomintang at the ruling party's 13th National Congress. |
| 28 -- |
The Executive Yuan approves regulations
governing the import of publications, films, and radio and television
programs from communist-controlled areas. |
| Aug. 18 -- |
The Mainland Affairs Task Force is established
under the Executive Yuan. |
| 30 -- |
ROC-US talks on finance and banking
open in Washington. The ROC negotiators agree to open the Taiwan market
to credit card companies and to expand credit for foreign banks. |
| Oct. 25 -- |
A comprehensive farmer health insurance
is initiated. |
| Nov. 3 -- |
The Mainland Affairs Task Force revises
regulations to allow mainland compatriots to visit sick relatives
or attend their funerals in Taiwan. |
| 17 -- |
The Executive Yuan approves the private
installation of small satellite dish antennas, which will allow viewers
to tune into the KU-band and receive television programming from Japan's
NHK station. |
| Dec. 1 -- |
The Executive Yuan announces guidelines
governing unofficial participation in international academic conferences
and cultural and athletic activities held on the mainland, as well
as regulations governing visits to Taiwan by overseas mainland scholars
and students. |
| 1989
|
|
| Jan. 10 -- |
The ROC and the Commonwealth of the
Bahamas establish diplomatic relations. |
| 20 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes the Law
on Civic Organizations. |
| 26 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes the Law
on the Voluntary Retirement of Senior Parliamentarians. |
| Mar. 6 -- |
President and Mme. Lee Teng-hui arrive
in Singapore for a four-day visit. |
| Apr. 7 -- |
The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee
announces that ROC athletic teams and organizations will participate
in international sports events held on the mainland under the name
"Chinese Taipei." |
| 17 -- |
The Mainland Affairs Task Force passes
the proposal to allow teachers and staff of public schools to travel
to the Chinese mainland for family visits. On the 18th, the council
decides to permit newsgathering and filmmaking on the mainland. |
| 30 -- |
Finance Minister Shirley Kuo leads an
ROC delegation to the 22nd annual Asian Development Bank meeting in
Beijing. |
| May 28 -- |
Ching Kuo, the first ROC-developed and
manufactured indigenous defense fighter, successfully completes its
first test flight. |
| 31 -- |
One million students participate in
a "Hand in Hand, Heart to Heart" rally in support of the mainland
democracy movement. |
| June 1 -- |
Lee Huan is sworn in as premier of the
ROC. |
| 4 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui issues a statement
condemning the Tienanmen Massacre. |
| 10 -- |
Direct telephone links are opened between
the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. |
| 19 -- |
The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Task
Force announces the government's plan to simplify procedures for the
relocation of Hong Kong and Macao compatriots in Taiwan and to provide
assistance for their emigration to a third country. |
| July 11 -- |
The Legislative Yuan approves a partial
revision of the Banking Law which completely abolishes interest
rate controls and deregulates entry into the banking system. The law
goes into effect on July 19. |
| 20 -- |
The ROC establishes formal diplomatic
ties with Grenada. |
| Aug. 1 -- |
A foreign currency call loan market
is established in Taipei, designed to make the metropolis an international
financial center. |
| Sep. 4 -- |
Guatemalan President Marco Vincicio
Cerezo Arevalo and President Lee Teng-hui sign a joint communique
in Taipei calling for closer bilateral relations. |
| 15 -- |
Prime Minister Mary Eugenia Charles
of the Commonwealth of Dominica arrives in Taipei for a six-day visit. |
| 25 -- |
The Sky Bow Weapons System, devel oped
and manufactured by the ROC, is added to the nation's military defense
system. |
| 26 -- |
The Executive Yuan permits pro-democracy
supporters from the mainland to settle in Taiwan. |
| Oct. 2 -- |
The ROC and Liberia re-establish diplomatic
relations. Beijing severs formal ties with Liberia in protest. |
| 12 -- |
The ROC and Belize announce the establishment
of diplomatic relations. |
| -- |
King Mswati III of Swaziland arrives
for a five-day visit. |
| Dec. 2 -- |
Elections for the Legislative Yuan,
Taiwan Provincial Assembly, Taipei and Kaohsiung city councils, county
magistrates, and provincial-level city mayors are held. |
| 1990
|
|
| Jan. 14 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui and President
Prosper Avril of Haiti sign a joint communique calling for stronger
bilateral cooperation. |
| 16 -- |
Low-ranking government employees are
permitted to visit relatives across the strait, and native Taiwanese
who moved to the mainland before 1949 are allowed to visit relatives
in Taiwan. |
| Feb. 13 -- |
The Mainland Affairs Task Force permits
Taiwan's performing artists to stage commercial performances on the
