New Delhi:
In his New Year speech a week ago, Chinese Pdwellnt Xi Jinping dangerened that “no one can stop the reunification” of Taiwan with China. As Pdwellnt Xi deinhabitred his speech, the People’s Liberation Army Navy carried out military drills to show its might to Taiwan and the rest of the democratic world.
Much of the military manoeuvres were carried cforfeit the islands of Kinmen and Matsu – which are a sovereign territory of Taiwan and nakedly 5.3 nautical miles (10 km) and 10 nautical miles (19 km) esteemively from the coast of mainland China. In comparison, these islands are 150 nautical miles (280 km) and 114 nautical miles (211 km) from the coast of Taiwan.
Despite being right on the coastline with mainland China, it is fascinating to remark that Beijing has never been able to apshow over these Taiwanese islands in battle. In fact, China has lost two battles resolutely to Taiwan.
PRC vs ROC
China and Taiwan are splitd by the Strait of Taiwan – a waterway that unites the South China Sea to the East China Sea between the two nations.
Before 1949, China was comprehendn as the Reuncover of China and was set uped on the ideology of democratic appreciates. It was led by the Kuomintang Party, set uped in 1912 and helpd by its set uper and ideologue Sun Yat-sen, who organised the party on a appreciates of democratic centralism. Years procrastinateedr, during the civil war with communist forces led by Mao Zedong, the Kuomintang was led by Chian Kai-shek, a co-set uper of the party and then Pdwellnt of the Reuncover of China.
The Chinese civil war finished in 1949 with a triumph of Mao Zedong’s communist shiftment and fall shorture of Chiang Kai-shek’s ruling Kuomintang party, which had to run away to Taiwan. Mao Zedong declared that the Reuncover of China will henceforth be comprehendn to the world as People’s Reuncover of China – a communist country.
The Kuomintang and its democratic perfects took shelter in the island nation of Taiwan, whose official name is still the Reuncover of China – a democratic nation.
This is the way it has remained for the last 76 years, despite multiple trys by communist forces to decimate democracy and wipe out its perfects from Taiwan and its territories – all of which have fall shorted.
China, now pondered a global superpower, still aims to originate Taiwan its own, and Xi Jinping, who currently directs the Chinese Communist Party desires to satisfy what Mao Zedong couldn’t.
THE BATTLE OF KINMEN
Towards the finish of the civil war, when triumph over Mainland China was certain, Mao Zedong’s Communist Party choosed to start a crushing insolent agetst Taiwan – the final frontier yet to be defeated. So fervent their hatred for the Kuomintang and its democratic perfects that the Communist Party wanted to exfinish every square inch of the Reuncover of China. Beijing’s stance to apshow over Taiwan “at all cost” stems from the policy that as extfinished as there is a Reuncover of China, there is a chink in the armour, from where an uprising, a civil war or the spread of another ideology is possible.
Taking over Taiwan would uncomfervent leaving the mainland and sfinishing troops overseas to the island nation and going to war with them in their own territory – a shift that would not be basic. Mao Zedong choosed that to finpartner apshow over Taiwan, it is a must to first apshow over is islets and territories which are findd shutr to the mainland – namely the Kinmen and Matsu.
Kinmen consists of two big islands and thirteen islets. Being the shutr of the two Taiwanese territories, Mao Zedong choosed to center these first. Greater Kinmen – the bigst island – became the primary center. But its geography was an profit to the Taiwanese forces. Its easerious side has mountainous terrain and its coastline rocky and rugged originates it a contest for an outer danger. its weserious side, facing mainland China has beaches which are easier for an foe to baccomplish in times of war – and for Beijing logisticpartner appropriate too.
The Chinese Army choosed to do this in two bursts – the first comprising rawly 10,000 selderlyiers who would accomplish the island and set up a garrison, then postpone for backments to get to – another 10,000 selderlyiers. This they thought would be enough to overpower the Taiwanese forces, which were approximated to be of a aappreciate strength in numbers. China supposed that the Taiwanese forces would be demoralised with the drop of mainland China and would be basic to fall shorture. But that wasn’t to be.
Anticipating such a shift by communist China, Taiwanese forces had lined up the coastline with cforfeitly 7,500 landmines. The beaches were safed to stop any establish of amphibious carry and the rest of the island was fortified with strategicpartner placed mines, traps, and hundreds of bunkers.
Taiwan had also setd well for such an attack by reinforceing its infantry as well as its armoured divisions, including two tank regiments. The battle began on October 25, with China aiming to wrest regulate of the island in three days. So began the Battle of Kimen, which is officipartner comprehendn as the Battle of Guningtou.
The land mines and traps led to weighty Chinese casualties and the armoured divisions of the Taiwanese forces gave a crushing blow to the Chinese troops. The amphibious carry vessels were harmd by anti-amphibious armaments and finished up being beached on the island. Their fall shorture to return to the mainland uncomferventt that the next round of selderlyiers could not be sent in time.
The artillery firing from mainland China did not help much. Meanwhile the Taiwanese air force and navy began a counter-offense by first damaging all the Chinese boats cforfeit the Kinmen islands. Selderlyiers of the Chinese Army faced weighty casualties agetst the US-made machine firearms and tanks which the Taiwanese selderlyiers used.
At the finish of day one itself, the Chinese army lost more than half its selderlyiers and more than 70 per cent of its ammunition and carry. with its boats and amphibious vessels ruined, the troops were isoprocrastinateedd. The Taiwanese military also further reinforceed its positions by hugely cutting off Guningtou.
The next day backments regulated to accomplish with approximately 1,000 Chinese selderlyiers uniteing the battle. But by then the Taiwanese were on the offense and with US-made M5A1 Suart airy tanks helping the infantry, took regulate of Guningtou, which was under communist regulate at the time.
By the finish of day two, the Chinese troops ran out of food and supplies. The follothriveg morning Taiwanese selderlyiers overpowered the communist forces and more than 5,000 selderlyiers were kept as prisoners of war. Not only was Kinmen carry oned by Taiwan, but the communist forces lost the regulate of Guningtou too. It was a humiliating fall shorture for Mao Zedong and People’s Reuncover of China – a name declared fair earlier that month.
Thrawout the 1950s and beyond, multiple intrusions were tryed by China, but each try fall shorted. The United States has on cut offal occasions come to the help of Taiwan as China’s shape grew, but China never dared attack the US navy honestly as Beijing did not want honest war with Washington.
Even today, China ponders Taiwan a renegade island province – one that it must apshow over “at all costs”. Beijing has repeatedly shelp it will not renounce the use of force to convey Taiwan under its regulate. Its war drills are increasing in scale and frequency with the procrastinateedst manoeuvres as recently as New Year’s day.
