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100-836: The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong ( TECO ) is the representative office of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Hong Kong . Its counterpart body in Taiwan is the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office in Taiwan. The de facto diplomatic mission is placed administratively under the Mainland Affairs Council , Executive Yuan , but it also houses departments that serve as outposts of

200-538: A " one country, two systems " framework; or whether they are now separate countries (either as Two Chinas , or as " one China, one Taiwan "). The English expression "cross-strait relations" is considered to be a neutral term that avoids reference to the political status of either side. After the Japanese surrender at the end of the Second World War in 1945, the administration of Taiwan was transferred from

300-721: A "Taipei Economic and Cultural Office", along with the "Far East Trading Company" offices in Sydney and Melbourne . Other names are still used elsewhere; for example, the mission in Moscow is formally known as the "Representative Office in Moscow for the Taipei-Moscow Economic and Cultural Coordination Commission", the mission in New Delhi is known as the "Taipei Economic and Cultural Center". The mission in Pretoria

400-537: A convoy of ROC supply ships, and the PRC refrained from firing. On 25 October, the PRC announced an "even-day ceasefire"—the PLA would only shell Kinmen on odd-numbered days. After the 1950s, the "war" became more symbolic than real, represented by on again, off again artillery bombardment towards and from Kinmen. In later years, live shells were replaced with propaganda sheets. The ROC once initiated Project National Glory ,

500-521: A gradual process of cross-strait rapprochement and negotiation leading to eventual reunification. The Eight-Point Proposal emphasized maintaining the status quo, facilitating economic exchanges and the "three links" (trade, transportation, and postal services), and seeking to deter Taiwan from separating from the mainland. As long as Taiwan was committed to the One China principle, than the PRC stated that it would consider Taiwan concerns like renouncing

600-581: A guideline was approved by PRC to encourage ROC investments in the PRC. It guaranteed that ROC establishments would not be nationalized, exports would be free from tariffs, and ROC businessmen would be granted multiple visas for easy movement. In 1990, under the presidency of Lee Teng-hui , the National Unification Council was established in Taiwan. The following year, the Guidelines for National Unification were adopted, and

700-428: A high degree of autonomy following reunification. The Nine Points Proposal also talked of trade, transportation, and postal services as "three links" across the strait and "four exchanges" in the areas of culture, academics, economics, and sports. The ROC government under Chiang Ching-kuo maintained a Three Noes policy of no contact, no negotiation and no compromise to deal with the PRC government. However, Chiang

800-655: A meeting between Hu and then-KMT chairman Lien Chan in April 2005. It was the first meeting between the leaders of the two parties since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. In 2008, the KMT won a large majority in the legislative election and its candidate Ma Ying-jeou won the following Taiwanese presidential election on 22 March. Ma advocated that cross-strait relations should shift from "mutual non-recognition" to " mutual non-denial ". He stated that

900-722: A more uncompromising stance than his predecessors as he called for the "one country, two systems" model to be applied to Taiwan. It was noted that the model had not been mentioned by the PRC since 2005, when the Anti-Secession Law was passed. On 7 November 2015, Xi and Ma met and shook hands in Singapore , marking the first meeting between leaders of the two sides since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. They met within their capacity as "Leader of Mainland China" and "Leader of Taiwan" respectively and addressed each other as "mister". No major agreements were reached on

1000-526: A non-diplomatic state was when Lithuania broke the tradition with the name Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania in 2021. In response the PRC expelled Lithuania's embassy staff from Beijing and downgraded diplomatic relations to charge d'affaires status. Attempts by other countries, including Fiji , to allow ROC government to change the representative office to indicate "Taiwan" later failed and were reversed under pressure from PRC government. On

1100-511: A number of air bombing raids into key coastal cities of China such as Shanghai . Other PRC amphibious operations conducted in 1950 were more successful. They led to the Communist conquest of Hainan Island in April 1950, along with the capture of Wanshan Islands off the Guangdong coast (May–August 1950) and of Zhoushan Island off Zhejiang (May 1950). Additional PRC successes included

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1200-542: A plan to retake mainland China. The project failed in the 1960s, and the bombardment finally ceased after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the PRC and the United States. The PRC and the ROC have never signed any agreement or treaty to officially end the war. There were occasional defectors from both sides. Until the 1970s, the ROC had international recognition from most countries. The PRC government

1300-496: A policy of normalizing economic relations with the PRC. The PRC did not engage Chen's administration, but meanwhile in 2001 Chen lifted the 50-year ban on direct trade and investment with the PRC. In November 2001, Chen repudiated "One China" and called for talks without preconditions. On 3 August 2002, Chen defined the cross-strait relations as One Country on Each Side (namely, that China and Taiwan are two different countries). The PRC subsequently cut off official contact with

