| dc.description.abstract | In the early 1949, Mao Tse-tung had shown serious consideration to the Taiwan issue and mapped out the plan to liberate Taiwan by force. After the establishment of Chinese Communist government, Mao regarded the settling of the Taiwan issue and the unity of the country as historic tasks which must be fulfilled. China has stated repeatedly that “Taiwan is an integral part of China. No matter what military intervention the United States makes, Chinese people have decided to liberate Taiwan.” After the Korean War ceased, the Taiwan issue was once again noticed.
In the 1950s, the issue of Kinmen and Matsu played an important role in Sino-US relations. The two massive military conflicts provoked in Taiwan Strait were correlated with it. The second Taiwan Strait crisis, the continuation of the first Taiwan Strait crisis, happened three years ago, had much larger scale, more meaning and stronger impact than the first one. Mao modified his policy on Taiwan from merely military fight to also political, military and psychological fight. To terminate the intention of the US to separate Taiwan from China, he left Kinmen and Matsu to Chiang Kai-shek (CKS), as a connection between Taiwan and China. During this period, when it was involved with Sino-US relations, Mao always dealt with the Taiwan issue with extreme caution.
It has been a long time that the unity of Taiwan and China is always the essential goal for Chinese Communist government. No matter it is “Liberate Taiwan by Force” or “Liberate Taiwan in Peace,” the only goal that China strives to achieve is the unity of Taiwan and China. Since Chinese Communist government had been established, resolving the Taiwan issues and fulfilling the unity of China was an important mission for Mao. According to the development of internal and external China, Mao led his country on the way to liberate Taiwan with a series of crucial policies including “Liberate Taiwan by Force,” “Conduct Negotiations at the Ambassador-Level with US,” “Left Kinmen and Matsu to CKS,” “Handle the Taiwan Issue when Establishing Diplomatic Relations to Foreign Countries” and “Liberate Taiwan in Peace.” These policies were crucial steps for resolving the Taiwan issue and fulfilling the unity whereas Zhou En-lai was just executing Mao’s policies. | en_US |