how did the KMT escape to Taiwan?
541552
The Taiwanese-American community strongly supports the sale of F-16s to Taiwan. 95% of the Taiwanese in the United States are pro-independence and believe that the F-16 sale is an important step in the eventual establishment of an independent, democrat Republic of Taiwan. \n\nTaiwan has been colonized in succession by Spain, the Netherlands, the Manchus, the Japanese and finally, the Nationalist Chinese Kuomintang party, the KMT. Taiwan, long despised by the Chinese as a frontier area inhabited by savages, was colonized by the Taiwanese for the same reasons that the first Europeans came to America: to escape oppressive economic and political conditions in their homelands. The national identity of the Taiwanese has grown out of this twin experience of colonialism and pioneering, just as the American spirit did. \n\nToday, the KMT still controls Taiwan. Most Americans are unfamiliar with the KMT's 38 years of martial law rule and the terror inflicted on the Taiwanese known as the `White Terror,' in which thousands of people disappeared. To be sure, there has been some political liberalization and progress in the last decade, forced upon the KMT by domestic and international pressure. However, the KMT still controls the electronic media. It threatens to ban the opposition, refuses to allow public discussion of the opposition's platform and jails persons opposed to the regime. Despite KMT claims to the contrary, many Taiwanese in exile are still not permitted to return to Taiwan, in violation of the UN declaration on human rights, to which the KMT government is a signatory. \n\nBecause both the People's Republic of China and the KMT claim to be the sole legitimate government of `China,' they force countries to recognize one or the other. This has meant isolation for the people of Taiwan. The utter bankruptcy of this policy has been exposed by South Korea's recent decision to switch recognition to the PRC. At this time, only one nation of any importance, South Africa, recognizes Taiwan, as China. Taiwan is not a member of major international organizations and its 20 million inhabitants are not represented in the UN. It cannot even be found in World Bank economic statistics. \n\nIndependence advocates believe that a democratic Republic of Taiwan is the answer to the twin problems of KMT oppression and Chinese expansionism. An independent, democratic Taiwan would be a welcome addition to the United Nations, the World Bank and other international organizations. At home, stripped of its claim to represent China, the KMT is just another right-wing political party struggling to hold on to its undemocratic and oppressive rule by the shop-worn methods of propaganda, electoral malfeasance and outright terror. In an independent Taiwan, it could not last. \n\nChina's claim to Taiwan and repeated threats to use force against it are the reasons Taiwan needs F-16s. The PRC is clearly an expansionist state. China has from time to time claimed all or part of Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Tibet, India, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and sundry islands in the seas around it. If China's leaders could hit upon a way to go about it, they would no doubt claim the Chinatowns of Los Angeles and New York too and demand allegiance from Chinese-Americans. \n\nIn recent years China has been upgrading its offensive capability. It has acquired the highly-regarded Su-27 and Mig-31 fighters from Russia. China has also purchased an airborne early warning capability and midair refueling technology. It has been pursuing a policy of naval expansion, laying down escort ships and attempting to build or procure an aircraft carrier. It has placed troops on islands in the South China sea, causing grave concern among staunch U.S. allies in Singapore, Manila and Jakarta. \n\nArthur Waldron, writing in the Wall Street Journal, sketched a scenario in which, without this sale, China's military expansionism might provoke military buildups, perh
295440
The most recent Chinese civil war began in the late 1920s and ended, sort of, in 1949.  The war was between the Nationalists and the Communists.\n\nIn the 1920s national government in China had almost no power, and China had dissolved into a bunch of fractured fiefdoms, each controlled by a local warlord.  In 1927, Chiang Kai Shek recruited a large "National" army from the graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy in southern China near Hong Kong.  Because these soldiers actually had some training, they were able to kick the neighboring warlords' asses and absorb those troops into their own army, which began to snowball. Pretty soon they could could take territiry without a fight, allowng the corrupt local warlord to stay in power, as long as he paid lip service to the Nationalist Army and Party.  