China: April 28, 2005

Archives

The Chinese Civil War between the Communist and Nationalist parties, which began in the 1920s, is over. The head of the Nationalist party has, for the first time, traveled from Taiwan to China.  The Nationalists were driven from China, to Taiwan, in 1949, and have, until recently, insisted they were still the true government of China. The Nationalists arrived on Taiwan as an ethnic minority, outnumbered by the native Taiwanese. The Nationalists ruled by force for many years, but democracy overtook them in the 1990s, and, since 2000, a Taiwanese party has ruled the country. The Taiwanese favor independence, while many in the Nationalist party still favor unification with China. By making official peace with the Nationalist party, China gains an ally in Taiwan. This, however, also splits the Nationalist party, because many party members don't want anything to do with the Communists.

For the third year in a row, American and Chinese military officials met to discuss matters of mutual interest. This years talks were held in the U.S. The talks are meant to establish communications that will prevent misunderstandings that could lead to a crises, or inflame a dispute. 

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close