April 12—13,2004: The First Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia opens

April 12, 1927: The "April 12 Anti-Revolutionary" Coup

A large-scale purge of Communists from the Kuomintang (KMT) in Shanghai was ordered by Chiang Kai-shek on April 12, 1927, during the Northern Expedition against the warlords. Many prominent Communist members of the Kuomintang were imprisoned or executed by Chiang in an attempt to destroy their influence. For several weeks following the April 12 incident in Shanghai, arrests and executions of prominent Communists spread across areas of China controlled by Chiang and his allies.

April 12, 1944: Mao Zedong makes a speech entitled "Learning and the Current Situation" at a meeting of senior cadres in Yan'an and conveys the Central Political Bureau's conclusion on what attitude should be adopted for studying Party history

April 12, 1965: The CPC Central Committee issues instructions on strengthening the preparation for war to support the Vietnamese people in the anti-US struggle for national freedom

April 12—13, 2004: The First Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia opens