Permanent historical records ยท Updated 2026-11-03

2008 in China

Explore 23 historical events and records for China in 2008.

Historical records for China in 2008

Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 23 of 23 unique records.

23Unique records
1 of 1Page
20Named events on this page
2Named people on this page
8Places on this page

February

US Justice Department officials announce that a US Government official and up

Jiabao, Wen ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

US Justice Department officials announce that a US Government official and up to four Chinese nationals are being charged with spying on the United States and giving US military secrets to the Chinese Government

March

Monastic Protests

Jintao, Hu ยท Lhasa ยท President of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Monks begin demonstrations in Lhasa on the anniversary of the 1959 uprising.

Budget

Jiabao, Wen ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Warfare / Military

China plans to increase its military budget by 417.8 billion yuan ($59 billion) or nearly 18% as compared to previous year

Diplomatic Plan

Jiabao, Wen ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

China plans to increase its military budget by 417.8 billion yuan ($59 billion) or nearly 18% as compared to previous year

Diplomatic Plan

Jiabao, Wen ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Warfare / Military

China plans to increase its military budget by 417.8 billion yuan ($59 billion) or nearly 18% as compared to previous year

Lhasa Riots

Jintao, Hu ยท Lhasa ยท President of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Protests in Lhasa escalate into rioting, attacks and a broad security crackdown.

Lhasa Violence

Jiabao, Wen ยท Lhasa ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Shops and vehicles are attacked during the violent phase of the Lhasa unrest.

Protection of Minority Property

Jiabao, Wen ยท Lhasa ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Government of China

Security authorities respond after Han Chinese and Hui-owned property is attacked in Lhasa.

Gansu Protests

Jiabao, Wen ยท Gansu ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Tibetan demonstrations occur in Gansu as unrest spreads beyond the autonomous region.

Unrest Spreads

Jintao, Hu ยท Tibetan Plateau ยท President of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Demonstrations spread from Lhasa into Tibetan communities in neighbouring Chinese provinces.

Ngaba Clashes

Jiabao, Wen ยท Ngaba ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Monks and security forces clash in Ngaba during expanding Tibetan protests.

Solidarity Protest

Jiabao, Wen ยท Beijing ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

A university sit-in expresses solidarity with Tibetan demonstrators while remaining peaceful.

Tibetan Student Sit-in

Jiabao, Wen ยท Beijing ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Tibetan students hold a peaceful solidarity sit-in at a Beijing university.

Security Restrictions

Jintao, Hu ยท Lhasa ยท President of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Authorities impose extensive security and access restrictions across Lhasa following the unrest.

Government Accusation

Jiabao, Wen ยท Beijing ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Wen Jiabao accuses supporters of the Dalai Lama of organising the violence.

Response to Lhasa Violence

Jiabao, Wen ยท Beijing ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Wen Jiabao defends the security response and promises restraint toward peaceful demonstrators.

Foreign Media Restrictions

Jiabao, Wen ยท Tibet Autonomous Region ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Authorities restrict foreign media access while presenting the government's account of the unrest.

Demonstrations

Jiabao, Wen ยท Lhasa ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Xinhua reports that 18 civilians and a policeman have died in Lhasa, a total of 382 people were wounded, 58 seriously, according to Xinhua, arsonists set fire to 908 shops, 84 vehicles, seven schools and 120 homes

May

Talks with Dalai Lama Envoys

Jiabao, Wen ยท Shenzhen ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

Chinese officials meet representatives of the Dalai Lama after international calls for dialogue.

Disaster

Jiabao, Wen ยท Sichuan ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

The earthquake that strikes Sichuan Province has a strength of 7.9 on the Richter scale, causing landslides and destroying thousands of buildings

Earthquake

Jiabao, Wen ยท Sichuan ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

The earthquake that strikes Sichuan Province has a strength of 7.9 on the Richter scale, causing landslides and destroying thousands of buildings

Disaster

Jiabao, Wen ยท Sichuan ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

According to the Chinese Government more than 40,000 people have been killed and 247,645 have been injured in last weeks devastating earthquake near the city of Dujiangyan in Sichuan Province

Earthquake

Jiabao, Wen ยท Sichuan ยท Prime Minister of China ยท Government / Chinese Communist Party

According to the Chinese Government more than 40,000 people have been killed and 247,645 have been injured in last weeks devastating earthquake near the city of Dujiangyan in Sichuan Province

How these records were prepared

Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.