mainland and to participate in activities sponsored by the Chinese
communists. |
| 26 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui and El Salvadoran
President Alfredo Felix Cristiani Burkard sign a joint communique
for closer bilateral cooperation. |
| Mar. 1 -- |
The Executive Yuan approves direct trade
between the ROC and the Soviet Union and Albania. |
| 17 -- |
Thousands of university students stage
a sit-down protest at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Plaza to express
opposition to the National Assembly's attempt to expand its authority. |
| 21 -- |
Lee Teng-hui is elected the eighth-term
president of the ROC. |
| 22 -- |
Li Yuan-zu is elected vice president
of the ROC. |
| 27 -- |
The eighth plenum of the National Assembly
approves a motion to force members who failed to attend the plenary
session to retire by the end of July 1990. |
| Apr. 5 -- |
The ROC re-establishes diplomatic relations
with the Kingdom of Lesotho. Beijing severs ties with Lesotho two
days later. |
| 8 -- |
Economics Minister Chen Li-an and Singaporean
Minister of Trade and Industries, Lee Hsien Loong, preside over the
first ministerial-level conference between the two countries on economic
cooperation. |
| 30 -- |
Elected officials of all levels are
permitted to make private visits to the mainland during recesses.
Veterans who were stranded on the mainland after the national government
moved to Taiwan in 1949 are allowed to apply for resettlement in Taiwan. |
| May 16 -- |
The KMT Central Standing Committee accepts
the resignation of Premier Lee Huan and his Cabinet ministers. |
| 20 -- |
Lee Teng-hui and Li Yuan-zu are inaugurated
as president and vice president of the ROC. |
| -- |
President Lee Teng-hui announces a special
amnesty, which includes the pardoning of dissidents Hsu Hsin-liang
and Shih Ming-teh. |
| 26 -- |
The ROC establishes diplomatic relations
with Guinea Bissau. |
| 29 -- |
Premier nominee Hau Pei-tsun is approved
by the Legislative Yuan, and is immediately appointed premier by President
Lee Teng-hui. |
| June 17 -- |
President Andres Rodriguez of Paraguay
arrives in Taipei to sign a joint com-munique calling for closer bilateral
relations with the ROC. |
| 21 -- |
The Council of Grand Justices announces
that senior parliamentarians should terminate their responsibilities
by December 31, 1991. |
| 25 -- |
Reporters from the mainland are permit
ted to visit Taiwan for newsgathering purposes, and government employees
from Taiwan are allowed to visit sick relatives or attend funerals
on the mainland. |
| July 4 -- |
The National Affairs Conference concludes
in Taipei, after six days of discussions on parliamentary reforms,
the central and local government systems, the Constitution, and mainland
policy. |
| 22 -- |
The ROC severs diplomatic relations
with Saudi Arabia, after the latter switches formal recognition to
communist China. |
| Aug. 10 -- |
The ROC government declares its support
of a United Nations call for world sanctions against Iraq over its
invasion of Kuwait. |
| 31 -- |
Premier Hau Pei-tsun advises the Legislative
Yuan that ROC relations with the mainland will operate under the concept
of "one country, two areas." |
| Sep. 1 -- |
Premier Hau Pei-tsun announces the objectives
of the Six-Year National Development Plan, which includes public construction
projects affecting economics, culture, education, and medicine. |
| 17 -- |
A team of 200 athletes and coaches flies
to the Chinese mainland for the ROC's first attendance of the Asian
Games in 20 years. |
| 19 -- |
The Red Cross societies of the ROC and
the mainland reach agreement on procedures for the repatriation of
illegal mainland entrants to Taiwan. |
| Oct. 7 -- |
The National Unification Council is
established under the Office of the President to help plan the policy
framework for national unification, and to integrate various opinions
about the issue at all levels of society. |
| 11 -- |
The Ministry of the Interior reiterates
that the Tiaoyutai Islets belong to the ROC. The chain of eight uninhabited
islets, located in the East China Sea, also is claimed by Japan and
communist China. |
| 18 -- |
The Mainland Affairs Council is established
under the Executive Yuan to formulate and implement mainland policy. |
| 27 -- |
Moscow City Mayor Gavriil H. Popov arrives
for a formal visit to the ROC to discuss the strengthening of ROC-Soviet
trade relations. |
| Nov. 1 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui receives an Outstanding
International Alumnus Citation from Cornell University. |
| 15 -- |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces
the ROC-Canadian agreement to exchange aviation rights and establish
Taipei economic and cultural offices in major Canadian cities. |
| 20 -- |
The first ROC-USSR fishery cooperation
conference is held in Tokyo for discussions on technological exchanges
and expansion of fishing zones. |
| 21 -- |
The Straits Exchange Foundation, a private
