The Ups and Downs Of the China Taiwan Conflicts

But many Taiwanese people consider their self-ruled island to be distinct - whether or not independence is ever officially declared.

In 2008, Taiwan and China resumed high-level talks after Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT was elected as a president that being friendly to Beijing. In 2010, they signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, and in 2014 was held the first government-togovernment talks since the split.

 And in 2015, the leaders of the two sides finally met in Singapore, shook hands and waved enthusiastically to the press, but did not issue a joint statement.            

                                                                                         

The End of Good Relations and The Emergence of New Tensions

In January 2016, opposition candidate Tsai Ing-wen of the traditionally pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party has won the presidential election. 

On her inauguration day in May, China was giving a warned to Taiwan that peace would be impossible if she made the move to formally secede from China. In June, China suspended all communications with Taiwan after the island's new government did not recognize the "one China Policy" concept. 

And in December 2016, president-elect Donald Trump that has been elect as the United States president, broke through decades of US diplomatic policy by speaking face-to-face on the phone with the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

 In 2017, the Trump administration approved a US$1.3 billion (now Rp 18.6 trillion) arms sale to Taiwan. 

In March 2018, the United States adopted a law strengthening ties with Taiwan. This act of United States has angered the Chinese government, 

because China felt like being played by the US by breaking the diplomatic agreement between US and Taiwan but still assisting Taiwan in the defense and arms sale.

Washington's long-standing policy has been one of "strategic ambiguity" to the extent that it would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan.