January 25 – 2008 Chinese winter storms: China's worst snowstorm since 1954, delays traffic, and causes massive power outages in central and southern parts of the country. According to Chinese news agency Xinhua report, 133 killed by 2008 China blizzard with snowstorm during January and February.[1]
June 10 – The 270 ton sport fishing vessel Lien Ho of Taiwan suffered a collision with a Japanese patrol vessel, Koshiki, and subsequently sank, while in the disputed territorial waters around the Diaoyutai Islands that have been claimed by Japan and Taiwan (ROC). The Taiwanese crew who were aboard the vessel claims that the larger Japanese frigate deliberately crashed into them; their assertions are backed up by recently released video footage.[4]
June 20 – Colonel Wang Hui-hsien, a former Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) analyst, is arrested in Taiwan on charges of selling state secrets to Mainland China.[5]
June 22 – Controversial journalist Lu Keng passes away at age 89.
June 28 – The 2008 Guizhou riot takes place following the alleged cover-up by authorities over the death of a teenage girl.
The Chinese government buys Mount Toromocho Copper Mine in Peru for US$3 billion, with potentially two billion tonnes of copper ore. The deal was brokered by Chinalco, a PRC-government owned company.[6]
China's national soccer team is victorious over the Australian Socceroos team during the FIFA World Cup qualifier at Sydney Olympic Stadium for the first time in history. The resulting 1–0 defeat for the Socceroos was their first home defeat in a World Cup qualifier in 27 years.[9]
July
July 1 – A jobless Beijing resident Yang Jia killed six police officers in a Shanghai police station.
July 10 – Migrant workers riot in Zhejiang province in Eastern China for three days, which originated from quarrels between workers and police.[10][11][12]
August 30 – 2008 Panzhihua earthquake: A 6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes the southern Sichuan province, causing over 40 deaths, the collapse of 10,000 homes and damage to other infrastructure in the area.
September 20 – Fuhua Mining Co. Ltd., coal mine accident (3:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. GMT Friday) in Hegang city, Heilongjiang province, where initially 5 miners were killed, and 27 trapped. On September 27, a total of 31 miners died.[24]
October 21 – Zhang Mingqing (張銘清), Beijing official for the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, was attacked by Taiwan Independence activists.[27][28][29][30]
October 30 – Evermore Office suite 2009 downloaded 5.3 million times since Microsoft began its anti-copying measures with Windows Genuine Advantage.[31][32]
December 17 – The MV Zhenhua 4, a Chinese fishing boat owned by China Communications Construction, was hijacked by Somali pirates on the way back to Shanghai, but deterred as crews radioed for help. The 30 crew members fought for four hours after nine pirates armed with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns boarded the ship. A Malaysian warship, Sri Indera Sakti and Malaysian military helicopter arrived and fired on the pirates, who fled the scene. No crew members were injured.[37][38] The crew used water cannons, molotov cocktails and beer bottles to defend against the pirates, whom were fully armed.[39]
December 18 – Chinese warships depart for the Gulf of Aden in response to the growing threat of Somali pirates.[40][41][42] This is the first time China has sent ships on a mission that could involve fighting so far beyond its territorial waters.
^Areddy, James T. (July 25, 2008). "China Says Terror Plot Foiled". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 14 March 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