Chiang and his army eventually took over the whole country, but very little of the corruption and local oppression had changed from the warlord time.\n\nAt the same time, people who were sick of this ineffective government looked for an alternative and founded the Communist Party. They set up a little mini communist government in one part of some province to try it out.  Eventually they started winning converts all over the place, because not only was the Nationalist government corrupt and oppressive, it also sold out to foreign interests all the time.  Soon the Communists and the Nationalists were having military confrontations and the civil war had begun. In 1934, the Nationalists chased the Communists and the Communists kept retreating, for more than 3500 miles.  This long westward retreat eventualy wore the Nationalists down, while on the Communist side it became known as the heroic Long March.  Mao Zedong became the leader of the Communist Party at this time. \n\nThe Japanese saw how divided the Chinese were, and they thought this made a great opportunity to invade China, which they did in 1937.  The Japanese took over a huge chunk of northeast China and pressed south, into the Chinese heartland.  World War II began in Europe in 1939, and the US joined in early 1942.  The allies actually had to convince the Chinese to stop their civil war so that they could focus on defeating Japan.  \n\nThe Nationalists' strategy was to run away from the conflict, retreating all the way to Chongqing, which is kind of like retreating from New York City to LA in the face of an invasion from Europe.  They were hoping the Communists would all get killed by the Japanese.  But this strategy blew up in their faces, since it made Communists look like heroic patriots and Nationalists look like cowards.\n\nThe Chinese civil war started up again as soon as WW II and the Sino-Japanese war ended in 1945.  What's more, the USSR was now firmly on the side of the Communists; when the Soviets kicked the Japanese out of northeast China, they gave all the Japanese war materiel that got left behind to the Chinese Communists.\n\nThe Communists gained the upper hand and chased the Nationalists completely off the mainland and onto the island of Taiwan in 1949.  They were all set to invade Taiwan and finish the civil war, once and for all when the US 7th fleet of aircraft carriers etc. parked itself between Taiwan and the mainland.  So technically the war didn't finish, and it still hasn't finished.\n\nToday, both sides still insist that there is only one China, that their government is the "real" governnment of China and that the other one is a pretender.  They are on much better terms now than they were from say 1949-2000, when each feared and expected a military confrontation with the other.
583991
First off, 90,000 Taiwanese were liquidated by the Nationalist Chinese when they fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the revolution to the Communists, so the Taiwanese are not in a position to feel anything.\n\nThe Nationalist Chinese until the early 1970's (when President Nixon orchestrated the political recognition of Red China) felt that mainland China was actually a rebellious portion of their country. Nationalist China has long been opposing the idea that Red China is actually China and that they are Taiwan. If Taiwan is now claiming they are an independent country, this is the recognition of a major defeat on their part, but will not protect them from Red aggression in the future. The US Seventh Fleet has always been the only thing maintaining Nationalist liberty.\n\nTo look at this realistically, however, especially now that the USA is stumbling all over itself thinking it is cashing in on Red China enslaving its own people (when in fact we are financing Red Chinese future aggression), Nationalist China will have to spin the independence story very hard for it to be acceptable to their own domestic audience. It may in the end be too much of a political shock, and weaken Nationalist China beyond repair.
482233
Good question, but I think you should add "Why has the majority of the world abandoned Taiwan."\n\nApparently, even the Vatican is considering cutting off diplomatic relations with Taiwan and switching to the PRC. Has God changed his mind?\n\nIf people truly believe in Democracy and freedom, they will support Taiwan; others, especially most governments, are just hypocrites.
110552
There are lots of people who were at Tianimen Square and lived through it.  The actual truth is that most of the people that were killed during this time were the citizens of Beijing that were outside of the square trying to prevent the Chinese army from getting to Tianimen Square.
