Chiang Kai-Shek became one of the Big Four leaders of the Allies in the Second World War before the Communists defeated the nationalists in 1949, forcing him to flee to Taiwan, where he died in 1975, with his desire to recapture mainland China and restore national culture unfulfilled
By Sameer Arshad Khatlani
Until a trip to Taipei in November 2013, Taiwan would mostly conjure up Beijing’s threats of reuniting the ‘rebel region’ with mainland China, even by force, if needed. I learnt more about Taiwan’s emergence as a major economy in Asia and one of the top producers of computer technology globally, despite its diplomatic isolation, when The Times of India, my then employer, nominated me for the ‘A Day with Google‘ event in Taipei.
Taiwan, which has been independent since the 1950s, has regular diplomatic relations with a handful of countries. China opposes diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, which counts the United States (US) as its most important ally and protector. Barring these obvious nuggets of information, I was unable to do much research on Taiwan before I landed in Taipei on a cold afternoon via Hong Kong. My first day in Taiwan started early as we were driven to the event venue for Google experts to demonstrate how the tech giant’s services were becoming integral to our lives—from cooking to navigation and work.
Dozens of journalists from South and Southeast Asia were flown to Taiwan’s capital for back-to-back sessions, where experts explained how features such as Google Translate, Google Now, Google Docs, and Google Maps made lives easier. The corporation’s latest gadgets were also showcased at the event. Much of my time in Taipei was spent trying to keep up with the information overload. But I did not have any reason to complain. For starters, my room at the Palais de Chine Hotel, where I stayed, overlooked the Taipei Main Station and gave me a bird’s eye view of the Zhongzheng District.
The Rebel
I explored much of the district on foot and got acquainted with one of the important characters of the region’s history thanks to my curiosity about the origin of its name. I found the district was named after Generalissimo Chiang Kai‐shek, the President of Nationalist China. Chiang Kai-Shek died at a hospital near Palais de Chine Hotel at 87 after suffering a heart attack in April 1975.
Chiang Kai-Shek’s ideas would put into perspective why China remains sensitive about Taiwan. His political testament, dated March 1975, called on his supporters to fulfill his dream of recapturing mainland China from the Communists and restoring their national culture. It was made public hours after his death.
Chiang Kai-Shek, also known as Jiang Jieshi, participated in the uprising against the Qing Dynasty after returning to China following military training in Japan. The rebellion overthrew the dynasty and led to the establishment of a Chinese republic. Chiang Kai-Shek would become a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party and build the army. He spearheaded the reunification of most of China under a national government and suppressed the communists. He famously traveled to Cairo to meet US President Franklin D Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in November 1943.
With Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, Chiang Kai-Shek would become one of the Big Four leaders of the Allies in the Second World War against Germany, Italy, and Japan. Chiang’s growing international stature coincided with his weakening position at home. The situation worsened when a civil war broke out and culminated in the Communists defeating the nationalists and establishing the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
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Chiang and his forces were forced to flee to Taiwan, where he led a government in exile for the next 25 years. He was recognized as China’s legitimate ruler. Taiwan occupied China’s United Nations seat during Chiang’s lifetime. But Beijing’s rise gave it leverage to isolate Taipei.
China’s Antithesis
China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when the Mao Zedong-led Communists captured power from the nationalists. Taiwan has since emerged as an antithesis of China. It is a liberal democracy that allows same-sex marriages. The island with 24 million inhabitants has a modern economy. But it is no match for China’s military might. China has about a million ground troops while Taiwan has just 88,000.
China’s emergence as an economic superpower rivaling the US, Beijing’s assertive policies abroad, and growing authoritarianism at home have reignited debate about Chiang Kai-Shek’s loss of China. In a July 2020 piece, author Ali Wyne, a senior analyst with Eurasia Group, cautioned the US against relitigating once more how it lost China. He cited China’s errors, such as intensifying military and economic pressure on Taiwan, and added it has done considerably more to undercut its resurgence:
China is contributing to its own encirclement. The United States consequently has a renewed opportunity to influence the external environment in which China emerges, especially if it coordinates more closely with its European and Asian allies. It should focus more on than task than on relitigating once more how it lost China.
Ali Wyne,
Taiwan was back in the news two years later when the Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked fears about China imposing itself over the island it has threatened to forcibly reunite. Chinese officials reiterated their commitment to ‘resolving the Taiwan question’ days after Russia invaded Ukraine. The New York Times reported in a call with President Joe Biden about Russia’s invasion, his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, appeared more concerned about Taiwan’s fate than the war in Ukraine.
The Times noted like Russia, China appears to see a void after Western powers pulled back from the world stage following their failures in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That China has benefited from the relative global peace over the decades it emerged as an economic power in an increasingly integrated world, would possibly prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, as it could threaten Beijing’s economy. Russia’s invasion initially did not progress as Moscow had thought, raising hopes that it would discourage the Chinese from following suit.
