After China’s President Xi Jinping warned Wednesday that the unification of China and Taiwan was “inevitable”, with the use of military force remaining an…
After China’s President Xi Jinping warned Wednesday that the unification of China and Taiwan was “inevitable”, with the use of military force remaining an option, here are key dates in relations between the island and mainland:
– 1949: separation –
Mao Zedong’s communists take power in Beijing in October 1949 after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang (KMT) nationalists in a civil war.
The KMT flee to the island of Taiwan and form their own government in Taipei in December, cutting off contacts with mainland China.
In 1950 Taiwan becomes an ally of the United States, which is at war with Communist China in Korea. It deploys a fleet in the Taiwan Strait between the two to protect its ally from possible attack from the mainland.
– 1971: Beijing gets UN nod –
In October 1971 Beijing takes over China’s seat at the United Nations, previously held by Taipei.
In 1979 the United States establishes diplomatic relations with China but also commits to assist the defence of Taiwan.
