Taiwan and China! why china wants to conquer Taiwan? and how is an invasion uncertain? how serious is the thre?

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Answer 1

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Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China, whose claims over it are false.
The PRC was founded in 1949 by the communists who defeated Chiang Kai Shek with Russian aid and booted him out of 'their' China.
He had previously been the national leader as President of the Republic of China after a unifying campaign to replace the infighting and fragmented regions of local warlords with a sole national party...The Nationalist Party...and defeated the Japanese in their second invasion of China.
He then fought a civil war with the communists, who prevailed with Russian assistance, and went to Formosa where he formed a ruling government there as a continuation of the Republic of China with a view to one day re-taking mainland China from the communists. The island is now called Taiwan.
The island was ruled by Japan as an occupying power for fifty years but when they left in 1945 they did not hand the island to China or to anyone else. They just gave up control, and left.
Four years later Chiang Kai Shek ruled Formosa with a dictatorial government, which was however the forerunner of the present government of Taiwan.
China therefore has no legitimate claim over the island of Taiwan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-… . .

China has more than 1400 missiles programed to hit targets in Taiwan should the island formally declare independance, and the Chinese government passed a law a few years ago making it legal to use them against what it claimed to be Chinese territory.
Passing that law was just part of the Chinese bluff that Taiwan is Chinese territory, since no such law would be required if Taiwan was considered by the Chinese government to be a foreign country.
The USA has had a defence treaty with Taiwan for many years, and supplies weapons and expertise to the Taiwanese military.
If Taiwan declares independance the USA is bound by that treaty to defend the island against an attack from China, and the massive USA military base in Okinawa just north of Taiwan has been maintained with a high level of troops and equipment to keep a high profile presence in the North Pacific and Asian region in general but also partly because of the threat against Taiwan of such an attack.
China has carried out military exercises and rocket tests in and across the Taiwan Straights on several ocasions, in spite of protests, and also close to Japanese territorial waters.
Japan would obviously be involved, since the base at Okinawa is on Japanese territory and Japan would be forced into a defensive, and possibly counter- attacking role if China launches an attack.
Russia is questionable. Although China and Russia are often seen as two of a kind and old buddies, there are constant border skirmishes between the two even now, as in the past fifty years. Each would happily destroy the other given half a chance, a point well covered in the book "Thor's Hammer" in which a comet strike affecting most of the world is used as a cover for massive nuclear attacks by each side on the other. However the dozens of missiles rising from both China and Russia are spotted from a space station which was thought to have been destroyed by the comet and the ruse is discovered.
Russia might join with China in the fight , but equally it might remain neutral which would be difficult or join with the allied forces against China in spite of it's current disagreements with them.
Whichever way Russia goes the scenerio is bad enough, and Taiwan declaring independance may be currently the biggest threat of a WW111 that the world has.
At the moment the way of stability is simply to maintain the status quo.
Taiwan therefore sits on the fence, unable to move towards independance and unwilling to move towards integration with China, although a proportion of the population favours it. Most however, don't.
Few countries recognise it as a nation, often for fear of upsetting China and possible repercussions on trade agreements.
Under that level of duress, the island has developed democratic elections and a free society, although with protests from all parties about corruption in all the others, as in many other countries. The previous leader, Chen Shiu-Bian, was ousted through corruption charges against himself and his wife, and there has been an accusation that those charges were engineered by the Chinese government through allies in Taiwan,especially in the Kuomingtan (KMT party) because Presisident Chen was pro-independance.
Such is the nature of island politics. The Greens accuse the Blues and the Blues accuse the Greens, and Taiwan lives through it.
The KMT has many supporters and many who distrust it because of it's pro-China attitude, and again corruption rears it's ugly head.
There is more good news than bad however.
The island has almost 100% literacy even amongst the dozen or so aboriginal tribes, advanced social and educational systems, a modern infrastructure, and a massive industrial base including the world's largest IT industry.
Taipei 101 was until recently the world's tallest building, and is a technological marvel with very advanced architecture and engineering to keep it stable in a zone where earthquakes and typhoons are a common and serious threat.
A typhoon a few months ago caused extensive damage to the island and cost lives.
Taiwan is rich ecomically, culturally, and in expertise.
Hence China's interest.
Taiwan is a story of great success in fact, and the islanders did it largely for themselves.There has been foreign help but so has there been in many other countries which have not achieved the successes that the Taiwanese people have achieved.
Though I am beyond an age where most military bodies would accept me, I would willingly and proudly stand to fight for Taiwan and all it has achieved.
It is a lesson for all of us, to become so successful, in spite of the criticisms than can be levelled against some of the politics of the island, which however is just the same in almost every other country on Earth, and with the degree of tension and threat that has loomed over it from it's powerful neighbour for many years.
Here is a bit of sweetness and cherry blossom from Alishan Mountain in Taiwan, known for probably the best sunrises in the world.
Notice the sweet bye bye at the end. That is one export from UK that is now known world wide and they are the only English words heard in the video.
Oh,err.....apart from 'dot com', but that's expected these days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySXafSEaI… . . . . . .

