China and Taiwan have been separated for over 70 years, but the tension from the 1940s still hasn’t stopped. After World War II, tens of thousands of Nationalist troops were sent to Taiwan to accept Japanese surrender. The next year, since the Communists and Nationalists couldn’t come to an agreement for government, a civil war started. The war ended in 1949, with Communists forcing the Nationalists into Taiwan, where the Nationalists have been ever since.
China was never happy about the separation though, and says that Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be reunited with China at all costs. At this point, the government is seriously considering invading Taiwan to reunify China. According to general Mark Milley, China’s military is already strong enough, so attacking Taiwan is more of a political choice than a logistical one.
The US has a law, the Taiwan Relations Act, that requires it to supply Taiwan with weapons, and China sees this as a US-Taiwan alliance. However, the US also has diplomatic relations with China and acknowledges that there is only one Chinese government. Recently, China has sent warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense zone, and the US has responded by sending naval ships through Taiwan waters. In May, President Biden vowed to defend Taiwan if attacked, and this doesn’t bode well with China.
“President Xi [Jinping] has mentioned that in forums, he’s mentioned it in speeches, that he has challenged the PLA [China’s People Liberation Army] to develop the capability to attack Taiwan,” says Milley. US relations might cause an invasion of Taiwan to become a massive war, and that’s why analysts think that it is unlikely that China will attack soon.
Regardless, Taiwan remains cautious. China has the military capability to conquer Taiwan, but Taiwan is also ramping up defenses. Taiwan is not formally declaring independence in order to maintain peace. Other countries would also prefer to resolve this issue peacefully, as a war would be costly for all sides.
China was never happy about the separation though, and says that Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be reunited with China at all costs. At this point, the government is seriously considering invading Taiwan to reunify China. According to general Mark Milley, China’s military is already strong enough, so attacking Taiwan is more of a political choice than a logistical one.
The US has a law, the Taiwan Relations Act, that requires it to supply Taiwan with weapons, and China sees this as a US-Taiwan alliance. However, the US also has diplomatic relations with China and acknowledges that there is only one Chinese government. Recently, China has sent warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense zone, and the US has responded by sending naval ships through Taiwan waters. In May, President Biden vowed to defend Taiwan if attacked, and this doesn’t bode well with China.
“President Xi [Jinping] has mentioned that in forums, he’s mentioned it in speeches, that he has challenged the PLA [China’s People Liberation Army] to develop the capability to attack Taiwan,” says Milley. US relations might cause an invasion of Taiwan to become a massive war, and that’s why analysts think that it is unlikely that China will attack soon.
Regardless, Taiwan remains cautious. China has the military capability to conquer Taiwan, but Taiwan is also ramping up defenses. Taiwan is not formally declaring independence in order to maintain peace. Other countries would also prefer to resolve this issue peacefully, as a war would be costly for all sides.