1400-452: A report in 2010 from Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said that China's charm offensive is only accommodating on issues that do not undermine China's claim to Taiwan and that the PRC would invade if Taiwan declared independence, developed weapons of mass destruction, or suffered from civil chaos. President Ma has called repeatedly for the PRC to dismantle the missile batteries targeted on Taiwan's cities, without result. Ma also called on

1500-670: A result of the Clinton administration 's Taiwan Policy Review of 1994. Similarly, the names of the twelve other CCNAA offices (" consulates ") in the United States were changed to "Taipei Economic and Cultural Office" (TECO). On May 24, 2019, Taiwan informed that "the Coordination Council for North American Affairs" was renamed "the Taiwan Council for U.S. Affairs". In September 2020, the US Ambassador to

1600-415: A solution for health insurance coverage for Taiwanese students studying in mainland China, on pragmatically establishing SEF and ARATS offices in their respective territories, and on studying the feasibility of allowing visits to detained persons once these offices had been established. Zhang visited Taiwan between 25 and 28 June 2014, becoming the first ministerial-level PRC official to do so. In 2014,

1700-564: A state of war until 1979. In October 1949, the PRC's attempt to take the ROC-controlled island of Kinmen was thwarted in the Battle of Kuningtou , halting the advance of the PRC's People's Liberation Army (PLA) towards Taiwan. In the Battle of Dengbu Island on 3 November 1949, the ROC forces repulsed their PRC counterparts but were later forced to retreat after the PRC established air superiority. The ROC government also launched

1800-496: A vigorous policy of isolating Taiwan diplomatically. In March 2005, the 10th National People's Congress passed the Anti-Secession Law authorizing military force for unification. On the other hand, the PRC administration pursued contact with apolitical, or politically non-independence leaning, groups in Taiwan. In his May 17 Statement in 2004, Hu Jintao made friendly overtures to Taiwan on resuming negotiations for

1900-465: Is a sovereign, independent nation in which sovereignty lies in the hands of the people ". In response, the mainland reinstated tariffs on 134 items from Taiwan previously covered under ECFA, and conducted live-fire joint military exercises around the island, raising concerns of large-scale armed conflict . The administration of cross-strait relations of both sides are independent from the official diplomatic system. The Taiwanese government established

2000-426: Is also a part of China." This resolution became the basis for quasi-governmental negotiations between SEF and ARATS from October to November 1992. Led by Koo Chen-fu and Wang Daohan , these talks culminated in the 1993 Wang–Koo summit . Both sides agreed to confer ambiguity on questions of sovereignty in order to engage on operational questions affecting both sides. The ambiguity of the 1992 Consensus allowed

2100-677: Is known as the "Taipei Liaison Office". The two most recent ones to change their official names, in Papua New Guinea and in Jordan, both use the name Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Chinese: 臺北經濟文化辦事處 ). Originally called the Coordination Council for North American Affairs (CCNAA), the name of the CCNAA office in Washington, D.C. (the " embassy ") was changed to "Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office" (TECRO) as

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2200-712: The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), directly led by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council . This system, described as "white gloves", allowed the two governments to engage with each other on a semi-official basis without compromising their respective sovereignty policies. On 1 August 1992, the ROC's National Unification Council passed the "Definition of One China Resolution," stating: "The two sides of

2300-659: The Battle of Dongshan Island on 11 May 1950, as well as the Battle of Nanpeng Island in September and October of the same year. However, the ROC won the Battle of Nanri Island in 1952 with United States support. In 1953 the communists won the Battle of Nanpeng Archipelago , the Battle of Dalushan Islands and the Dongshan Island Campaign . After the ROC lost the mainland, a group of approximately 12,000 KMT soldiers escaped to Burma and continued launching guerrilla attacks into southern China during

2400-733: The Empire of Japan (who had annexed Taiwan as a spoil of war through the First Sino-Japanese War ) to the Republic of China, who was one of the " Big Four " of Allied Nations , although questions remain regarding the legal language used in the Treaty of San Francisco . In 1949, with the Chinese Civil War turning decisively in favor of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Republic of China Government led by

2500-651: The Japanese Empire , Taiwan was a foreign jurisdiction in relation to the Qing dynasty until 1912, and then to the Republic of China for the remainder of Japanese rule. From 1928 to 1942, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maintained that Taiwan was a separate nation. In a 1937 interview with Edgar Snow , Mao Zedong stated, "we will extend them (the Koreans) our enthusiastic help in their struggle for independence. The same thing applies for Taiwan." In 1945, Japan