intermediary organization financially supported by the government,
is established to handle technical affairs arising from people-to-people
contacts between Taiwan and the mainland. |
| 1991
|
|
| Jan. 6 -- |
A memorandum is signed between the ROC
and Saudi Arabia for the mutual establishment of representative offices
in their capital cities. |
| 7 -- |
French Minister of Industry and Territorial
Development Roger Fauroux participates in the seventh ROC-France Economic
Cooperation Conference in Taipei. |
| 31 -- |
The Executive Yuan approves a budget
of about US$303 billion for the Six-Year National Development Plan. |
| Mar. 14 -- |
The Executive Yuan passes the Guidelines
for National Unification, which are now the highest directives
governing ROC mainland policy. Its long-term goal is to establish
a democratic, free, and equitably prosperous China. |
| Apr. 22 -- |
The second extraordinary session of
the First National Assembly passes, at its sixth plenary meeting,
the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the ROC and
approves the abolishment of the Tem porary Provisions Effective
During the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of the
Communist Rebellion. |
| 30 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui declares the
termination of the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression
of the Communist Rebellion, effective on May 1. He abolishes the Temporary
Provisions and promulgates the Additional Articles of the Constitution,
also effective on May 1. |
| May 24 -- |
The Legislative Yuan approves the abolishment
of the Statutes for the Purging of Communist Agents. |
| June 26 -- |
Approval is given to 15 of the 19 applications
to set up private commercial banks. |
| 27 -- |
Government Spokesman Shaw Yu-ming announces
that mainland journalists will no longer have to renounce their membership
in the Chinese Communist Party when applying to visit Taiwan. |
| July 4 -- |
The ROC and Czechoslovakia agree to
exchange representative offices. |
| 8 -- |
The ROC and the Central African Republic
resume diplomatic relations. |
| Aug. 5 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui receives Fijian
Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara; an ROC-Fiji technological cooperation
agreement is signed on August 6. |
| 12 -- |
Two mainland journalists arrive in Taipei,
marking the first-ever visit by the mainland Chinese press. |
| 18 -- |
Vice President Li Yuan-zu leaves for
a state visit to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras, and to attend
the 23rd Plenary Meeting of the World League for Freedom and Democracy
at San Jose, Costa Rica. |
| Oct. 11 -- |
Direct air service begins between Australia
and the ROC. |
| Nov. 6 -- |
The ROC and Latvia sign memoranda for
economic cooperation and the exchange of trade offices. |
| 13 -- |
The ROC joins the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) along with Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. |
| 15 -- |
South African President Frederik Willem
de Klerk signs a joint communique with President Lee Teng-hui for
closer relations between the two countries. |
| Dec. 21 -- |
The ruling Kuomintang wins 71 percent
of the vote and 254 of the 325 seats in the election for the Second
National Assembly. |
| 22 -- |
Dissident mainland Chinese astrophysicist
Fang Li-chih visits Taipei. |
| 31 -- |
All senior delegates to the First National
Assembly, Control Yuan, and Legislative Yuan retire from office. |
| 1992
|
|
| Jan. 20 -- |
The French Secretary of State for Foreign
Trade Jean-Noel Jeanneney visits Taipei to discuss participation in
the Six-Year National Development Plan and further economic cooperation
between the ROC and France. |
| 27 -- |
The Fair Trade Commission is established
under the Executive Yuan. |
| 29 -- |
The ROC and Latvia announce the establishment
of relations at the consulate-general level. |
| Feb. 4 -- |
The Fair Trade Law goes into
effect. |
| 18 -- |
A delegation from the US President's
Export Council arrives to promote ROC-US trade. |
| 28 -- |
The ROC and the Philippines sign an
official investment guarantee agreement to protect investments by
Taiwan businessmen. |
| Mar. 7 -- |
Nicaraguan President Violeta Barrios
de Chamorro and President Lee Teng-hui sign a joint communique in
Taipei for stronger bilateral relations. |
| 23 -- |
The first-ever meeting convenes in Beijing
between the Straits Exchange Foundation and the mainland's Association
for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, to discuss issues related
to document verification and indirect registered mail services. |
| 27 -- |
The ROC and Bulgaria agree to establish
direct air links between Taipei and Sofia. |
| Apr. 17 -- |
Legislative proceedings are completed
for the National Employment Act, which will serve as the basis
for the employment of foreign nationals in the ROC. |
| 19 -- |
Minister of Foreign Trade Yvonne C.M.T.
