Relations began to improve in the 1980s as Taiwan relaxed rules on visiting and investing in China. In 1991, the Republic of China declared the war with the People’s Republic of China over.
China has proposed a so-called “one country, two systems” option that would give Taiwan significant autonomy if it agreed to come under Chinese control.
The system underpinned the way Hong Kong was governed until its handover to China in 1997 and recently, when Beijing sought to increase its influence.
Taiwan rejected this offer, and Beijing claimed that the ROC government on Taiwan was illegitimate, although unofficial representatives of China and Taiwan still held limited consultations.
Then, in 2000, Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian as its president, a move that greatly alarmed the Chinese government.
Mr. Chen and his party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), openly supported Taiwan’s “independence.”
The year after Chen was re-elected in 2004, China passed the so-called anti-secession law, giving China the right to use “non-peaceful means” against Taiwan if it attempts to “secede” from China. he declared.
Mr. Chen was later succeeded by the Kuomintang, which supports close ties with China.
In 2016, Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party was elected president. Under her, cross-Channel relations deteriorated. China also cut off official communications with Taiwan after Tsai took office, saying it was because she refused to support the concept of a single Chinese state.
Tsai never said she would formally declare Taiwan’s independence, insisting that Taiwan was already independent.
