Question

Explain the relationship that exists between China and Taiwan. How did it start? What happened to change the relationship and how/why did that happen?  

Answer 1

The relationship that exists between China and Taiwan:

"Taiwan, China", "Taiwan, Province of China", or "Taiwan Province, China" are a set of politically controversial terms that characterize Taiwan and its associated territories as a province or territory of "China". The term "Taiwan, China" (中国台湾) is used by Chinese media whenever Taiwan is referenced, even though the People's Republic of China (PRC) ― which is widely recognized by the international community as the legitimate representative of "China" ― does not exercise jurisdiction over areas controlled by the Republic of China (ROC).

The terms are contentious and potentially ambiguous because they relate to the controversial issues of the political status of Taiwan and Cross-Strait relations between "Taiwan" and "China". Since 1949, two "Chinas" actually exist, namely the Republic of China (ROC, now usually known as "Taiwan") and the People's Republic of China (PRC, commonly known as "China").

The use of this term is officially sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The ROC government disputes the PRC's position and considers its term incorrect and offensive, along with many of the Taiwanese people and supporters of Taiwan Independence. They maintain that it denies the ROC's sovereignty and existence and reduces Taiwan's status to a province ("Taiwan, PRC").

Cross – Strait relations:

Cross-Strait relations, Mainland–Taiwan relations, or Taiwan–China relations refer to the relationship between the following two political entities, which are separated by the Taiwan Strait in the west Pacific Ocean:

· the People's Republic of China (PRC), commonly known as "China"

· the Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as "Taiwan"

Their relationship is complex and controversial due to the dispute on the political status of Taiwan after the administration of Taiwan was transferred from Japan at the end of World War II in 1945 and the subsequent split of China into the above two in 1949 as a result of civil war, and hinges on two key questions: whether the two entities are two separate countries (either as "Taiwan" and "China" or Two Chinas: "Republic of China" and "People's Republic of China") or two "regions" or parts of the same country (i.e. "One China") that were split by civil war with rivaling governments, and whether the transfer of Taiwan to Republic of China from Japan after being forced to give up Taiwan in the aftermath of World War II was legal.

In 1949, with the Chinese Civil War turning decisively in favour of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Republic of China (ROC) government led by the Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to Taiwan and established the provisional capital in Taipei, while the CPC proclaimed the People's Republic of China (PRC) government in Beijing.

Since then, the relations between the governments in Beijing and Taipei have been characterized by limited contact, tensions, and instability, due to the fact that the Civil War merely stopped without formal signing of any peace treaty and the two sides are technically still in a state of war. In the early years, military conflicts continued, while diplomatically both governments competed to be the "legitimate government of China". More recently, questions around the political and legal status of Taiwan have focused on the alternative prospects of political unification with mainland China or full Taiwanese independence. The PRC remains hostile to any formal declaration of independence and maintains its claim over Taiwan. At the same time, non-governmental and semi-governmental exchanges between the two sides have been increasing. From 2008, negotiations began to restore the "Three Links" (transportation, commerce, and communications) between the two sides, cut off since 1949. Party-to-party talks between the CPC and the KMT have resumed and semi-official negotiations through organizations representing the interests of their respective governments are being scheduled.

The English expression "cross-Strait relations" has been used by the two sides concerned and by many observers so that the relationship would not be referred to as "(Mainland) China–Taiwan relations" or "PRC–ROC relations", due to the dispute on the nature of their relationship and each party's "correct" names. There is also no commonly used Chinese language phrase equivalent to the latter two phrases, although Mainland–Taiwan relations and China–Taiwan relations are occasionally used.

Political Status of Taiwan:

The controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan, sometimes referred to as the Taiwan Issue or Taiwan Strait Issue, or from a Taiwanese perspective as the Mainland Issue, is a result of the Chinese Civil War and the subsequent split of China into the two present-day self-governing entities of the People's Republic of China (PRC; commonly known as "China") and the Republic of China (ROC; commonly known as "Taiwan").

The issue hinges on whether the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu should remain the territory of the ROC as an effectively separate self-governing entity; become unified with the PRC under the existing communist government; convert the ROC to a new "Republic of Taiwan"; or unite with the mainland under the ROC government (after the dissolution of the PRC government).

This controversy also concerns whether the existence and legal status as a sovereign state of both the ROC and the PRC is legitimate as a matter of international law.

Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and some other minor islands effectively make up the jurisdiction of the state with the official name of the Republic of China (ROC) but commonly known as "Taiwan". The ROC, which took control of Taiwan (including Penghu and other nearby islands) in 1945, ruled mainland China and claimed sovereignty over Outer Mongolia (now Mongolia) and Tannu Uriankhai (part of which is present day Tuva, Russia) before losing the Chinese Civil War to the Communist Party of China (CPC) and relocating its government and capital city from Nanjing (alternately spelled as "Nanking") to Taipei as temporary capital in December 1949. The CPC established new government on the mainland as People's Republic of China (PRC) in October 1949.

Since the ROC lost its United Nations seat as "China" in 1971 (replaced by the PRC), most sovereign states have switched their diplomatic recognition to the PRC, recognizing the PRC as the representative of all China, though the majority of countries avoid clarifying what territories are meant by "China" in order to associate with both the PRC and ROC. As of 20 September 2019, the ROC maintains official diplomatic relations with 14 UN member states and the Holy See, although informal relations are maintained with nearly all others. Agencies of foreign governments such as the American Institute in Taiwan operate as de facto embassies of their home countries in Taiwan, and Taiwan operates similar de facto embassies and consulates in most countries under such names as "Taipei Representative Office" (TRO) or "Taipei Economic and Cultural (Representative) Office" (TECO). In certain contexts, Taiwan is also referred to as Chinese Taipei.

The ROC government has in the past actively pursued the claim as the sole legitimate government over mainland China and Taiwan. This position began to change in the early 1990s as democracy was introduced and new Taiwanese leaders were elected, changing to one that does not actively challenge the legitimacy of PRC rule over mainland China. Both the PRC and the ROC carry out Cross-Strait relations through specialized agencies (such as the Mainland Affairs Council of the ROC), rather than through foreign ministries. Different groups have different concepts of what the current formal political situation of Taiwan is. (See also: Chinese reunification, Taiwan independence, and Cross-Strait relations)

In addition, the situation can be confusing because of the different parties and the effort by many groups to deal with the controversy through a policy of deliberate ambiguity. The political solution that is accepted by many of the current groups is the perspective of the status quo: to unofficially treat Taiwan as a state and at a minimum, to officially declare no support for the government of this state making a formal declaration of independence. What a formal declaration of independence would consist of is not clear and can be confusing given the fact that the People's Republic of China has never controlled Taiwan and the Republic of China still exists, albeit on a decreased scale.

The status quo is accepted in large part because it does not define the legal or future status of Taiwan, leaving each group to interpret the situation in a way that is politically acceptable to its members. At the same time, a policy of status quo has been criticized as being dangerous precisely because different sides have different interpretations of what the status quo is, leading to the possibility of war through brinkmanship or miscalculation. The People's Republic Of China seeks to end Taiwan's de facto independence through the process of reunification. If Taiwan refuses this process, The People's Republic of China is prepared to use force through military means, in order to achieve unification.