TIMELINE: Key dates in modern China and Tibet relations

(Reuters) - Chinese troops moved to tackle unrest in ethnic Tibetan enclaves in its western provinces on Monday, a week after protests flared against Chinese rule in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.

Following is a chronology of some of the main events in modern China-Tibet relations.

Oct 1950: Chinese People's Liberation Army troops march into Tibet, one year after Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong wins civil war and establishes People's Republic of China.

Sept 1954: Chairman Mao meets Dalai Lama.

March 1959: Tibetans stage abortive uprising in which thousands are killed after reforms are introduced to end centuries of feudalism. Tibet's god-king, the Dalai Lama, flees to India with an estimated 80,000 followers. He establishes a "government-in-exile" in Dharamsala but no country recognizes it.

1965: Tibet Autonomous Region formally established.

1966: China's Cultural Revolution begins. Tibetan Red Guards close monasteries in Tibet, smash Buddhist statues and force monks and nuns to return to secular life.

1972: U.S. President Richard Nixon's China visit ends program in which Central Intelligence Agency trained Tibetans who fought guerrilla war against People's Liberation Army in Tibet.

1979: Rapprochement begins with Dalai Lama's brother, Gyalo Thondup, visiting China at invitation of paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Trips not publicized in media.

March 1989: Martial law imposed in Lhasa after days of rioting sparked by January death of the 10th Panchen Lama, most senior figure in Tibetan Buddhism after Dalai Lama.

October 1989: Dalai Lama is awarded Nobel Peace Prize.

May 1990: Lhasa lifts martial law. Government-in-exile headed by Dalai Lama disbands to pave way for democracy, announcing elections for 1991.

August 1993: Dalai Lama says at rare news conference he is fighting for Tibet's political autonomy, not independence.

1994: Dalai Lama suspends dialogue with China due to lack of progress.

May 1995: Dalai Lama declares 6-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as reincarnation of late 10th Panchen Lama.

December 1995: India-based Tibetans protest Beijing's choice of a 6-year-old boy, Gyaincain Norbu, as the 11th Panchen Lama, considering him a "fake".