van Rooy of the Netherlands visits Taipei to seek stronger bilateral
relations. |
| 29 -- |
Bolivian Vice President Luis Ossio Sanjines
officiates the inauguration of the Bolivian Commercial and Financial
Representative Office in Taipei. |
| May 10 -- |
Swedish Minister of Transport and Communications,
Mats Odell, visits Taipei to discuss closer cooperation and future
exchanges with the ROC. |
| 11 -- |
President Andre Kolingba of the Central
African Republic visits Taipei. |
| 17 -- |
Wu Ta-you, president of Academia Sinica,
attends academic conferences in Beijing and Tianjin. |
| 30 -- |
The Additional Articles 11 through 18
of the Constitution go into effect. |
| 31 -- |
The Mainland Affairs Council allows
Chinese mainlanders to come to Taiwan and care for their old or sick
relatives. |
| June 10 -- |
A revised Copyright Law goes
into effect, providing explicit legal protection for intellectual
property rights and imposing heavier penalties for infringement of
copyright. |
| 14 -- |
Ronald Freeman, Vice President of the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, visits the ROC to
discuss Sino-European trade and financial relations. |
| 19 -- |
The ROC resumes diplomatic relations
with Niger. |
| -- |
The Legislative Yuan approves the Law
on Foreign Futures Contracts, which will take effect in January
1993. |
| July 3 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes a revision
of the Law on Civic Organizations, which calls for a Political
Party Review Committee to be formed under the Ministry of the Interior. |
| 7 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes a revision
of the National Security Law, which would reduce the number
of black-listed persona non grata from 282 to five. |
| 9 -- |
The Argentine Trade and Cultural Office
is opened in Taipei after a 20-year break in diplomatic relations. |
| 16 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes the Statute
Governing Relations Between People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland
Area. |
| 19 -- |
The ROC's five-year lease of three Knox-class
frigates from the United States is approved by US President George
Bush. |
| 23 -- |
Former French Premier Michel Rocard
visits the ROC to strengthen friendship between the two countries. |
| Aug. 1 -- |
The National Unification Council defines
"one China" as "one country and two areas separately ruled by two
political entities." |
| -- |
Taiwan Garrison General Headquarters,
the ROC's highest security institution in the Taiwan area, is disbanded;
and the Coastal Patrol General Headquarters is established under the
Ministry of National Defense. |
| 18 -- |
The Department of Anti-Corruption is
established under the Ministry of Justice. |
| 23 -- |
The ROC severs diplomatic relations
with South Korea. |
| 25 -- |
Niger's Prime Minister Amadou Cheiffou
arrives in Taipei to advance mutual understanding between the two
countries. |
| 30 -- |
Former British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher expresses support for the ROC's entry into the GATT during
her visit to Taipei. |
| Sep. 2 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui and Guatemalan
President Jorge Antonio Serrano sign a joint communique calling for
closer bilateral cooperation in Taipei. |
| -- |
Canadian International Trade Minister
Michael Wilson visits Taipei to boost ROC-Canada trade ties; he is
the first ministerial official to visit the ROC since bilateral ties
were severed in 1970. |
| -- |
The Bureau of Entry and Exit announces
that members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
in mainland China may apply to visit Taiwan for cultural and academic
exchanges. |
| 6 -- |
Direct air service between the ROC and
Vietnam resumes for the second time in 13 months. |
| 13 -- |
Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis
visits Taipei to seek mutually beneficial cooperation; an ROC-Latvia
investment guarantee agreement is signed on September 17. |
| 21 -- |
The US Department of Defense decides
to sell 12 SH-2F light airborne multipurpose system helicopters to
the ROC. |
| 22 -- |
Political Vice Foreign Minister John
Chang and Oleg Lobov, chairman of the Export Council to the Russian
President Boris Yeltsin, sign two diplomatic memoranda and a document