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Asker's Comment:

thanks. it is clear to me know

Answer 2

The island of Taiwan has physically been part of China for centuries although the current mainland govt have never ruled the island so there's such thing as conquer. It will surely be beneficial to both sides if they could re-unite as one, just like 60 years ago.

Answer 3

The above answer seems correct. I am a Japanese. Japan ruled Taiwan for a half century untll 1945. Then mainland Chinese came to Taiwan and rules over the island. Many Taiwanese think Japan's rule was better, and some of them want to be independent. Mainland China want to unify with the island like Hong Kong what had been ruled by UK.

Answer 4

The threat is serious; Mainland China has about 1,400 missiles ready to attack Taiwan, and they are building up their Air Force and Navy in order to overpower the USA's support in defending Taiwan's democracy. In addition, the PRC in Mainland China is now in cooperation with the pro-China component of Taiwan's corrupt KMT government officials who are selling Taiwan to China to line their own pockets. Sadly, the voice of freedom and independence in Taiwan is being stifled by moneymongers and those who see China as a "good mother" to the those with Chinese heritage (not true). The hard fought battle to ensure that a democratic process developed here is now about to be disolved, as the KMT and PRC join forces to anihilate the voice of the older generations who only wanted "peaceful existence as a recognized country under a government based on the voice of the people."

I, for one, will not stop fighting for freedom, compassion, and recognition. Let the chips fall where they may... I will stand up beside my brothers in the ROCAF in defending the kindhearted, generous, and cooperative "old guard of Taiwan", if the PRC and KMT continue their attempts to eliminate us. It is a tragedy in the making.

EDIT: VERY high marks to Chubu for his comments! HOORAY!! Please, toss as many TUs and votes to him as you can muster.

2nd EDIT: Some very thoughtful and well-spoken answers here. Thanks to all.

A thought: If Mr. Ma wants honestly peaceful relations with Mainland China AND truly represents the will of the Taiwanese, why doesn't he march over to Beijing with a PEACE TREATY! Put the cards on the table, and say "Enough is enough! Recognize Taiwan, and let's move forward in mutual properity." It could happen.. if he has the balls to do it.

Source(s):

TT

Answer 5

First I want to say Don isn't quite right, Taiwan was not part of China for centuries. It only officially became part of China during the Qing Dynasty in 1683 and lasted until it was surrendered to the Japanese in 1895 per the treaty of Shimonoseki. Prier to that the island had one other Chinese kingdom built on it by Koxinga from 1662 and 1683, he was a Pro-Ming loyalist that attempted to re-establish the rule of the Ming Dynasty over the Mainland while building the new seat of power in Taiwan. Before Koxinga it was the Dutch who ruled Taiwan for 40 years until their defeat by Koxinga, and before that it was the aboriginal kingdom of Middag. And as we all know Japan ruled Taiwan from 1895 until 1945, before just releasing it to the allied troops under the command of Chiang Kai-sheik, who then re-established R.O.C. government on the island in hopes of retaking the mainland.

Ok so now we have the history of Taiwan out of the way. Why does the P.R.C. want to conquer Taiwan?
Well this is a complicated question because according to the P.R.C.-China the islands that make up Taiwan belong to "China" and since they have been deemed the "real" China by the UN governments they use that as an excuse to continue the campaign to eliminate the R.O.C. government that was set out by Mao. In my opinion of course. However, their is No Real Proof to the claims of the PRC that Taiwan belongs to them other than their words.

How is an invasion uncertain?
The uncertainty comes from (in my opinion) the fact Taiwan-R.O.C. has a treaty with the US that states if China were to attack them they would come to the aid of Taiwan with full military backing. As modern history tells us the U.S. is willing to attack any other country that is a "friend" of the U.S.. Even though China might have more men in its army, you can't count out the American Military might either. Even with this said there is the possibility that the US will do nothing at all, and just allow the P.R.C. to rape Taiwan...I mean conquer Taiwan. Therefore the invasion is an uncertainty. Taiwan does have its own Military and they are quite skilled at what they do, but in sheer numbers they are far from a match for the PRCese military.

How serious are the PRCese about taking action against Taiwan?
The seriousness of PRC seems to be a valid thing since at last count there was some 1800 missile and rockets aimed towards Taiwan, along with the constant building and flexing of military might along the Taiwan straight. So there is a valid threat that one of the Generals, or high ranking party members, or even the next President of PRC would attempt to turn Taiwan in to a parking lot if they were to push their freedoms too far and continue to petition the UN for reinstatement not as the R.O.C. but as Taiwan. It dose seem far fetched at the moment that the PRCese would do anything against Taiwan because of the economic ties that they have with them and because of how many large companies from Taiwan have factories and corporations on the mainland. It would be like shooting one of your bankers in the face, sure you can get the money from his till but you have seriously damaged your relations with the other bankers and those who did business with that banker.

