A TL created by Tony, where the 1989 standoff on Tiananmen goes differently.

In TTL, Wan Li did not go to Canada as in OTL, while the health of Deng deteriorated rapidly. Following Deng's hospitalization, Li Peng tried to seize power by illegally declaring martial law. Deng would die in early June due to a sudden heart attack, and the Li Peng regime would try to cover it up. However, leading military personnels like President Yang Shangkun, Yang Baibing, General Zhang Aiping, Defense Minister Qin Jiwei, Lieutanent Generals Xu Qinshen and Liang Jianglie had doubts about the whereabouts of Deng, and refused to obey the Committee to Enforce the Martial Law. After air strikes on peaceful protesters in Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial government declared independence from Beijing. Before the PLA could crush it, regional governors began to voice their opposition towards the illegitimate regime in Beijing. Deng Pufang, son of Deng Xiaoping made a secret recording to bash the Li Peng regime tor covering up his father's death, leading to the PLA turning their guns against Li Peng. Li Peng was arrested, while regionalism would continue to affect the effectiveness of the central government. In the National People's Congress vote, Tianjin leader Li Ruihian was elected Premier of the State Council, but he decided to break with the Communist Party to form his own Social Democratic Party to push for a federalist constitution that gives the provinces more power. An ad hoc election of the National People's Congress was to be held in February 1990.

Foreign Minister Uno was forced to resign after the Shanghai-based World Economic Herald exposed his OTL sex scandal, before he could run for the LDP presidency. Following Prime Minister Takeshita's resignation, former Acting PM Masayoshi Ito reluctantly accepted the top slot given that every frontrunner has fallen. Prime Minister Ito would delay the institution of the consumption tax, and would cancel the tax on money being put in postal accounts. Prime Minister Ito would also push forward political reform. While it would ultimately succeed, Prime Minister Ito would be challenged by Defense Director Shintaro Ishihara for thr LDP presidency, which he survived but by a surprisingly narrow margin. His government would be defeated after failing to push forward a new law to grant “foreign” permanent residents who are not Japanese citizens the right to vote in local elections. Ito would die during the election campaign. Chief Cabinet Secretary Ichiro Ozawa is as of March 1990, Acting Prime Minister of Japan.

Similar economic problems in the 1990s took place just like in OTL, but S. Zorig was not assassinated in TTL and was Prime Minister between 1998 and 2002. Due to better governance, the Mongolian economy is slightly better off than in OTL. Instead of becoming the champion of resource nationalism like in OTL, President Enkhbayar would invite Japan and Canada to jointly develop Mongolia's valuable gold and rare earth minerals. Enkhbayar would also be more authoritarian in response of social unrest and protests, leading to his landslide defeat by S. Zorig in 2009.

The rebellion in 1989 took place a month earlier, which eventually developed into a three-front civil war between Timișoara-based Royalists (supported by the US), Bucharest-based Communist reformists (supported by Moscow) and Jiu Valley-based Ceausescu loyalists. Communist reformists and Royalists eventually went into direct confrontation in the inconclusive Battle of Sibiu and Battle of Târgoviște. Unable to reach a consensus in the UN Security Council the mediation of China and France, the situation continued to go further down. Following the genocide of ethnic Hungarians in Târgu Mureș by Ceausescu loyalists, Hungary decided to support King Mihal I and his liberal regime, sending troops into Romania to help defend the safety of ethnic Hungarians. Later, Ceausescu, who went into hiding in Jiu Valley, was assassinated by Miron Cozma, who proclaimed the establishment of the Miners' Republic of Jiu Valley, which would be considered a terrorist group by every single state in the world. Finally in June 1990, Timișoara and Bucharest reached a ceasefire agreement in Strasbourg. In a tight referendum, King Mihal I remained King of Romania by a 52-48 margin, while a unity government was formed with a new constitution that grants Transylvania full autonomy, but the deep division brought by the Civil War took years to heal. The threat of Jiu Valley terrorists eventually came to the end after the capture of Miron Cozma. To punish the miners, the national government would introduce a series of reforms known as “velvet restructuring”, and would devote huge resources on the development of renewable resources.

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Political Timelines

Late 20th Century Timelines