Historical Overview of Cross-Strait Relations in IGOs

Abstract

The international status of the ROC, founded on the Chinese Mainland in 1911, has been contested since 1949 when the Chinese Civil War between the nationalist KMT government under President Chiang-Kai-shek and the CCP under Ma Zedong resulted in the formation of two Chinese states. The island of Taiwan had been a Japanese colony since 1895 and was returned to the official Chinese government after the defeat of Japan in World War II, thus becoming part of the ROC’s territory in 1945. While Mao proclaimed the PRC on the Mainland on October 1, 1949, Chiang Kai-shek escaped with more than 1.5 million soldiers and followers to Taiwan and relocated the ROC government to Taipei. Taiwan became the leftover territory of the ROC that it is today. Both the ROC and the PRC regarded Taiwan as a province of China, arguing only over who could rightfully claim to represent the legitimate Chinese government.