of state protocol pledging the promotion of trade, tourism, investment,
cultural, and scientific and technological exchanges. |
| 24 -- |
Foreign Minister Fredrick Chien and
his Vanuatu counterpart Serge Vohor sign a joint communique pledging
reciprocal recognition. |
| 29 -- |
The ROC is granted observer status in
the GATT, which also resolves to accept the ROC's application into
GATT under the name, the "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu,
Kinmen and Matsu." |
| Oct. 11 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui and Panamanian
President Guillermo Endara sign a joint communique to expand bilateral
cooperation. |
| 12 -- |
Premier Hau Pei-tsun receives Austrian
Minister for Economic Affairs Wolfgang Schussel. |
| 22 -- |
Belgian Foreign Trade Minister Robert
Urbain visits Taipei to relay a message of welcome to Taiwan businessmen
intending to invest in Belgium and pledges support for the ROC's bid
to join GATT. |
| 27 -- |
Australian Tourism and Resources Minister
Alan Griffiths visits Taipei to promote closer bilateral trade relations.
Mr. Griffiths is the first Australian Minister visiting Taipei since
1972. |
| Nov. 3 -- |
Indonesian Minister of Research and
Technology Bacharuddin Habibie leads a 30-member delegation to Taiwan. |
| 4 -- |
Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Chiang
Pin-kung heads an observer delegation to the Geneva meeting of GATT
Council of Representatives after the ROC's absence of 21 years. |
| 7 -- |
After more than three decades of military
administration, Quemoy (Kinmen) and Matsu revert to civilian rule
as the Statute Governing the Security and Guidance of the Kinmen,
Matsu, Tungsha, and Nansha Areas goes into effect. |
| 9 -- |
Saint Lucia's Prime Minister John George
Melvin Compton visits Taipei. |
| 10 -- |
The Nigerian Trade Office is set up
in Taipei to promote economic relations with the ROC. |
| 12 -- |
ROC and US defense representatives sign
a letter of offer and acceptance for the ROC's purchase of 150 F-16A
and F-16B jet fighters from the United States. |
| 18 -- |
German Vice Chancellor Jurgen Mollemann
and Economics Minister Vincent C. Siew reach an agreement on the establishment
of direct air links and channels of communication on trade between
the ROC and Germany. |
| 19 -- |
The Council of Agriculture bans all
import, export, and trade of rhino-horn products. |
| 30 -- |
United States Trade Representative Carla
A. Hills visits Taipei. |
| Dec. 19 -- |
The Kuomintang wins 53.02 percent and
the Democratic Progressive Party 31.03 percent of the popular vote
in the election for the Second Legislative Yuan. |
| 1993
|
|
| Jan. 14 -- |
The Legislative Yuan approves a US$12.47
billion budget for the purchase of 150 F-16 jet fighters from the
United States and 60 Mirage 2000-5s from France. |
| 15 -- |
ROC and Philippine officials sign an
agreement in Manila, setting the guidelines for transforming the former
US naval facility at Subic Bay into an industrial complex. |
| Feb. 22 -- |
Taiwan-made film The Wedding Banquet
wins a Golden Bear Award for Best Picture at the 43rd annual Berlin
International Film Festival. |
| 26 -- |
Two mainland Chinese basketball teams
arrive in Taiwan to play exhibition matches against local teams; this
marks the first time in four decades that athletes from Taiwan and
the mainland will compete in Taiwan. |
| 27 -- |
Taiwan Provincial Governor Lien Chan
succeeds Hau Pei-tsun as premier of the ROC following his confirmation
by the Legislative Yuan. |
| Mar. 21 -- |
Republic of Nauru President Bernard
Dowiyogo visits Taipei. |
| 26 -- |
In an interview with the US Cable News
Network, President Lee Teng-hui stresses the ROC's willingness to
form a regional collective security system with Asia-Pacific countries. |
| 29 -- |
Direct air service between the ROC and
the United Kingdom begins. |
| -- |
New Zealand's minister of customs and
associate minister of tourism, Murray McCully, leads a nine-member
delegation to Taipei. Mr. McCully is New Zealand's first minister
to visit Taipei since 1972. |
| Apr. 22 -- |
The Legislative Yuan ratifies the 1989
ROC-US copyright agreement and passes amendments to the Copyright
Law, which go into effect on April 26. |
| -- |
Tonga's Prime Minister Vaea and Mme.
