The current dispute between China and Taiwan dates back to a civil war between the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong’s communist fighters.
The nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 after they were defeated by the communists.
The Republic of China remains Taiwan’s official name.
While Taiwan has its own government, military and currency, it has never declared formal independence from mainland China.
Beijing has sought to erase Taipei from the international stage, blocking it from global forums and poaching its diplomatic allies.
“FEARS IN MIND”
Taiwan was on alert for Chinese military drills near the island on National Day after observing “some maritime deployments”, a senior security official told AFP on Wednesday.
China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of large-scale war games in the past two years, deploying aircraft and ships to encircle the island.
“Even though we have not seen significant military activity or exercises following previous 10/10 speeches, we are prepared that Beijing may choose to use this as a pretext this year,” the senior US administration official told reporters.
“We see no justification for a routine annual celebration to be used in this manner. Coercive actions like this against Taiwan and in the cross-Strait context, in our view, undermine cross-Strait stability.”
