Archive Report
Archive Report
Island's Role in U.S.–Asian Relations
Who owns taiwan? the question has agitated East Asia for more than three-quarters of a century, and it does so even today. Since 1894, the island has been a province of China, a colony of Japan and the seat of an exile government claiming to represent the vast, Communist-ruled mainland. One thing Taiwan never has been is an independent nation. After more than two decades of Nationalist Chinese rule and American assistance, however, the island has developed the economic and military strength to qualify as a viable, self-governing state.
Taiwan's status is more ambiguous than ever in the aftermath of President Nixon's visit to Peking. It was recognized well in advance of the President's trip that the Taiwan question was the ...