Vaea visit the ROC. |
| 29 -- |
Representatives of the Straits Exchange
Foundation and its mainland counterpart, the Association for Relations
Across the Taiwan Straits, sign three agreements and a joint accord
at a historic meeting in Singapore; the agreements and accord go into
effect on May 29. |
| May 1 -- |
The Taipei Economic and Trade Office
in Tel Aviv begins operation. |
| 7 -- |
The first ROC-made PFG-2 missile frigate,
the Cheng-kung, goes into service. |
| 8 -- |
A 186-member team from the ROC participates
in the first East Asian Games in Shanghai. |
| 13 -- |
Former US Secretary of Defense Dick
Cheney visits Taipei. |
| 15 -- |
Tuvalu's Prime Minister Bikenibeu Paeniu
and Mme. Paeniu visit the ROC. |
| June 11 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui receives former
Philippine President Corazon Aquino. |
| 29 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui receives former
US Vice President Dan Quayle. |
| 30 -- |
The Executive Yuan approves an Economic
Stimulus Package to accelerate industrial upgrading and to develop
Taiwan into an Asia-Pacific Regional Operations Center. |
| July 2 -- |
The Public Functionary Assets Disclosure
Law goes into effect. |
| 8 -- |
The ROC and Nicaragua sign a joint communique
pledging bilateral cooperation. |
| 10 -- |
Vietnam's Economic and Cultural Office
in Taipei opens. |
| 12 -- |
The Taipei-Moscow Economic and Cultural
Coordination Commission begins operation in Moscow. |
| Aug. 10 -- |
The New KMT Alliance breaks with the
ruling Kuomintang and forms the New Party. |
| 11 -- |
The Cable Television Law goes
into effect. |
| 16 -- |
The 14th National Congress of the KMT
opens. President Lee Teng-hui is re-elected chairman of the KMT; while
Vice President Li Yuan-zu, former Premier Hau Pei-tsun, Judicial Yuan
President Lin Yang-kang, and Premier Lien Chan are elected vice chairmen
on August 18. |
| 17 -- |
The ROC and Australia sign two memoranda
on the protection of industrial property rights and on investment
promotion and technical cooperation. |
| Sep. 2 -- |
The Executive Yuan passes an administrative
reform package to eradicate corruption and inefficiency in the government. |
| 23 -- |
The ROC and Belgium sign three investment
cooperation agreements to boost economic and technological ties. |
| Oct. 26 -- |
The ROC and Mexico sign a pact to promote
investment and technology transfer. |
| Nov. 19 -- |
Vincent C. Siew, chairman of the Council
for Economic Planning and Development, represents President Lee Teng-hui
at the APEC leaders economic conference in Seattle. |
| 25 -- |
South Korea opens its Korean Mission
in Taipei to replace the embassy closed after South Korea and the
ROC broke off diplomatic relations. |
| 30 -- |
The ROC signs an investment promotion
and protection pact with Argentina to strengthen economic ties with
South America. |
| Dec. 9 -- |
The Government Information Office lifts
the ban on radio stations and approves the applications of 13 broadcasting
companies for operation licenses. |
| 15 -- |
The Legislative Yuan approves a revision
of the University Law, which gives more autonomy to colleges
and allows students to participate in meetings related to school affairs. |
| 1994
|
|
| Jan. 11 -- |
The Consumer Protection Law goes
into effect; manufacturers are held responsible for harming consumers
even when negligence or intent to do harm are not found to be factors. |
| 12 -- |
The ROC and Lesotho sever diplomatic
relations. |
| 15 -- |
Lee Yuan-tseh succeeds Wu Ta-you as
president of Academia Sinica. |
| Feb. 9 -- |
President Lee leaves for the Philippines,
Indonesia, and Thailand on an eight-day visit. |
| Mar. 2 -- |
The ROC and Belize sign a joint communique
pledging bilateral cooperation. |
| 23 -- |
The Legislative Yuan increases the annual
number of permanent residency permits for mainland spouses from 300
to 600. |
| 25 -- |
The SEF and the ARATS hold talks in
