The visit in turn provoked Beijing, with Chinese President Xi Jinping warning that efforts to widen division with Taiwan would be punished by history. The thread of the conflict between China and Taiwan goes back to 1949 when losing the Civil War to the communists, Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist KMT fled to Taiwan. In January this year it has opened a new air route over the narrow Taiwan Strait separating China and Taiwan. Moreover, China’s coercive actions and its lack of respect for Taiwan, among others, have severely impacted the ties between Taiwan and China. In March, President Trump signing the Taiwan Travel Act has further elevated the tension between China and Taiwan to a new level.

Source: dna March 30, 2018 02:51 UTC