Essat on Taiwan Now and Then

"Taiwan defends plans to develop long range nuclear missiles"(Taipei, Dec 9 1999 AFP). A top Taiwanese official on Thursday defended his government's right to develop long-range missiles after US reports said China was building a new missile base targeting the island of Taiwan. During the period of the Opium War, a British fleet tried to occupy Keelung harbor in north Taiwan but eventually failed. This was the first aggressive move on Taiwan by imperialist powers. In …

…missile tests and threats of violence helped to increase the Pro-Beijing faction in Taiwan. In this modern nuclear age, the century old conflict over China's rule of Taiwan has the potential to cause world war. The United States has gone back and forth regarding China's rights to Taiwan, perhaps adding to the tension. With both countries testing nuclear weapons in each other's backyards, it's only a matter of time before someone makes a critical mistake.