Taiwan Seeks 'International Alliance' to Ward Off China Threat; A Timeline of The Historical Taipei-Beijing Divide

Taipei, September 8: Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday reiterated the call for an "international alliance" to ward off the China threat. The demand was made by her during a keynote address at the Asia-Pacific security forum. She claimed that only a coalition of countries "believing in human rights" can preserve democracy. 'Age of Expansionism is Over, This is the Age of Development', Indian PM Modi Targets China.

"It is time for like-minded countries, and democratic friends... to maintain a strategic order that deters unilateral aggressive actions," Tsai said at the forum. "This alliance will safeguard the values we cherish most: freedom, safety, human rights and democracy," she further added.

Tsai's remarks, which are expected to elicit a sharp response from the Xi Jinping-led regime, comes amid the widening divide between Taipei and Beijing. Although Taiwan is considered as a part of China under the "one country, two system" concept, the region is stated to enjoy de-facto sovereignty.

A Timeline of The Historical China-Taiwan Divide

Taiwan, a large-island province located off the mainland of China, is based at the intersection of East China Sea and South China Sea. The country is also officially known as the Republic of China (ROC). Here's a timeline of its divide from the mainland, which for the last seven decades is officially known as the People's Republic of China.

239 AD: According to Chinese historical sources, this was the year when China sent an expedition mission to Taiwan with the intent to integrate the island with the mainland. For hundreds of years that followed, Chinese scholars claim, China and Taiwan were considered as a singular entity.

1624: Taiwan is occupied by the Dutch forces, The island remains a colony of the European nation for at least 37 years, till 1661.

1683: Qing Dynasty of China retakes control of Taiwan. The modern historical records have confirmed that the island remained a part of the Chinese imperial rule for over the next two hundred years.

1895: Following the Sino-Japanese war, the Qing dynasty faced massive setbacks and was forced to cede the territory of Taiwan to Japan.

1945: Taiwan is reclaimed by the Republic of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek, as the Axis Powers including Japan were defeated in the World War II.

1949: After Mao's communist revolution, Chiang and his supporters flee to Taiwan. They declare the islands as the official Republic of China, whereas, the mainland from that year came to be known as the People's Republic of China governed under a single communist party model.

1971: Till this year, most of the nations around the world considered Taiwan or the Republic of China as the official and sovereign entity. Chiang also received support from the West in his war against Communist China.

1975: Chiang died this year leaving his son Chiang Ching-kuo as the inheritor of his autocratic rule. Considering the rise of pro-democracy sentiment in Taiwan, combined with the back-to-back military defeats against Beijing, Ching kuo-decided to pave for the democratisation of rule in Taiwan.

1991: After a decade which witnessed increased business and people-to-people ties between Taiwan and China, the war was officially declared as "over" in this year. By then, China also came forth with the "one country, two systems" concept to resolve the conflict.

2000: Amid increasing Chinese influence in Taiwan's governance, the anguished electorate gave the mandate to pro-independence leader Chen Shui-bian. After being elected as the President, he openly backed the idea of proclaiming complete independence from China.

2004: Chen is re-elected as the President, which is considered an approval by the Taiwanese population of his secessionism agenda. His rule also saw Taiwanese nationalism and pro-independence movement gaining momentum.

2005: China passed the anti-secession law, which granted Beijing the mandate to use "non-peaceful measures" to quell movements that attempt to secede Taiwan from China.

2008: Amid economic dissatisfaction among the Taiwanese population, pro-China leader Ma Ying-jeou was elected as the President. His tenure, which continued for eight years, saw Beijing reconciling differences with Taipei through an array of economic pacts.

2016: Tsai Ing-wen is elected to power, marking a dynamic shift in Taiwan's policy towards China. Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is leaning towards the agenda of complete independence. After she took over, China has issued multiple threats of using force if Tsai "goes on to proclaim complete independence".

Fearing military retaliation, the Taiwanese government, despite presenting itself as a de-facto sovereign nation, has refrained from claiming independence. The call for an international coalition against Beijing, however, moves Taiwan closer to the clarion call which can draw military action from China.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2020 06:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).