2600-559: The Mainland Affairs Council led by the Executive Yuan , and China established the Taiwan Affairs Office in both the State Council and the CCP. The communication between both sides are through two semi-official institutions: Straits Exchange Foundation by the ROC side, and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits by the PRC side. Leaders of the two governments The early history of cross-strait relations involved

2700-703: The National Immigration Agency and the Bureau of Consular Affairs ( Ministry of Foreign Affairs ). Its cultural arm, known as Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Centre, is an overseas agency of the Ministry of Culture . The General Manager of TECO is also the Director of the Bureau of Hong Kong Affairs in the Mainland Affairs Council of the Executive Yuan . The founding director of the office

2800-639: The Nationalist Party of China ( Kuomintang , or KMT) evacuated to Taiwan and established a provisional capital in Taipei , while still claiming to be the legitimate government of all of China. The CCP proclaimed the establishment of the Central People's Government with Beijing as the capital, and the People's Liberation Army subsequently conquered and quelled all of mainland China, although

2900-462: The People's Republic of China or PRC) and Taiwan (officially the Republic of China or ROC) across the Taiwan Strait . Due to the existing controversy over the status of Taiwan, they are also not defined as diplomatic relations by both sides. The relationship has been complex and controversial due to the dispute regarding the political status of Taiwan after the island's administration

3000-665: The Sunflower Student Movement broke out. Citizens occupied the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan for 23 days, protesting against the government's forcing through the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement . The protesters felt that the trade pact with China would leave Taiwan vulnerable to political pressure from Beijing. The agreement ended up unratified in the legislature. In September 2014, Xi Jinping adopted

3100-812: The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis . Following the crisis and the growing influence of a pro-independence element in Taiwan politics, the PRC increased its focus on modernizing its military to deter Taiwan independence and deter U.S.-involvement. In 1998, the ARATS and the SEF resumed contact and the second Wang–Koo summit was held in Shanghai , China. Jiang also received the Taiwanese representatives in Beijing . While Wang Daohan's return visit to Taiwan

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3200-732: The United States enjoy many diplomatic privileges such as extraterritoriality , providing consular protection and their staff have diplomatic immunity . Other countries also establish reciprocal representative offices in Taiwan, such as the American Institute in Taiwan , Canadian Trade Office in Taipei and Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association . Following the admission of the PRC to the United Nations in 1971, many countries began to establish diplomatic relations with

3300-464: The disastrous landing attempt at Kinmen , the unexpected outbreak of the Korean War and the subsequent American involvement halted any further plans to invade Taiwan. The two sides then entered decades of stalemate and de facto ceasefire with sporadic episodes of naval skirmishes and island shellings , but no armistice or peace treaty has ever been signed, and debate continues as to whether

3400-500: The period of mobilization for the suppression of Communist rebellion was terminated. Seeking to negotiate with China on operational issues without affirming the other side's legitimacy, the ROC government created the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), a nominally non-governmental institution directly led by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), an instrument of the Executive Yuan in 1991. The PRC established

3500-635: The transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997, the Service continued to operate, despite not having been officially registered with the Hong Kong SAR Government . However, in 2000, Beijing set out the conditions under which the Chung Hwa Travel Service could operate in Hong Kong, although the Mainland Affairs Council refused to detail them. In 2004, the newly appointed managing director of

3600-410: The " Three Links ", reducing misunderstandings, and increasing consultation. However, the Anti-Secession Law was passed in 2005, which was not well received in Taiwan. The CCP increased contacts on a party-to-party basis with the KMT, then the opposition party in Taiwan, due to their support for the One China principle. The increased contacts culminated in the 2005 Pan-Blue visits to China , including

3700-561: The "1992 Consensus" shows that "both sides recognize there is only one China, but agree to differ on its definition". There followed a series of meetings between the two sides. On 12 April 2008, Hu Jintao held a meeting with ROC's then vice-president elect Vincent Siew as chairman of the Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation during the Boao Forum for Asia . On 28 May 2008, Hu met with

3800-775: The "Taipei Representative Office". In September 1994, the Clinton Administration announced that the CCNAA office in Washington could similarly be called the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office. Earlier in 1989, the "Pacific Economic and Cultural Center" in Manila became the " Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines ". In 1991, the "Taiwan Marketing Service" office in Canberra , Australia, established in 1988, also became

3900-550: The "Taiwan authorities" instead of "Chiang's clique" and "peaceful reunification" instead of "liberating Taiwan." In the 1 January 1979 "New Year's Day Message to Taiwan Compatriots," the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) stated that the PRC would "take present realities into account in accomplishing the great cause of reunifying the motherland and respect the status quo on Taiwan and

