The timeline that accurately identifies the cause of aggression and conflicts that led to the Nanjing Incident in China and contributed to the beginning of World War II is:
Date: Aggression and Conflicts
- 1850s: Japan uses gunboat diplomacy to force trade with the Chinese.
- 1931: Japan seizes Manchuria from China.
- 1937: Japan invades the mainland of China, claiming Beijing and Shanghai.
This timeline correctly reflects the historical events and order that contributed to the escalating tensions between Japan and China leading up to and during the conflicts of World War II.