Timeline of relations between former civil war adversaries Taiwan and mainland China

The leaders of Taiwan and mainland China are to meet on Saturday for the first time since the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war.

 Following is a chronology of key dates in their relations:

 - 1949: Mao Zedong’s communists take power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang nationalist forces, who flee to Taiwan and form their own government, cutting off contacts with mainland China.

 - 1950s: The United States deploys a fleet in the Taiwan Strait to protect its ally from possible attack by Communist mainland China. War is narrowly averted on several occasions.

 - 1971: Beijing takes over China’s seat at the United Nations, previously held by Taipei.