4000-643: The 'Taipei Economic and Cultural Center'. On 13 May 2012, the name was formally changed to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. In 1950, the UK switched recognition from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China (PRC) shortly after its establishment, while maintaining the British Consulate in Tamsui , through which the UK continued to carry out consular and trade-related activities. The consulate

4100-534: The 1992 Consensus, but backed down after backlash within his own party. In his inaugural speech, Chen Shui-bian pledged to the Four Noes and One Without , in particular, promising to seek neither independence nor unification as well as rejecting the concept of special state-to-state relations expressed by his predecessor, Lee Teng-hui, as well as establishing the Three Mini-Links . Furthermore, he pursued

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4200-752: The British authorities, with the Governor , Alexander Grantham , opposing an office building for the "Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of the Provinces of Kwantung and Kuangsi" being erected on the site of the Walled City in Kowloon . In 1950, following British recognition of the People's Republic of China , the office of the Special Commissioner was closed and Kwok withdrawn. Following

4300-478: The British authorities. Previously, while the National Government of the Republic of China in Nanjing had negotiated with the British regarding the appointment of a Consul-General in 1945, it decided against such an appointment, with its representative in the colony, T W Kwok (Kuo Teh-hua) instead being styled Special Commissioner for Hong Kong . This was in addition to his role as Special Commissioner for Guangdong and Guangxi . Disagreements also arose with

4400-403: The Japan-China Joint Communique was signed. EARA had offices in Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. In 1992, Japan authorized the change in name of AEAR to TECRO. In Hong Kong, from 1966, Taiwan was represented by the 'Chung Hwa Travel Service', a name chosen to avoid upsetting Beijing. On 20 July 2011, as a result of warming relations between Taiwan and Beijing, the name was formally changed to

4500-438: The KMT chairman Wu Po-hsiung , the first meeting between the heads of the CCP and the KMT as ruling parties. During this meeting, Hu and Wu agreed that both sides should recommence semi-official dialogue under the 1992 Consensus. Cross-strait high-level talks between the ARATS and the SEF reopened in June 2008, with the first meeting held in Beijing. On 13 June, President of the ARATS, Chen Yunlin , and President of

4600-440: The Korean War but was rejected. During the Korean War, some captured Communist Chinese soldiers, many of whom were originally KMT soldiers, were repatriated to Taiwan rather than China. Though viewed as a military liability by the United States, the ROC viewed its remaining islands in Fujian as vital for any future campaign to defeat the PRC and retake China. On 3 September 1954, the First Taiwan Strait Crisis began when

4700-422: The PLA ceased its bombardment. The crisis was brought to a close during the Bandung conference . At the conference, the PRC articulated its Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence with Premier Zhou Enlai publicly stating, "[T]he Chinese people do not want to have a war with the United States. The Chinese government is willing to sit down to discuss the question of relaxing tension in the Far East, and especially

4800-422: The PLA started shelling Kinmen and threatened to take the Dachen Islands . On 20 January 1955, the PLA took nearby Yijiangshan Island , with the entire ROC garrison of 720 troops killed or wounded defending the island. On 24 January, the U.S. Congress passed the Formosa Resolution authorizing the President to defend the ROC's offshore islands. The First Taiwan Strait Crisis ended in March 1955 when

4900-401: The PRC allowed Taiwanese airlines use of China's airspace. After the re-election of Chen Shui-bian in 2004, Hu's government changed the previous blanket no-contact policy, a holdover from the Jiang Zemin administration. Under the new policy, on the one hand, the PRC government continued a no-contact policy towards Chen Shui-bian. It maintained its military build-up against Taiwan, and pursued

5000-413: The PRC to embrace Sun Yat-sen 's call for freedom and democracy. In June 2013, China offered 31 new measures to improve Taiwan's economic integration with the mainland. In October 2013, in a hotel lobby on the sidelines of the APEC Indonesia 2013 meetings, Wang Yu-chi , Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, spoke briefly with Zhang Zhijun , Minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office, each addressing

5100-404: The PRC to emphasize that both sides of the strait upheld the position of one China and allowed the ROC to emphasize that it was the one China to which both the mainland and Taiwan belonged. This facilitated the improvement of cross-strait relations in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, the rhetoric of ROC President Lee Teng-hui began turning further towards Taiwan independence. Prior to the 1990s,

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5200-526: The PRC would consider the use of force if Taiwan sought to indefinitely avoid meaningful talks with the PRC. Chen Shui-bian of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected President of the ROC in 2000. Before the KMT handed over power to the DPP, chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council Su Chi suggested a new term 1992 Consensus as a common point that was acceptable to both sides so that Taiwan and China could keep up cross-strait exchanges. Chen expressed some willingness to accept