Beijing on fishery disputes and the repatriation of illegal entrants
and hijackers. |
| 28 -- |
The ROC and the Central African Republic
sign a joint communique pledging further cooperation. |
| Apr. 12 -- |
The Mainland Affairs Council decides
to suspend all cultural and educational exchanges with the mainland
before the Chinese communists provide reasonable and satisfactory
explanations of the Qiandao Lake tragedy on March 31 in which 24 Taiwan
tourists were killed. |
| May 2 -- |
The ROC and Grenada sign a joint communique
pledging bilateral cooperation. |
| 4 -- |
President Lee Teng-hui leaves for Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, South Africa, and Swaziland on a 13-day official visit. |
| June 6 -- |
Premier Lien Chan pays the first visit
of a high-ranking ROC official to Mexico in 23 years after the two
severed diplomatic ties. |
| 29 -- |
The Peruvian Trade Office opens in Taipei. |
| July 7 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes the Self-governance
Law for Provinces and Counties, explicitly stipulating that provincial
governors be chosen by direct election. The Self-governance Law
for Special Municipalities is passed the next day. |
| 13 -- |
Seven foreign ministers and representatives
from Central American countries come to Taiwan to participate in the
Third Mixed Commission Conference of Central American Nations, and
sign a joint declaration with the ROC supporting the ROC's bid for
UN participation. |
| 30 -- |
The SEF and the ARATS start talks in
Taipei. This is the first high-level dialogue between the two organizations
since the Qiandao Lake incident on March 31, 1994. |
| Aug. 8 -- |
The SEF and the ARATS sign and make
public a joint press release confirming the results of the second
round of Chiao-Tang talks. |
| 9 -- |
The US government announces trade sanctions
against the ROC under the Pelly Amendment, placing a ban on imports
of Taiwan wildlife products effective from August 19, 1994. |
| Sep. 7 -- |
US Assistant Secretary of State Winston
Lord formally notifies the ROC representative in Washington, Ding
Mou-shih, of the result from the Clinton administration's policy discussions
about Taiwan: The US agrees to the ROC representative office changing
its name to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
in the United States, and to ROC officials visiting all US government
offices except the White House and the Department of State on official
business. |
| 19 -- |
On behalf of their respective governments,
the ROC representative in Washington, Ding Mou-shih, and the chairman
of the American Institute in Taiwan, Natale Bellocchi, sign a Trade
and Investment Framework Agreement. |
| 22 -- |
The chairman of the UN General Committee
drops the proposal on the ROC's UN membership from the agenda after
a 90-minute debate in which seven nations support the ROC and 20 oppose
the proposal. |
| Oct. 27 -- |
The Legislative Yuan passes revisions
to the Wildlife Conservation Law, greatly toughening penalties
against violators and stipulating that the breeding in captivity of
endangered animals must cease within three years. |
| Dec. 3 -- |
The first popular elections for the
governor of Taiwan Province and mayors of Taipei and Kaohsiung municipalities
are held. James C.Y. Soong is elected governor of Taiwan. Chen Shui-bian
and Wu Den-yih win the mayor seats of Taipei and Kaohsiung, respectively. |
| 4 -- |
US Secretary of Transportation Federico
Pena visits the ROC, becoming the first US cabinet member to carry
out the new US policy governing high-ranking official visits to Taipei. |
| 12 -- |
The Lien Cabinet is re-organized and
new cabinet members are sworn in on December 15. |
| 29 -- |
The first squadron of Ching-kuo indigenous
defense fighters is officially commissioned, upgrading the combat
ability of the ROC Air Force and demonstrating initial results of
research and development. |
