Understanding the Relations Between Taiwan and China

Lying about 80 miles from the mainland, the 13,900-square mile island of Taiwan has passed hands many times throughout its turbulent history. First settled by Polynesians, Taiwan was later colonized by the Dutch, then taken over by invaders from the mainland, and was finally seized by Japan after a victory over China in the 1895 Sino-Japanese War. Taiwan again fell into Chinese possession at the end of World War II.

Following the bloody Chinese Revolution in 1949, nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and two million supporters retreated to Taiwan, after communist leader Mao Tse-tung took control of the mainland. Chiang, whose troops had slaughtered thousands of islanders following a 1947 protest, established martial law, which remained in effect for 40 years. Taiwan first held elections in 1991 (taiwandc.org).

China considers Taiwan to be a renegade province, and has threatened Taiwan with invasion if the island dares to declare its independence. Twice in the past decade the specter of war loomed dangerously close -in 1996, when China conducted military exercises in the Taiwan Strait; and again in 1999 when Taiwanese president Leng Ten Hui spoke of a "state to state" relationship with the mainland, implying a division (PBS).

The massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square a decade earlier was ample evidence that China's threats were not to be taken lightly. In 2005, China passed a law authorizing military action if Taiwan ever proclaimed itself a sovereign nation. The usual murmurs of disapproval passed through the international community, but as usual, Beijing's bullying went largely unchallenged.

Fortunately, cooler heads seem to have prevailed for the moment, with Taiwan's downplaying the issue of independence, and China not wanting to jeopardize its international standing, -nor its current wave of expansion- with a blatant act of aggression. The impression that many foreigners have is that the majority of Taiwan's 23 million inhabitants want to officially separate from China, but polls indicate that most favor the status quo (ibid.). And Beijing, at least for the moment, seems content to gradually work out a diplomatic solution.

Taiwan has a thriving economy, and in recent years, China has overtaken the United States as Taiwan's main trading partner. Financial considerations are not the only issue, however; reuniting Taiwan with the mainland is a matter of national pride for China. Still, the dichotomy in forms of government remains a thorny issue: Taiwan is a democracy while China is a communist state, and one with a poor human rights record.

Sources

"Taiwan." The World Factbook 15 Nov. 2007. Central Intelligence Agency. 25 Nov. 2007 .

"China-Taiwan History." Online NewsHour 2007. Public Broadcasting System. 25 Nov. 2007
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New Taiwan. 26 Nov. 2007 .

Shu Linkou Air Station. 28 Nov. 2007 .