China and Taiwan have long-held a bitter and complicated history. Separated by the Taiwan Strait, they have remained in a standoff since 1949 when China became divided into the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China. Ever since, the Chinese government has seen Taiwan as a renegade breakaway province that will ultimately return. Indeed China’s President, Xi Jinping has previously vowed to ‘reunify’ Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, using force if necessary. In contrast, Taiwan views itself as an independent country – whether officially declared or not.
Tensions between America and China spiked after the US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan on 3 August 2022 and met Taiwanese president Tsai-Ing-wen. A furious China responded by declaring 6 days of military drills carrying out live fire exercises to simulate an assault on Taiwan, appearing to be rehearsing for a potential attack.
Here we look at what’s behind China-Taiwan tensions in more detail – and why America is involved.
