Why does China want Taiwan? China vs Taiwan conflict explained

Why does China want Taiwan?

Tensions over Taiwan have spiked over Nancy Pelosi's visit - further straining relations between Washington and Beijing.

Taiwan and China: What is their history?
Austronesian tribes from modern-day southern China were the first known settlers in Taiwan.

China's Qing dynasty administered Taiwan from 1683 to 1895.

Significant numbers of migrants began arriving from China in the 17th Century, often fleeing hardships or turmoil back home. These people's descendants now make up most of the island's population.

In 1895, Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War and took over Taiwan from the Qing government. After World War II, Japan surrendered and lost control over the territories it had seized from China. The Republic of China (ROC) emerged as one of the victorious powers in the war. Subsequently, it began ruling Taiwan with the consent of its allies, the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, in the next few years, a civil war broke out in China, and Mao Zedong's Communist army emerged victorious over Chiang Kai-shek's troops.

Chiang and his supporters fled to Taiwan after the KMT government fell in 1949. About 1.5 million people made the trip.

Also known as Mainland China, the group has dominated Taiwanese politics for many years. But they represent only 14% of the population. Jiang Zemin established a government-in-exile in Taiwan and ruled for 25 years.

Taiwan's "father of democracy," Lee Teng-hui, led constitutional changes that eventually led to Chen Shui-bian's election as Taiwan's first non-KMT president in 2000.

So who recognizes Taiwan?

There is conflict and confusion about what Taiwan is.

It has its constitution, democratically-elected leaders, and about 300,000 active troops in its armed forces.

But, despite having all the characteristics of an independent state and a political system distinct from China, Taiwan's legal status remains unclear.

How are the relations between Taiwan and China?

Relations began to improve in the 1980s as Taiwan eased restrictions on visiting and investing in China. In 1991, he declared an end to the war with the People's Republic of China.

China has proposed a so-called "one country, two systems" option, saying it would give Taiwan considerable autonomy if it agreed to come under Beijing's control.

Beijing's insisted that Taiwan's ROC government was illegitimate.

Then in 2000, Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian as president, much to Beijing's alarm. Mr. Chen and his party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had openly backed "independence."

Following Mr. Chen's re-election in 2004, China passed a law stating it had the right to use "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan if it tried to secede.

Eight years later, in 2016, Taiwan's current president Tsai Ing-wen, who now leads the independence-leaning DPP, was elected.

Ms. Tsai won a second term in 2020 with a record-breaking 8.2 million votes in what was widely seen as a snub to Beijing.

What does the US have to do with the China-Taiwan divide?

The long-standing US policy has been one of "strategic ambiguity" enough to intervene militarily if China invades Taiwan.

It officially adheres to the "one China" policy, which recognizes a single Chinese government in Beijing and is formally associated with Beijing, not Taipei.

However, he promised to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, stressing that a Chinese attack would cause "serious concern."

The Taiwan issue has also strained US-China relations. Beijing responded by criticizing Washington's support for Taipei and stepping up military raids against Taiwan's air defences after former Vice President Biden was elected.

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