August 8, 2008 – August 24, 2008
Beijing hosts the Summer Olympic Games for the first time, opening on 8 August 2008.
North Korea conducts its first underground nuclear test, drawing UN Security Council condemnation and sanctions.
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan kill nearly 20,000 people and trigger the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes central Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and destroying heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley.
South Korean President Kim Dae-jung meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.
Portugal transfers sovereignty over Macau to China, ending more than four centuries of Portuguese presence.
Britain transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong to China under the 'one country, two systems' principle.