The History Of The Coflict Between China and Taiwan (Analysis Impact Of Conflict In International Relation)
The history and escalation of the China-Taiwan conflict is a conflict that cannot be separated from the past situation. China experienced political turmoil after the Qing Dynasty that led China and experienced its fall in 1911. There are two political-military groups with opposing ideologies, competing with each other for China's future.
The two are the Kuomintang Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The KMT projects China as a constitutional republic following the western model of government, while the CCP, which was formed in 1921, seeks a communist revolution (Muhamad, 2009).
In ancient times, the island of Taiwan was indeed one with mainland China. However, due to the movement of the earth, the connecting part descended and turned into a strait, so Taiwan was formed into an island. This small island east of the island of Hainan is better known as Chinese Taipei. The term China Taipei itself is actually used to describe more clearly the position of Taiwan itself.
There are differences between China and the US in understanding the Taiwan issue. Both have a different point of view. Since the beginning, China has always viewed Taiwan as an integral part of its territory that cannot be separated from the mainland.
However, Taiwan's historical experience is different from that of Mainland China, making Taiwan as unmanageable as the mainland. so that the Chinese government implements a one country two system policy. Meanwhile, the US has never considered Taiwan to be part of China. To the US, Taiwan is not China; Taiwan is a country whose political economy and socio-cultural system cannot be equated with China (Mubah, 2014).
Japan's success in seizing Taiwan through the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895) until 1945, was used as a military base to send troops to Southeast Asia. Japan's 50 years of repressive actions that uprooted people's culture have changed Taiwan's view of China. Therefore, in 1945, when Japan lost World War II and was forced to hand Taiwan back to China, not all Taiwanese people supported the Nationalist government that was in power in Mainland China. Even though they had been united for four years, the Communist Revolution caused disintegration to happen again (Nugroho, 2022).
Taiwan's position changed again when there was a civil war in mainland China between the Kuomintang Nationalist Party and the Communist Party. The war, which ended in 1949, was won by the communists, which then displaced the Kuomintang and fled to Taiwan. In Taiwan, the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek later established a government that remained named the Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek founded this government with the aim of maintaining a nationalist philosophy, and trying to build up the power to eventually reclaim mainland China.
After Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, Taiwan returned to China's arms. However, the two parties resumed civil war. The US as a supporter of the KMT tried to mediate the conflict between the two parties in 1945. Unfortunately, both of them continued to carry out a ceasefire.
The war continued until the leader of the CCP, Mao Zedong, announced the formation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing on October 1, 1949. The formation of the PRC as a form of the CCP's victory led the KMT leader, Chiang Kai-Shek, to retreat to Taiwan (KOMPAS, nd).
The KMT under the leadership of Chiang Kai-Shek then declared Taipei on the island of Taiwan as the capital of the Republic of China (ROC) in December 1949. This declaration was also an effort to cut off contact with mainland China controlled by the CCP.
In 1950, Taiwan became an ally of the US fighting against Communist China in Korea. It was under Chiang Kai Shek's leadership that Taiwan began to cooperate with the United States, which in 1950 produced the US-ROC Mutual Defense of Treaty with the aim of gaining international recognition and becoming the basis for anti-Sino-Soviet communism.
The US also deploys a fleet in the Taiwan Strait to protect its allies from possible mainland Chinese attacks (KOMPAS, History of the China and Taiwan Conflict, nd). This is what ultimately resulted in Taiwan being only recognized as a province part of China.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have escalated and there have been frequent military contacts in the Taiwan strait. In this regard, Taiwan is adamant that it is not willing to unite itself with China. Meanwhile, China continues to exert pressure on Taiwan to agree to a one-China reunification.
Since China entered the United Nations, both China and Taiwan have sought reconciliation. This reconciliation is an effort to restore their relationship as before the conflict, namely a state of life that is peaceful and harmonious. At the end of 1987, for the first time Taiwanese residents were allowed to visit China, so that long-separated families could reunite. In 1991, Taiwan lifted the state of emergency and unilaterally ended the state of war with China (KOMPAS).
In order to support Taiwan, the Joe Biden government also secretly sent some of its military forces to Taiwan to train together. The exercise includes US Navy and Special Operations Forces personnel. Approximately 26 US personnel and support forces train together with Taiwanese ground forces, while the Navy trains in small training vessels (Hidriyah, 2021).
The American assistance given to Taiwan also shows and reinforces America's strength in the Asia Pacific, especially East Asia. This is indicated by the construction of the United States military base in Taiwan. The construction of an American military base in Taiwan by the US is aimed at restraining China from attacking Taiwan.
This rise of China has resulted in unusual ties to the US. The balance and complex relationship between these two countries results in different patterns of interdependence and interest interactions. First, the rise of China has led to increased collaboration and stability of the new world order. The relationship between the US and China has contributed a lot to a number of global issues, especially in the economic and trade aspects. Second, in addition to its unique relationship, the rise of China has increased fear and threats (Syahbuddin, 2019).
