Podcast: A “deep dive” into how today’s cross-strait tensions took shape over the past century
This episode explores how tensions between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan took shape over more than a century of imperial transition, civil war, Cold War alignment, and the emergence of a distinct Taiwanese political identity. As detailed in the article "An overview of how today's cross-strait tensions took shape over the past century," this episode traces Taiwan's separation from the mainland beginning with the 1895 cession to Japan, the 1949 relocation of the Nationalist government after Communist forces prevailed on the mainland, the 1971 transfer of China's U.N. seat to Beijing, and the 1979 U.S. switch in diplomatic recognition. It examines Taiwan's transformation from nearly four decades of martial law into a multiparty democracy with its own unique identity.