5300-504: The ROC continued to supply and command them, even secretly supplying reinforcements. In northwestern China during the 1950s and 1960s, the Kuomintang Islamic insurgency led by Muslim Kuomintang army officers continued fighting, refusing to surrender to the PRC. Most observers expected Chiang's government to eventually fall in response to a Communist invasion of Taiwan, and the U.S. initially showed no interest in supporting Chiang's government in its final stand. Things changed radically with

5400-446: The ROC declared a " closure " of all Chinese ports, and its navy attempted to intercept all foreign ships. The closure covered area from a point north of the mouth of Min river in Fujian Province to the mouth of the Liao River in Manchuria. Since China's railroad network was underdeveloped, north–south trade depended heavily on sea lanes. ROC naval activity caused severe hardship for Chinese fishermen. The two governments continued in

5500-498: The ROC government began allowing visits to China. This benefited many, especially old KMT soldiers, who had been separated from their families in China for decades. This catalyzed a thawing of relations between the two sides, but problems arising from increased contact necessitated a mechanism for regular negotiations. From the end of 1987 to June 1995, the two sides frequently exchanged envoys to develop formal and informal institutions and agencies for cross-strait relations. In 1988,

5600-400: The ROC government. Hu Jintao became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in late 2002, succeeding Jiang as top leader of the PRC. Hu urged Taiwan's DPP administration to resume cross-strait dialogue on the basis of the 1992 Consensus. The PRC also continued applying diplomatic pressure to other nations to isolate the ROC diplomatically. However, during the 2003 Iraq war,

5700-436: The ROC had been a one-party authoritarian state committed to eventual unification with China. However, democratic reforms reshaped attitudes of the general public, which in turn began influencing policy in Taiwan. As a result, the ROC government shifted away from its commitment to One China and towards a separate political identity for Taiwan. In January 1995, Jiang Zemin announced the PRC's "Eight-Point Proposal" discussing

5800-425: The SEF, Chiang Pin-kung , signed files agreeing that direct flights between the two sides would begin on 4 July, and that Taiwan would allow entrance of up to 3,000 visitors from China daily. The first direct flights took off on 15 December 2008. On 31 December 2008, Hu stated that both sides of the strait should "make pragmatic explorations in their political relations under the special circumstances where

5900-400: The Service faced a five-month delay before received approval to enter Hong Kong and assume his post. Similarly, other Taiwan government officials faced difficulties in obtaining visas to visit Hong Kong. In 2009, the Service opened a visa office at Hong Kong International Airport , thereby allowing mainland visitors to Taiwan to collect their visas at the airport instead of having to travel to

6000-417: The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, bringing it into line with other Republic of China representative offices around the world. In Macau, from 1989 to 1999, Taiwan was represented by the 'Taipei Trade and Tourism Office', Taiwan's first-time representation in Macau after Kuomintang's expulsion from Macau as the consequence of the December 3rd Incident in 1966. From 1999 to 2011, Taiwan was represented by

6100-400: The Taiwan Strait uphold the One China principle, but the interpretations of the two sides are different ... Our side believes that one China should mean the Republic of China, established in 1912 and existing today, and its sovereignty extends throughout China, but its current governing authority is only over Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matzu. Admittedly, Taiwan is part of China, but the mainland

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6200-449: The Taiwan independence movement were sown during this period. China was soon engulfed in full-scale civil war . In 1949, the conflict turned decisively against the KMT in favor of the CCP. On 1 October 1949, CCP Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing . The ROC government retreated to Taiwan, eventually declaring Taipei its temporary capital in December 1949. In June 1949,

6300-429: The U.N., and she pointed to a December 2019 email alert from Taiwan that WHO had ignored, recognizing and warning about the danger of the person-to-person transmission of the new highly contagious COVID-19 virus in China. Diplomatic relations between the Republic of China and Japan were broken off in September 1972. For practical reasons, the Association of East Asian Relations (AEAR), was established two months after

6400-441: The United Nations Kelly Craft met with James K.J. Lee, director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, who was secretary-general in Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs until July, for lunch in New York City in what was the first meeting between a top Taiwan official and a United States ambassador to the United Nations. Craft said she and Lee discussed ways the US can help Taiwan become more engaged within