America can sell arms to Taiwan, but these arms sales are not for the sake of spontaneous attack but as a defensive measure against the possibility of China's attack on Taiwan at any time. To achieve their interests, countries go to war with each other and carry out a balance of power to balance the strengths of other countries. The concept of 'security' is the focus of the United States in Taiwan, because when a country increases its military strength, other countries respond and suspect it as a threat (Azizah, 2020).
Thus, after normalization, China's relationship with the US can be said to be a harmonious relationship that is prone to conflict due to different perspectives on the Taiwan issue. The Taiwan issue remains an obstacle in China's relations with the US. The US government in normalizing relations with China in 1979 through the US congress compensated by passing the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).
The law states that "Washington would maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan" (TRA 1979 ). However, it is precisely this policy that makes the Taiwan issue even more complicated and complex because on the one hand the US recognizes the one-China policy according to the Shanghai Communique and on the other hand the US is obliged to protect Taiwan based on the TRA mandate (Mubah, 2014).
Although Taiwan shows its optimism in carrying out separatist actions, Beijing is adamant that it will never revise its One China Policy doctrine. Even former prime minister Wen Jiabao asserted: “We stand opposed to any form of separatist activities at Taiwan independence and will never allow anyone to split Taiwan from China by any means.” Based on this stance, China began to anticipate Taiwan's separatist actions by continuing to strengthen its militaristic capabilities. In reality China has deployed a series of ballistic missiles along the Taiwan Strait, and has upgraded its amphibious fleet.
President Tsai Ingwen strives to continue to seek the support and recognition of the international community for Taiwan's independence. However, China considers that Taiwan is part of its country that acts in rebellion and wants to break away. That is why it is possible if there is an open conflict and then China has several times given verbal warnings or carried out military provocations in Taiwan's airspace.
For offensive realist thinkers, states maximize the power, influence, and wealth on which military power is based in order to occupy a safer position in a world of anarchy. The best way for a country to increase its chances of survival is to become a super power because a country with more power is safer than a country with less power.
The publication of the white paper entitled "Taiwan Questions and China's Reunification in the New Era" by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China reaffirms the fact that Taiwan is part of China. This book is also published to demonstrate the determination of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and the Chinese people and their commitment to national reunification, and to emphasize the position and policies of the CPC and the Chinese government in the new era.
In early August 2022, international political turmoil based on this conflict returned to the surface because Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives paid a visit to Taiwan. Viewed from the concept of national interest, the purpose of Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is to bring the United States closer to Taiwan. This can be seen from the presence of Taiwan, which is close to the South China Sea, which is very strategic for the United States' trade route to the Indo-Pacific region. The ideological similarities also make Taiwan side with western ideology in implementing its democratic system.
Taiwan has a fairly large economic potential. Taiwan is one of the countries that has strong economic growth and resilience in the East Asia region. This is also the reason the United States and China exert influence on each other in Taiwan, especially the role of the United States in the Taiwanese economy. Losing Taiwan to China will potentially affect their domestic stability (Dewi & Utami Dewi, 2019). Taiwan is also one of the largest seafood exporters, home to the largest fleet of longline tuna fishing vessels.
The existence of Taiwan for Indonesia and of course also for the region is related to global supply chains and shipping routes for Indonesian export transportation. Global supply chains make some of Indonesia's export commodities sent to other countries for processing.
Furthermore, the processed products are sent by Taiwan and surrounding countries (Muhamad, 2009). The development of tensions that occur will have a negative impact on the region, including Indonesia, which has an economic interest in Taiwan. While China and Taiwan have links to traditional export destinations.
In addition, the conflict between China and Taiwan is apparently considered to have a serious impact on the territorial waters of the South China Sea (SCS). There are three important factors that cause conflicts of interest, namely economic, strategic and political. These three factors are the main motives for claimant states to defend their rights in the SCS area. The countries that are claimant states for the Spratly islands include Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. In addition, the last two countries also demanded ownership of the Paracels which have been under Chinese control since 1974 (Kompasiana, 2013).
There are about 125 large rivers into the South China Sea which contribute to the high level of productivity of these waters. The world's coral reef commodities are around the waters of the South China Sea. Apart from the wealth of natural resources owned by the South China Sea, a group of islands has also become a bone of contention because of its strategic position.
Because this area involves sovereignty, politics and the military as well as economics, its settlement in the Post-Cold War and contemporary era is not easy. The presence of multilateral forums seeks to take steps to deal with it, for example through ASEAN and also APEC. But China has so far wanted a bilateral solution to the conflict in the South China Sea.
ASEAN's efforts In 1971 achieved success in institutionalizing Southeast Asia as a security area, in the momentum of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs who signed the Declaration on the zone of peace, freedom and neutrality (ZOPFAN).
During one of his visits to Vietnam, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marty Natalegawa, said in his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Pham Binh Minh, that the two countries had succeeded in discussing several ideas related to matters that unite ASEAN.
The idea is contained in six main principles. First, the need to reaffirm the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties to all parties in the South China Sea. Second, the need for affirmation of the guidelines Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC). Third, it is necessary to affirm the importance of a Code of Conduct. Fourth, respect for international law and the UN convention on the Law of the Sea UNCLOS. Fifth, peaceful problem solving in accordance with UNCLOS.
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