US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's trip to Asia, including a stop in Taiwan, has been a big topic of conversation. China tells us it was a mistake for her to visit and has been ramping up military activities near the island. Was she right or wrong to go there? Do you know the history of Taiwan?
Let's start with location, population, all that. Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, is an island country (previously known as Formosa) in the South China Sea off the coast of mainland China. The ~100 mile Taiwan Strait separates it from the Asian continent. All together the island only comprises a little under 14,000 square miles. For comparisons sake, the state of Maryland is about 10,000 sq. mi. and the Netherlands in Europe 16,000 sq. mi. (Minnesota is almost 80k). In other words, the island is not all that large. But about 24 million people live there (vs ~6m in MD and MN or ~17m in the Netherlands), making it fairly densely populated.
The island of Taiwan had been settled for thousands of years by natives before the arrival of ethnic Chinese. It wasn't until a 17th century, when the Dutch started a colony there and large numbers of Han Chinese immigrated from the mainland, that the population started to increase significantly. As a result of this movement, the Chinese Qing dynasty annexed the island in 1683 and held it until it was ceded to Japan in 1895. For a very short period, only a few months before Japanese troops arrived, it was declared the Republic of Formosa, perhaps the first Asian republic in existence. This was resistance to Japanese occupation, and an attempt to rejoin China, but I find it interesting there was an independent Taiwan, however briefly, that early.
Around this time, on the mainland, unrest was brewing. The imperial monarchy had lasted over 2000 years, including almost 300 years of the Qing dynasty, and had long opposed reforms. It was a string of invasions and lost wars in the 19th century (notably in 1860 and in 1895) that resulted in an attempt to be more like Japan and the West. A modernized army was formed and more changes were set, notably in education and the economy, before a conservative coup, led by the Emperor's aunt, put a stop to it. After the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, with another foreign invasion, reforms were again proposed but this time for many revolution became preferred. In 1908 both the imprisoned Emperor and the ruling Empress Dowager Cixi died, leaving a toddler on the throne, and the monarchy was weaker than ever. In 1911 there was widespread uprising, started in large part by the New Army itself. In early 1912 the child Emperor abdicated and the 'Republic of China' was declared. This is called the Xinhai (or 1911) Revolution.
This brand-new Republic of China didn't last, as the second President attempted to make himself a new Emperor and failed. So almost immediately the Republic collapsed, creating power vacuums across the country and resulting in a rise of local warlords. A new national government, the Kuomintang (KMT), led by Sun Yat-sen, the preeminent 1911 revolutionary, rose in response. After being spurned by the West for assistance, he turned to the Soviet Union in 1923, who happily agreed to help train the KMT army and, on the side, influence its politics. Members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), founded in 1921, were allowed to join and at first involvement was small. But their numbers grew and following the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925, the KMT split. The left-wing stopped supporting the nationalist unification mission, an unacceptable stance to Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the right-wing and former top lieutenant to Sun Yat-sen. In 1927 there was a mass purge and hundreds of CCP members were executed (the 'Shanghai Massacre'). In 1928, Chiang and the KMT completed its campaign against the warlords in eastern China, captured Beijing and received international recognition as the country's true government.
The CCP didn't go away, in fact their revolution was just getting started. 1927-1937 is considered the first phase of the Chinese Civil War. This period was dominated by Chiang and the KMT who repeatedly stamped down CCP uprisings and control in various areas. But it was like a game of whack-a-mole as the CCP continued to grow in popularity with the masses. 1927 is also when Mao Zedong emerged as a power, leading the Autumn Harvest Rebellion and deciding that a party army was necessary. The Red Army was created in 1928 as a result. KMT and CCP forces continued to clash until they came together in 1937 to fight a foreign enemy, Japan, who had first invaded Manchuria in 1931. From there events became intertwined with World War Two. During the larger war it's important to note nationalist and communist forces didn't really fight together, they mostly independently fought against the Japanese. Hostilities between the two Chinese groups were only paused (and not entirely), and far from over.
Back to the other side of the strait. In the lead-up to WWII, Formosa (Taiwan) was utilized as a colony for the betterment of the Japanese Empire, not the residents of the island. Cash crops like sugar were produced instead of rice. Chinese culture was suppressed and aborigines were hunted. Assimilation was stressed and many Japanese settlers arrived. During the war, Formosa became a naval and air base. It was from there the invasion of the Philippines was launched.