6500-513: The administration began to implement a modernization drive. In 1887, Fujian-Taiwan Province was declared by Imperial decree. However, the fall of the Qing outpaced the development of Taiwan, and in 1895, following its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War , the Imperial government ceded Taiwan to Japan in perpetuity. Qing loyalists briefly resisted Japanese rule under the banner of the " Republic of Formosa " but were quickly put down by Japanese authorities. Japan ruled Taiwan until 1945. As part of

6600-432: The capital city " Taipei " and refrain from using the name "Taiwan" or the "Republic of China", since the term "Taipei" avoids implying that Taiwan is a different country on par with the PRC or that there are " Two Chinas ", the PRC and the ROC, in order to diminish the obstacles of building pragmatic diplomacy and sidestep the Taiwan issue . The first attempt of using the name "Taiwan" in a Taiwanese diplomatic mission within

6700-432: The choice between political unification with the mainland or de jure Taiwanese independence . The PRC remains hostile to any formal declaration of independence and maintains its claim over Taiwan, citing its status as the only internationally recognized government of all of China since the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 in 1971. At the same time, non-governmental and semi-governmental exchanges between

6800-445: The civil war has legally ended. Since then, the relations between the governments in Beijing and Taipei have been characterized by limited contact, tensions, and instability. In the early years, military conflicts continued, while diplomatically both governments competed to be the " legitimate government of China". Since the democratization of Taiwan, the question regarding the political and legal status of Taiwan has shifted focus to

6900-451: The country has not yet been reunified." The financial relationship between the two areas improved on 1 May 2009 in a move described as "a major milestone" by The Times . The ROC's financial regulator, the Financial Supervisory Commission , announced that Chinese investors would be permitted to invest in Taiwan's money markets for the first time since 1949. Investors can apply to purchase Taiwan shares that do not exceed one tenth of

7000-513: The early 1950s. The ROC paid a salary to the guerrilla leader General Li Mi and issued him the nominal title "Governor of Yunnan ". Initially the U.S. supported these remnants, and the Central Intelligence Agency provided aid. After the Burmese government appealed to the United Nations in 1953, the U.S. began pressuring the ROC to withdraw its loyalists. By the end of 1954, nearly 6,000 soldiers left Burma, and Li Mi declared his army disbanded. However, thousands of guerrilla fighters remained, and

7100-410: The exchange of cultures, people, and technology. However, no Chinese dynasty formally incorporated Taiwan in ancient times. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Taiwan first caught the attention of Portuguese , then Dutch and Spanish explorers. After establishing their first settlement in Taiwan in 1624, the Dutch were defeated in 1662 by Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong), a Ming dynasty loyalist, who took

7200-594: The former ROC Embassy was replaced by the " Association of East Asian Relations " (AEAR) in 1972. In Malaysia, following the closure of the consulate general in Kuala Lumpur in 1974, an office known as the Far East Travel and Trade Centre was established. In the Philippines , the former embassy in Manila was replaced by the "Pacific Economic and Cultural Center", established in 1975. In Thailand ,

7300-664: The former embassy in Bangkok was replaced by the "Office of the Representative of China Airlines" in 1975. This was later renamed the Far East Trade Office in 1980. In the United States, Taipei's mission, established in 1979, was known as the " Coordination Council for North American Affairs " (CCNAA). As of 2019, it has been renamed "Taiwan Council for US Affairs." In the United Kingdom, Taiwan

7400-949: The government in Beijing , and as a consequence, ended diplomatic relations with the Nanjing -based ROC Government stationed in Taipei . In order to maintain trade and cultural ties with countries with which it no longer had diplomatic relations, Taiwan established representative offices in these countries, often replacing its former embassies. Before the 1990s, the names of these offices would vary considerably from country to country, usually omitting any reference to "Taiwan" or "Republic of China", instead referring to "East Asia", "Far East" or "Free China". They would also describe themselves as "centres" or "offices", concerned with trade, tourism, culture or information, thereby emphasising their private and unofficial status, despite being staffed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel. For example, in Japan,

7500-464: The island and established the first formally Han Chinese regime in Taiwan. Koxinga's heirs used Taiwan as a base for launching raids into mainland China against the Manchu Qing dynasty , before being defeated in 1683 by Qing forces. Taiwan was incorporated into Fujian Province in 1684. With other powers increasingly eyeing Taiwan for its strategic location and resources in the 19th century,

7600-573: The name "Taipei" in their titles due to confusion on their functions, particular those needing visa to travel to ROC areas. Using the "Taipei" is more familiar as it was recently used in the Olympics after "Chinese Taipei" Olympics team rejoined in 1981. In May 1992, the AEAR offices in Japan became Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Offices. The "Free Chinese Centre" in London was similarly renamed