Well all of this with the exception of the Historic parts is just my opinion that I have gathered from living in Taiwan for 4 years, and from listening to all the political sides of this argument from the time I was a freshman in High school. So take what you will from it and I hope you gain a new view of the subject.

Source(s):

Chububobcat~an American in Taiwan

Answer 6

China is conquering Taiwan with charm and good manners. China exports cute toys and funky clothing to Taiwan. In return, Taiwan sends its top entertainers and best quality fruits and vegetables to China. It works for everybody.

Answer 7

Enough wonderful (and true) things have been said about Taiwan - so I will just add a little bit. Back a dozen years ago or so when I first went to Taiwan, I was surprised by seeing anti-aircraft canons on roofs all around Taipei's Sung Shan airport. By then, from what I hear, the military guarding all bridges was gone.

Now to answer about the invasion. The 'Peoples' China has a big problem. It may have yea so many rockets aiming at Taiwan, but ~~~ Taiwan is a rich and prosperous country which Mainland China cannot afford to attack and destroy (you don't kill the goose that lays the golden.... etc). The only way to get Taiwan without destruction is by peaceful means, which Mr. Ma is doing his best to achieve.

Source(s):

Been there, done that.

Answer 8

comment @ luosechi 駱士基

When you mentioned Mr. Ma you know he is Taiwan's president, or officially The Republic of China's elected president.
When you say Mr. Ma trying his best for China to "get Taiwan" do you mean his ulterior motive to "give" Taiwan to China?
That has been a topic for a lot of discussion and speculation if Mr. Ma is leading Taiwan toward unification with China, when he promised to keep the relation at status-quo during his election. Does he have a personal agenda for breaking promises and leads Taiwan against its citizens choice?(The majority of Taiwanese favor status-quo, independence of Taiwan, while only a small percentage 10-12% favor unification with China). People suspect that he is aiming for a Nobel Peace prize for "peacefully resolving the cross strait conflict". He can dream on, he cannot just give up a nation's sovereignty for his personal gain.

Answer 9

Taiwan wasnt part of China until the Qing conquered it. after the collapse of Qing Empire/Dynasty it was eperated from China by the Japanese. Soon Japanese left and the KMT, nationalist party of China fled to Taiwan. Reason why China wants Taiwan is that the look at Taiwan as a historical part of China, second reason would be the fact taiwan is a developed area and is part of the so called Four Asian Tigers refering to their highly developed economy. China already gained/recovered 1 tiger - Hong Kong not surprising they want 1 more.

Answer 10

I think China wants to conquer Taiwan as more of a economical sense than that of a military sense. Taiwan provides no other profit except economical wise. However, it is possible that China claims Taiwan as a case of national pride.

The threat of invasion is not very serious, as US has declared support for Taiwan. China cannot risk angering the global superpower by invading Taiwan, especially now that Taiwan has a seat on NATO(I'm pretty sure, or maybe it was another organization).

However, if China did invade Taiwan, the Taiwanese military is highly trained. I think Taiwan could hold off invaders until US support could arrive. Even so, if China invaded, then it could be the start of a nuclear war.

Hope this helped.

Answer 11

China absurdly believes Taiwan is part of China, even going so far to say Taiwan is a "renegade Province!" But consider the Treaty of San Francisco and the Treaty of Taipei:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_S…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_T…

The threat of military invasion is serious, but China may attempt a "soft" annexation of the sovereign Taiwan republic through economic means -- by making Taiwan's economy so very dependent on China's economy; increased business ties between the two countries; and if worse comes to worse (for China), some sort of economic blockade.

Answer 12

I think it's because the people are like the same. I am half Taiwanese and it's more of a sense of nationalism. The people are relatively the same, they all speak Chinese, and share the same cultures and traditions. I feel that China should leave them alone, but I think of Taiwan and China as family. Taiwan should be independent and they should be able to decide their own choices instead of having the US and China to help decide things for them. I love Taiwan and China! They may be two different countries, but the people are the same. I would feel at home in any of them. China shouldn't invade Taiwan, they should leave them alone and get along like family.

Answer 13

china is not dumb enough to invade taiwan.
the two nations need each other for economic purposes.
the whole governing and identity issue is quite minor compared to the economic issue.
Personally, I see Taiwan being "reunified" with china within the next 50 years, once china is less communist.
if anything, taiwan will probably end up like hong kong, which is cool cuz people still have human rights, while taiwan will become "a part of china"