<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > Why is Taiwan "divided"? </h1>
In fact, as early as the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the international community supported Taiwan's return to China. Even the United States, which later single-handedly created the "Taiwan issue," was a staunch supporter of Taiwan's return.
But later, after the outbreak of the Korean War, the United States began to firmly move in the direction of creating "two Chinas" for its own national interests.
At that time, the United States stationed the Seventh Fleet in Taiwan on the pretext of protecting Taiwan, and although it did not approve of Chiang Kai-shek's "counterattack on the mainland," it also stubbornly guarded Taiwan and did not leave. Since then, the United States has also adhered to the policy of taiwan protection, incorporated Taiwan into the US western Pacific defense system, and signed the "US-Taiwan Defense Treaty" with Taiwan. Until the Biden administration took office, the United States would pay Taiwan a huge military expenditure every year to support its advanced military development.
Night view of Taipei, Taiwan
Therefore, when we say that Taiwan is "divided," we do not mean that it has in fact been divided, but that it has been maliciously obstructed in the process of reversion.
Among them, there are deep-seated reasons for changes in the international situation.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, as a latecomer and early conservative of the anti-fascist alliance, the United States hoped that Chiang Kai-shek's government would resolutely resist Japan on the battlefields of Asia. This would both reduce U.S. military investment in the Far East and seek allies for the United States in the Far East.
At this time, in line with the attitude of "making friends," the United States did not hesitate to choose to support China in the signing of the "Cairo Declaration, and wrote into the declaration the treaty supporting Taiwan's return to the motherland after the war.
In contrast, Britain, whose colonial heart was immortal at that time, was greatly hindered by this. At first, the British side vigorously promoted that "Taiwan abandons Japan, but Taiwan belongs to the provisional" become a reality, but under the sino-US alliance, the "Declaration" signed by the three countries ultimately failed to make Britain succeed.
The New York Times in 1943 reported on the Cairo Conference and the Cairo Declaration
In the early two or three years after the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the United States was also a staunch supporter of the "return of Taiwan." The reason for this was no longer to gain military power for itself in the Far East, but to be busy dividing up European territory.
In Europe at that time, Britain and France had long shown a situation of external strength and middle power. After being taken over by Germany in World War II, its national strength declined, and it quickly changed from a top power to a third-rate country. Britain, in particular, was bombed by German bombers 24 hours a day in World War II, and the entire country's land was overturned three times, and it was already on the verge of collapse of national power.
The so-called no tiger in the mountains, monkeys are called kings.
When Europe's top powers declined, the various forces began to scramble to divide up the territory that had been shuffled by war. The United States, which lost less in World War II, was in a period of rising tide at the time. The rapid rise in national power led the United States to seek a higher international status, and Europe, as the center of global development, became the primary goal of the United States. It is precisely for this reason that in the US strategy of "first Europe and then Asia," the United States has gone all out to plunge into the struggle for European turf. For the Asian region, it has the attitude of "more is better than less".
At this time, in order to "avoid conflict in Asia" and compete for European interests, the United States still supported the treaties of the Cairo Declaration, and even proposed the Pottam Proclamation urging Japan's surrender to reaffirm that all the treaties of the Cairo Declaration would be fulfilled.
Potsdam Peace Bell
Potsdam Conference, 1945
Old typewriter
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="45" > when did the United States begin to try to "split" Taiwan? </h1>
But after 1947, the attitude of the United States underwent a 180° change.
At this time, the fundamental reason for the change in attitude in the United States was that the socialist and capitalist camps were different. In order to curb the development of socialism in Asia and cope with the challenge from the Soviet Union, the United States firmly supported the Kuomintang's anti-communism and used a large number of advanced weapons to support it.
At the same time, because China was back in the middle of war after World War II, the United States began to try to control China and increase its global influence by supporting a spokesperson in China. Such foreign policy is still a common routine of the United States in the Middle East.
Taiwan, which has entered the united states since the 19th century, has begun to make the U.S. government salivate at this time.
Taiwan's entry into the field of vision of the US Government was naturally due to its important strategic position, and the reason why the US Government did not directly use force to occupy Taiwan in accordance with the proposals of some people at that time was out of consideration for its own global prestige.
1969: Apollo 11 moon landing
At that time, the United States was already a global hegemon, and its military operations must take into account the impact on its own image.
First, the United States did not publicly declare a reversal of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation at that time. In order to maintain its image as a great power, it has not publicly denied that "Taiwan belongs to China."
Second, although Taiwan's strategic position is important, it is not a matter of life or death for the United States. Taiwan, similar to Iceland, is two islands with important strategic positions in the US-Soviet hegemony struggle. In contrast, Iceland is more important to the strategic position of the United States. However, in the "Iceland problem", the United States did not use military force to occupy directly, but through supporting Iceland's independence, first freed it from the rule of the suzerainty of Denmark, and then stationed troops in Iceland, turning Iceland into its own military base.
