The Ups and Downs Of the China Taiwan Conflicts

China proposed the so-called "one country, two systems" option, which it said would allow Taiwan significant autonomy if it agreed to come under Beijing's control. 

This system underpinned Hong Kong's return to China in 1997 and the manner in which it was governed until recently, when Beijing has sought to increase its influence.

In 1991, Taiwan lifted the emergency rule, unilaterally ending a state of war with China. The first direct talks between the two sides were held in Singapore two years later. But suddenly, 

in 1995, Beijing suspended talks in protest at the visit of Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to the United States. 

Then in 2000, Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian as president, much to Beijing's alarm. Mr Chen and his party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had openly backed "independence".

A year after Mr Chen was re-elected in 2004, China passed a so-called anti-secession law, stating China's right to use "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan if it tried to "secede" from China.

Mr Chen was succeeded by the KMT's Ma Ying-jeou in 2008 who tried improving relations through economic agreements.

This is one of the moment when the reconciliation that have been built by Taiwan, is now being endangered again. While throwing back In 1996, when China doing a test of missiles at Taiwan to scare the voters in Taiwan's first democratic presidential election

Surely this is an act of violation that has been committed by China.

Tensions over Taiwan are spiking over a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi - and this has only further strained relations between Washington and Beijing.

At the heart of the divide is that the Chinese government sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will, eventually, be part of the country.