636183
From the beginning of the twentieth century, Taiwan has been separate from China.  First, as Formosa, it was a colony of Japan.  After WWII, Taiwan was liberated from the Japanese, and four years later China's nationalist government was defeated by the Communists.  They fled to Taiwan and established their government-in-exile in Taipei.  Still today, Taiwan's official name is The Republic of China.  Taiwan's government favors eventual reunification with China, on the condition that China is a democratic nation.\n\nTaiwan views itself as independent from Beijing's sovereignty, and most countries support this reality.  Taiwan is not recognized as a sovereign nation in the UN because of China's "One-China Policy", which states that any nation wanting trade and political relations with China cannot openly support Taiwanese independence.  China views Taiwan as a "renegade province."
325054
He was assassinated upon his arrival in Manilla,Philippines from Taipei, Taiwan
47613
no. there will NOT be a war between taiwan and china. Taiwan IS an independent country not a province of china. the main reason that china wants taiwan to be part of it is because of the economic issues. all they really want is to make taiwan their gangway(something like that, im not sure though). what they really want from taiwan is um...economy which also means money and trade relations. right now, its illegal for people from china to come to taiwan for business motivations though its legal for taiwanese people to have factories and family industries in china. they are only allowed to visit. so if they destroy taiwan what benefit do they get? i mean if the land of taiwan is destroyed then there wouldnt be any advantages left. they will not use military force against taiwan. currently they are trying to negotiate.
275216
hope this might help:\nhttp://www.buddhanet.net/budwork.htm\n\nby the way, previously in mainland (communist) china, it was a rough place to live in. anything can happen, in order to keep surviving.
1170239
Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895.  Many researchers, commentators, political analysts, etc. say that Taiwan was returned to China in 1945, but that is completely false.  Up until the present day, Taiwan is a territory under the jurisdiction of the United States, and that situation has existed from WWII up to the present day.  (The fact that the USA is the only country in the world with a "Taiwan Relations Act" and that that Act is a domestic law of the USA further confirms this analysis.)\n\nHow did Taiwan come under the jurisdiction of the USA?  The same way that Iraq did -- via "military conquest."   After the Declaration of War against the Empire of Japan on Dec. 8, 1941, all military attacks against Taiwan were conducted by US military forces.  Hence, the United States is/will be the "principal occupying power" of Taiwan.    All legal relationships for Taiwan in the post-WWII era arise from these facts. \n\nWhen the Japanese troops in Taiwan surrendered on Oct. 25, 1945, that marked the beginning of the military occupation of Taiwan.  (There was no transfer of sovereignty on that date.) The United States is the "principal occupying power"  and it has delegated the military occupation of Taiwan to the Chinese Nationalists (i.e. ROC).   In Dec. 1949, high officials of the ROC in the mainland fled to Taiwan and became a "government in exile."  Why are they a "government in exile"?  Because as of late 1949, Taiwan is being held under military occupation and has not been transferred to any country.   Thus the ROC is exercising "effective territorial control" over territory where it does not possess sovereignty. \n\nIn late April 1952, the post-war peace treaty came into effect.  Japan renounced the territorial sovereignty of Taiwan, but no recipient country was designated.  Under such circumstances, the territory remains under the jurisdiction of the "principal occupying power,"  which is the United States. \n\nHence, the ROC on Taiwan has the dual roles of  (1) subordinate occupying power beginning Oct. 25, 1945, and (2) government in exile beginning late Dec. 1949.  \n\nThis explanation fully shows why the ROC on Taiwan is treated as an orphan by the international community, although under casual analysis the ROC appears to be a real country.    In fact (obviously) the ROC on Taiwan is not a country, because it does not have 'TITLE" to the territory of "Formosa and the Pescadores." \n\nThe PRC maintains that Taiwan is a part of the PRC based on the Successor Government Theory.  This theory claims that since the ROC obtained the sovereignty of Taiwan on Oct. 25, 1945, and the PRC is the successor goverment to the ROC, so the PRC holds the sovereignty of Taiwan now.  The fatal flaw in this argument is that there was no transfer of sovereignty on Oct. 25, 1945.  \n\n(Why are most people are totally unfamiliar with the style of  reasoning presented above, and the conclusions reached?  It is because they do not research the subjects of the laws of war, territorial cession, international treaty law, etc. and their relationship to military government and military jurisdiction.)