On the Taiwan issue, the United States believes that it has not even reached the point of Iceland at that time, let alone the use of military means.
Geothermal springs in Iceland's Blue Lagoon
At this time, the United States held the purpose of "gaining superiority in the US-Soviet hegemony" and hoped to gain control of Taiwan through black-box operations. Its attitude toward Taiwan began to turn ambiguous, that is, a "two-faced" attitude, ostensibly supporting Taiwan's return to the motherland, but secretly seeking to control Taiwan.
However, the Kuomintang's great defeat in the civil war was unexpected by the United States. In view of the decay of the Kuomintang government and the irreversible situation, the US Government began to seek to "abandon Taiwan."
After the 1948 Armageddon strategy, the Kuomintang army was gradually defeated, and 470,000 Nationalist troops were completely annihilated in the Liaoshen Campaign, while the number of Communist troops was expanded to 3 million, surpassing the Nationalist army for the first time.
However, the so-called "abandonment of Taiwan" is only a stopgap measure to wait and see how it changes. At the time, the Soviet Union's covetousness of China's northern provinces gave the U.S. government an opportunity. The US Government believes that the issue of China's northern territories will lay the groundwork for the rupture of Sino-Soviet relations, and the "Taiwan issue" is regarded by the US Government as the fuse that triggers Sino-Soviet relations.
Liaoshen Campaign Black Mountain Blockade Battle 101 Highlands
That's why the U.S. government at the time was ready to take Taiwan back, but it wasn't going to stop the process.
In the view of the U.S. government, Mao Zedong, who was highly capable, would certainly not be willing to be a vassal of the Soviet Union after recovering territory. Just as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia broke with the Soviet Union, the Chinese Communist Party may also break with the controlling Soviet Union. Therefore, under the circumstance that the Kuomintang is completely defeated and the momentum of Taiwan's return is fierce, it seems that it will be a wonderful move to wait and see what happens and push the boat along the water!
However, this attitude has been opposed by hardliners in the United States. The US military, hardliners and other forces still keep their greedy eyes on the Far East.
Therefore, when the Korean War broke out not long after, the US Government quickly found an excuse and sent the Seventh Fleet "Bruce" into the port of Taiwan three days after the outbreak of the war, on the grounds of maintaining security in the western Pacific region and preventing the US Korean troops from being threatened, blatantly denying China's territorial ownership of Taiwan's waters.
BLUE RIDGE, flagship of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet
At this time, the United States only saw benefits from the Korean War again.
The United States will win the Korean War! Under the pretext of safeguarding regional security, we can not only thoroughly support the Korean Peninsula as a pro-US force, but also seize the strategic fortress of Taiwan as our own. Unfortunately, the performance of the Chinese Volunteer Army to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea crushed the illusions of the United States. The illusion of the US military stationing in Taiwan was shattered.
However, the United States has not completely abandoned its illegal occupation of Taiwan.
Through the signing of the "US-Taiwan Defense Treaty" with Taiwan and other means, the United States exports advanced weapons and equipment to Taiwan and gives huge military expenditures every year to support the military development of the Taiwan region, thus trying to achieve its "two Chinas" goal.
In this way, in the way of "not supporting the old Chiang Kai-shek in counterattacking the mainland, but doing his best to prevent Taiwan from returning to the motherland," American conspiracy theories successfully created the Taiwan issue for decades.
Taiwan: Sunset over Tamai
Thinking back to iceland, didn't the United States do the same?
He did not occupy Iceland militarily, but tried to prevent Iceland from returning to Denmark. In iceland, the United States succeeded in making Iceland independent and developed Iceland into its own military base. Today, Iceland's national defense is still the responsibility of the U.S. military, a veritable puppet state.
Unlike Iceland, Taiwan has been China's inherent territory since ancient times. It is not a vassal state with China, but it is part of China's territory itself!
Moreover, China's army is not tofu, but steel knives! A steel knife that can make enemies bleed!
Therefore, when we are accustomed to American conspiracies, there is even less reason for us to sit idly by and watch the US conspiracies succeed.
Taiwan must return to the motherland and will never compromise! All Acts of Taiwan Independence are bound to fail!
Taiwan strait
[Important Note]: This article is limited to space, only a brief review of that period of history, specific details please read other materials in detail. Ps, the master's thesis in the reference is very good!
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="62" > references</h1>
WANG Yan. The Origin of the Taiwan Issue and the Evolution of U.S. Policy Toward Taiwan (1943-1954)[D]. Jilin University, 2006.