Handover of Macau

Historical eventDecember 201999

Handover of Macau

Portugal transferred the sovereignty over Macau, which it had administered since the mid–16th century, to China.

In context

When
Monday, December 20 199927 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1990s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1999.

What happened

Portugal transferred the sovereignty over Macau, which it had administered since the mid–16th century, to China.

December 20 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1995Dayton Agreement
  2. 1999Macau
  3. 1999Handover of Macau
  4. 2004Northern Bank robbery
  5. 2007Elizabeth II
  6. 2007Portrait of Suzanne Bloch
  7. 2007Pablo Picasso
  8. 2016Aerosucre Flight 157
  9. 2019United States Space Force
  10. 20242024 Magdeburg car attack
  11. 2024Zagreb school stabbing

Also in 1999

  • September 9Singapore Portrait Series currency notesThe first banknotes of the Portrait Series of the Singapore dollar were introduced by the Board of Commissioners of Currency.
  • September 14KiribatiKiribati, Nauru and Tonga join the United Nations.
  • October 22Maurice PaponMaurice Papon, an official in the Vichy government during World War II, is jailed for crimes against humanity.
  • May 25United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives releases the Cox Report which details China's nuclear espionage against the U.S. over the prio…
  • August 101999 Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shootingOne person is killed and five people are injured in the Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting.
  • January 3Mars Polar LanderThe Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA.
  • November 27New Zealand Labour PartyThe Labour Party defeated the governing National Party in the New Zealand general election, with Labour's Helen Clark becoming the countr…
  • July 5Bill ClintonU.S. President Bill Clinton imposes trade and economic sanctions against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Everything we record for 1999 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Handover of Macau”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/handover-of-macau-1999-december-20, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Handover of Macau happen?

December 20 1999 — 27 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.