Fates changed quickly in the aftermath of the war. Under General Order No. 1, the surrender of Japan, Formosa was handed over to 'Republic of China' forces (the KMT) in 1945 with the assistance of the United States. For the first time since 1895 the island was ruled by the Chinese again, though the transition wasn't easy. Of course who ruled China itself was still up in the air.
When it had become clear that Japan was defeated, the Chinese Civil War exploded again. This second phase, 1945-1949, is known as the Chinese Communist Revolution. During WWII the CCP gained several advantages. KMT forces bore the heavier brunt of Japanese attacks and its army was weakened. CCP forces, on the other hand, became ever-more popular for its guerrilla tactics in Japanese controlled areas, namely in far northern China. Once Japan formally surrendered the CCP got further assistance from the Soviet Union. With no KMT forces in Manchuria the USSR invaded, stripped it clean of industrial equipment and handed over the territory and surrendered weaponry to their Chinese comrades. This region would become the power base of the CCP for the rest of the revolution. All attempts at peace ended in June 1946 and full-scale civil war resumed. Fighting was focused in the north early on and shifted south with time and slowly the scales tipped in favor of the CCP. One reason for this was its land reform policy (i.e. a promise of land for all), which provided nearly unlimited manpower to Mao Zedong's forces, renamed the 'Peoples Liberation Army.' The US assisted Chiang and the nationalists as it could, obviously preferring he win the battle for China's soul, but it wouldn't nearly be enough.
On October 1, 1949, after numerous successful campaigns, Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, declared the People's Republic of China (PRC). The capital was moved back to Beijing, it'd been elsewhere under the KMT. On December 7, 1949, Chiang Kai-shek, with two million soldiers and the nationalist government, retreated to the island of Taiwan. That's the big point here. Everyone thought the CCP would quickly take the island and end the conflict for good, but they were initially repulsed in the Battle of Kuningtou. The CCP assumed the United States would support the Republic of China (as it was then generally called) if attacked further, though President Truman had no intention of doing so. Circumstances changed with the Korean War, where the US and the PRC grew further apart and containment of communism became official US policy.
Since 1949 both the PRC and the RoC (Taiwan) have considered themselves to be the one government of China, though presently this claim is downplayed, even disregarded, in Taiwan. No peace treaty has ever been signed. The RoC was a founding member of the United Nations and one of five permanent seats on the Security Council until 1971 when the PRC took its place and was for the first time internationally recognized. Chiang Kai-shek imposed martial law on Taiwan in 1949 and led an authoritarian, single-party (KMT) government for decades. He died in 1975. During the 1960s and 1970s Taiwan saw immense economic growth and technological advancement. Since the late 1970s the country has also changed from a one-party state to an increasingly free democracy. In 1986 a second political party was born. In 1987 martial law was lifted. 1996 included the first directly elected President. Democratization has continued apace.
Tensions with China have ebbed and flowed but have always been a concerning potential flash-point for another world war. To the PRC, Taiwan and its residents are to be brought under its control. In the Taiwan Strait there have been multiple 'crises,' in the 1950s, 1990s, and most recently with Nancy Pelosi. You also see China's refusal to recognize the country (or allow anyone else to), among other places, at the Olympics. At the Games, Taiwanese athletes cannot compete under their own county's flag or name, which is instead referred to as 'Chinese Taipei.' The RoC has still not been (re-)recognized by the United Nations at large. Fears of upsetting the PRC have repeatedly left the country in limbo. There's considerable (self) censorship in Hollywood on this stuff too, most of the time anyway, where any actual references to Taiwan are laudable.
I, for one, am glad Pelosi went to Taiwan. It is in fact a country, and one that shows us what China could be without communism. They've embraced democracy and are an important economic partner. We used to support countries like that without fear and we should continue to do so. If we need to pussyfoot around China we've already lost. Hong Kong, once another bastion of freedom, has already been reintegrated into the PRC and we must know it'd be even worse for the people of Taiwan. While we need to do everything we can to avoid a shooting war, we also need to stand by our friends. If we don't, we won't have any left.
Maybe you don't agree with my last paragraph. That's cool. Hopefully at least you learned a little. That's the main aim.
Very detailed and informative!
Wow! That was quite a synopsis. I definitely learned a lot. Thank you. Most of my knowledge of china comes from the movie The Last Emperor.
I am glad she went as well. We do need to show strength in this area. It’s sad that the presidents that we’ve had recently have been so afraid to stand up to them.