In 1949 leaders and supporters of China’s Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) ruling party fled to the island of Taiwan after losing a bitter civil war to Communist forces. What has transpired in the 50-plus years since has been a war of words over Taiwan’s relationship to Mainland China.
The People’s Republic of China—Mainland China—claims Taiwan as a renegade province, though in practice the Taiwanese administration has operated separately from the Mainland. In some ways, however, Taiwan’s leaders still see themselves as part of China as well, though of course not Communist China. Taiwan’s official name, the Republic of China, is evidence of the island’s lingering ties to the Mainland.
The rift has had its ups and downs in recent years. In February 2005, during the Chinese New Year, China and Taiwan allowed non-stop flights between the mainland and the island for the first time. The flight agreement was thought to be a sign of thawing relations between the two sides.
Since his election in 2000 Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has been very vocal about independence, with strong support from the former president, Lee Teng-Hui. While such a move is emotionally debated in Taiwan, with about half of the population supporting it, the move has caused strong backlash from both Beijing and the overseas Chinese community. Lee was accused of dividing China and labeled as “eternally guilty”
As a preemptive move to the Taiwan election in March 2005, Beijing enacted legislation to outlaw Taiwan from pursuing formal independence, adding that China would “employ non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Taiwanese leaders criticized the law, saying it gave the Chinese military a “blank check to invade.” In response, Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian issued a six-point statement in which he said, “[Taiwan] is an independent, sovereign state; Taiwan’s sovereignty belongs to the 23 million people of Taiwan…”
The law resulted in large-scale popular protests in Taipei, followed by Mainland officials saying Taiwan was stirring “new tension” in the cross-strait dilemma. In March and April 2005 leaders of the KMT party—which is no longer the ruling party in Taiwan—made two historic visits to Mainland China. The Nationalist leaders reportedly said they were against Taiwan independence. The visits, however, drew criticism from Chen Shui-bian, who warned against the KMT leaders making any agreements with the mainland. Both Chen and Hu have mentioned the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders, though neither has yet agreed to the terms.
Ironically, though Taiwan and China are at political odds, economic ties are strong. Taiwanese businessmen openly and successfully operate on the Mainland. Taiwanese business entities bring in an estimated US$10 billion in investments to Shanghai. As Ted Fishman notes in his book China, Inc.: “When [Taiwanese] come to China … they bring advanced technology, business practices, and an international network tied to the world’s best companies.”
There is global speculation and concern over the possibility of China actually using military force in Taiwan. The U.S. has vowed in the past to defend Taiwan from the Chinese military. However, it is in no one’s interest to see a violent resolution to the difficulties between Taiwan and China and, at this point, such action seems unlikely.
From: http://www.chinasmillions.org/#

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