7700-757: The occasion, however, a hotline connecting the head of the Mainland Affairs Council and the head of the Taiwan Affairs Office was established at the end of 2015. In January 2016, the opposition DPP won the Taiwanese presidential election . In the transition to a new administration, the ROC Justice Minister Luo Ying-shay embarked on a 5-day historic visit to mainland China in March, making her

7800-885: The office after the Government of Hong Kong demanded them to sign a document supporting the 1992 Consensus. Only local staff remained to maintain operations. On 20 December 2021, the entire office completed relocation from Lippo Centre in Admiralty to the Central Plaza in Wan Chai . The office is accessible within walking distance north from Wan Chai Station of the Hong Kong MTR . Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office Except in Lithuania and Somaliland (opened in 2020), all offices use

7900-551: The office in Admiralty . On 20 July 2011, in a ceremony presided over by Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan , it was renamed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office . This brought it into line with most other representative offices around the world, which already had "Taipei" in their titles. The renaming was considered a milestone in the improved cross-strait relations between Taipei and Beijing . On 20 June 2021, Taiwan recalled its staff working at

8000-612: The onset of the Korean War in June 1950. At this point, it became politically impossible in the U.S. to allow a total Communist victory over Chiang, so President Harry S. Truman ordered the U.S. Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait to prevent the ROC and PRC from attacking each other. The U.S. fleet hindered the Communist invasion of Taiwan, and the PRC decided to send troops to Korea in October 1950. The ROC proposed participation in

8100-703: The opinions of people in all walks of life there and adopt reasonable policies and measures in settling the question of reunification so as not to cause the people of Taiwan any losses." Deng proposed a model for the incorporation of Taiwan into the PRC which involved a high degree of autonomy within the Chinese state, similar to the model proposed to Hong Kong which would eventually become one country, two systems . Consistent with Deng's one country, two systems approach, NPC Standing Committee Chair Ye Jianying elaborated on peaceful reunification under per his 30 September 1981 "Nine Points Proposal" in which Taiwan would have

8200-601: The other "bandits". The ROC also suppressed expressions of support for Taiwanese identity or Taiwan independence. The ROC represented China at the United Nations until 1971, when the PRC obtained the UN seat. After the United States formally recognized the PRC and broke its official relations with the ROC in 1979, the PRC under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping shifted its strategy from liberating Taiwan to peaceful unification. The PRC moderated its rhetoric, referring to

8300-467: The other by his official title. Both called for the establishment of a regular dialogue mechanism between their two agencies. Zhang also invited Wang to visit China. The two ministers met in Nanjing on 11 February 2014, in the first official, high-level, government-to-government contact between the two sides since 1949. During the meeting, Wang and Zhang agreed on establishing a direct and regular communication channel. They also agreed on finding

8400-492: The other side, offices located in Taiwan usually also use the term "Taipei", though the United States, Japan, and Somaliland (but not Lithuania) use "Taiwan" (for example the American Institute in Taiwan ). TECROs state that their aim is "to promote bilateral trade, investment, culture, science and technology exchanges and cooperation, as well as better understanding", and provide common citizen services towards overseas Taiwanese , such as issuing visas and passports . TECROs in

8500-566: The question of relaxing tension in the Taiwan area." Two years of negotiations with the U.S. followed, although no agreement was reached on the Taiwan issue. The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis began on 23 August 1958 with air and naval engagements between the PRC and the ROC military forces, leading to intense artillery bombardment of Kinmen (by the PRC) and Xiamen (by the ROC), and ended in November of

8600-499: The relations are neither between two Chinas nor two states. It is a special relationship . Cross-strait cooperation increased during Ma's tenure. Both Hu Jintao and his new counterpart, Ma Ying-jeou, considered the 1992 Consensus to be the basis for negotiations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. On 26 March 2008, Hu Jintao held a telephone talk with the U.S. President George W. Bush , in which he explained that

8700-400: The same year. PLA patrol boats blockaded the islands from ROC supply ships. Though the U.S. rejected Chiang Kai-shek 's proposal to bomb Chinese artillery batteries, it quickly moved to supply fighter jets and anti-aircraft missiles to the ROC. It also provided amphibious assault ships to land supply, as a sunken ROC naval vessel was blocking the harbor. On 7 September, the U.S. escorted

8800-908: The two sides have increased. In 2008, negotiations began to restore the Three Links (postal, transportation, trade) between the two sides, which were cut off since 1949. Diplomatic contact between the two sides has generally been limited to Kuomintang officials on Taiwan, who were the main proponents of the 1992 Consensus , and cross-strait treaties such as ECFA and CSSTA were signed during KMT administrations. Even during Democratic Progressive Party administrations, who were supporters of " one country on each side " and considered by many in China to be outright separatists , negotiations continue to occur on practical matters through informal channels. In 2024, newly elected Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in his inaugural speech " Republic of China Taiwan