734720
Check out this link for the answer to your question:\n\nhttp://www.wannasurf.com/spot/Asia/Taiwan/index.html
520474
My 2 cents: China is growing by leaps and bounds both militarily and financially. It will only be a matter of time before Taiwan sees the benefits of integrating with China. \n\nHowever, if talks go on now for reunification, Taiwan will retain a lot of the bargaining power and can state the terms of reunification. If the time comes when China surpasses Taiwan both in technology and finance, what bargaining power will Taiwan retain?\n\nAt present, the Taiwanese are already investing very heavily in China. There are some 500,000 taiwanese living in Shanghai at the moment. \n\nThis is a face issue....as long as Taiwan does not declare independence, the Chinese will have no cause to attack it. if foreign powers carved out pieces of your country in the past and wants to do it again, would your country stand by and watch without doing anything?
956524
Yes.  Some of us escaped.
113456
The fall of Yuan ( The Mongal imperial dynasty )\n\n   In the 1350's, the pace of rebellion picked up. Several rebel leaders, almost all of whom came from the merchant or lower classes, seized cities and set themselves up as kings or even, with just a small bit of territory, proclaimed themselves Emperor. China was no longer in the control of the Emperor—it had been carved up among the rebel warlords. \n\n   One of these warlords was called Kuo Tzu-hsing; he controlled the territory of Anhui. However, it isn't Kuo Tzu-hsing that interests us; it is, rather, the general he appointed in 1355, Chu Yüan-chang, who would become the founder of the Ming dynasty. Chu was a peasant; along with Liu Bang (ruled 206-195 BC), he was the only peasant to found a Chinese dynasty. When Kuo Tzu-hsing died, Chu set about his real ambition: conquering the whole of China. It is said that a scholar told him he would succeed if he followed three rules: a.) build strong city walls; b.) gather as much grain in storage as possible; c.) be slow to assume titles. Chu followed these rules assiduously. \n\n   With his army, Chu slowly conquered one warlord's territory after another while carefully watching the government's army. By 1368, he had conquered all of southern China; this is the date at which the Ming dynasty officially begins. By 1369 he had driven the Mongols out of China. Except for Szechwan in the east (which was conquered in 1371) and Yünnan in the southeast (conquered in 1382), Chu controlled all of China in 1369.
385376
How did you sneak it out of the Tower of London?
693693
China! Japan jointly dev missle defense w/ US, opened embassy in Taiwan, working on treaty to deploy combat forces alongside US in defense of Taiwan. Taiwan just dropped reunification cmte to huge PRC protest. Much more. Recall our lost navy spy plane/crew, Japan just chased a PRC sub out of their waters, PRC def buildup, ROC buyingg subs w/ US foreign aide. Cold war is started & the navy trains for a hot one.
503873
China--(Manchuria)\n\nAn explosion on a section of the South Manchuria Railway, gave the army the excuse it needed to blame the local population of sabotage and to occupy the nearest Manchurian town of Shenyang. The League at China’s request immediately ordered the Japanese army to withdraw. Japan’s delegates at the League’s headquarters in Geneva, agreed to this demand and blamed the event on army "hot-heads". \n\nThe Japanese government in Tokyo also agreed to this demand. However, the army did not listen and it launched a full-scale invasion of Manchuria and by the end of 1931, it had occupied the whole of the province. The civilian government had clearly lost control of the army, and the League’s position was that it would deal with the government of the aggressor nation. But how could this succeed when the government had no control over the army which was the cause of the problem ?