1683: China's Qing Dynasty formally annexes Taiwan, which had previously been divided between indigenous kingdoms and Chinese and European settlers, most prominently the Dutch.

1895: China cedes Taiwan and other territories to Japan after losing the First Sino-Japanese War.

1915: The Tapani Incident prompts Japan to reform its administration of the settled population in Taiwan, which turns to civic and political activity. The Japanese continue to treat the indigenous population harshly.

1930: Troops crush the Wushe Rebellion, the last major indigenous uprising in Taiwan.

1942: The Chinese Kuomintang government renounces all treaties with Japan and demands the return of Taiwan as part of any post-war settlement, which is endorsed by the Allies in the Cairo Declaration.

1945: Taiwan is placed under Chinese administrative control after Japan surrenders.

1947: The 228 Incident, a rebellion against centralized rule by mainland Kuomintang officials, leads to the imposition of martial law, the killing of large numbers of protesters, and the banning of thousands of others from political activity.

1949: The evacuation of the Kuomintang government and about two million refugees to Taiwan following the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War leads to mainland dominance of the island until the end of martial law in 1987. The Republic of China government in Taiwan retains UN and Western recognition as the legitimate government of all China until the 1970s.

1950s-1960s: Taiwan experiences rapid industrial development and export-oriented policy with support from US economic aid, while the Kuomintang party justifies one-party rule on the grounds of opposing any Communist threat.

1971: The United Nations recognizes the People's Republic of China as the sole government of the whole country after veteran Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek refuses a dual-representation deal.

1996: Free elections result in Lee's victory over the Democratic Progressive Party's Peng Min-ming. The Communist Chinese government tries to disrupt the elections with missile tests, which are countered by the US dispatch of aircraft carriers to the region.

2000: Chen Shui-bian wins the presidential elections, ending the Kuomintang party's 50-year monopoly of power. In his inaugural speech, he declares that he will not call for a referendum on independence or abolish Taipei's official blueprint for eventual reunion with mainland China as long as China does not attack.

2010: Taiwan and China sign a landmark free trade pact, seen as the most significant agreement in 60 years of separation.

2014: China and Taiwan hold their first government-to-government talks since the Communists came to power in 1949. The Taiwanese government minister in charge of the island's China policy meets his mainland counterpart in the eastern city of Nanjing.

2018: Taiwan's legislature legalizes same-sex marriage, becoming the first place in Asia to do so.

2020: The DPP's Tsai Ing-wen is re-elected as president in a landslide victory.

2021: The United States announces plans to sell $1.8 billion worth of arms to Taiwan, including surface-to-air missiles, raising tensions with China.