8900-416: The use of force or treating the Taipei government as an equal political entity. In 1995, Lee visited the United States and delivered a speech to an invited audience at Cornell University . In response to Taiwan's diplomatic moves, the PRC postponed the second Wang–Koo summit indefinitely. The PLA attempted to influence the 1996 Taiwanese presidential election by conducting a missile exercise, leading to

9000-400: The value of the firm's total shares. The move came as part of a "step by step" movement designed to relax restrictions on Chinese investment. Taipei economist Liang Chi-yuan commented: "Taiwan's risk factor as a flash point has dropped significantly with its improved ties with Chinese. The Chinese would be hesitant about launching a war as their investment increases here." From military aspect,

9100-443: Was Susie Chiang Su-hui . Previously located at Tower 1, Lippo Centre in Admiralty , the office has been relocated to Central Plaza in Wan Chai since December 2021. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong, initially known as Chung Hwa Travel Service ( Chinese : 中華旅行社 ), was first established in Hong Kong in 1966 during British rule . This operated under quasi-diplomatic arrangements unilaterally extended by

9200-659: Was a diplomatic mission of Taiwan to Norway that functioned as a de facto embassy . The first representative office of Taiwan in Norway was the Taipei Trade Centre , established in 1980. In July 2017, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the office will be suspended on 30 September 2017 and affairs related to Taiwanese in the country will be handled by Taipei Mission in Sweden . The decision

9300-665: Was closed after the UK and the PRC upgraded relations to Ambassadorial level in March 1972, and in June 1980 the building and land of the consulate were returned to the Taiwanese government. The ROC government's office in the UK was set up in September 1963, and at the time was known as the Free Chinese Centre. In 1992, this was revised to become the Taipei Representative Office in the UK. The Taipei Representative Office in Norway ; ( Chinese : 駐挪威代表處 ; pinyin : Zhù Nuówēi Dàibiǎo Chù )

9400-585: Was defeated in World War II and surrendered its forces in Taiwan to the Allies; the ROC, then ruled by the Kuomintang (KMT), took custody of the island. The period of post-war KMT rule over China (1945–1949) was marked by conflict in Taiwan between local residents and the new KMT authority. The Taiwanese rebelled on 28 February 1947 , but the uprising was violently suppressed by the KMT. The seeds of

9500-525: Was forced to break from this policy during the May 1986 hijacking of a China Airlines cargo plane , in which the Taiwanese pilot subdued other members of the crew and flew the plane to Guangzhou . In response, Chiang sent delegates to Hong Kong to discuss with PRC officials the return of the plane and crew, which was seen as a turning point in cross-strait relations. In 1987, Chiang became willing to open up cross-strait economic and cultural contacts. That year,

9600-442: Was made to improve the efficiency of the foreign diplomatic missions of Taiwan. The list below shows the countries or regions where TECROs/TROs are established. Cross-Strait relations This is an accepted version of this page Cross-strait relations (sometimes called Mainland–Taiwan relations , China–Taiwan relations or Taiwan–China relations ) are the political and economic relations between China (officially

9700-556: Was recognized by Soviet Bloc countries, members of the Non-Aligned Movement , and some Western nations such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Both governments claimed to be the legitimate government of China, labeling the other as illegitimate. Civil war propaganda permeated the educational curriculum. Each side portrayed people of the other as living in hell-like misery. In official media, each side called

9800-564: Was represented by the "Free Chinese Centre", established in 1963. In West Germany , it was represented by a Büro der Fernost-Informationen ("Far East Information Office") established in 1972. In Spain , the office, established in 1973, was known as the Centro Sun Yat-sen ("Sun Yat-sen Centre"). In the Netherlands , the office was known as the "Far East Trade Office". However, in the late 1980s, these offices began using

9900-624: Was scheduled, Lee Teng-hui described cross-strait relations as "state-to-state or at least special state-to-state relations" in July 1999. Lee's two-states theory postponed Wang's visit indefinitely and the PRC issued a white paper entitled "The One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue" in February 2000, before the 2000 Taiwanese presidential election . In the white paper, the PRC warned against conduct it would view as separatism and stated that

10000-554: Was transferred from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, and the split between the PRC and ROC in 1949 as a result of the ROC's retreat to the island after losing the Chinese Civil War . The essential questions are whether the two governments are still in a state of civil war over One China , each holding one of two "regions" or parts of the same country (i.e. " one nation, two states "); whether they can be unified under

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