Chinese and Vietnamese naval forces clash at Johnson South Reef in the Spratly Islands; about 64 Vietnamese sailors are killed.
Nationwide pro-democracy protests in Burma are violently suppressed by the military; Aung San Suu Kyi emerges as an opposition leader.
Seoul hosts the Summer Olympics, marking South Korea's economic and international emergence.
Nationwide protests force South Korea's government to accept direct presidential elections, ushering in democracy.
Chiang Ching-kuo lifts 38 years of martial law, opening the way to Taiwan's democratisation.
Weeks of student-led protests in Beijing end when troops suppress them on the night of 3–4 June.
Vietnam completes the withdrawal of its troops from Cambodia, opening the way to the Cambodian peace process.