Beijing insists that Taiwan should be reunified eventually with the mainland. Nationalist forces fled to the island in 1949 after their defeat in a civil war by the communists. At the same time, however, he has refused to agree with Beijing's insistence that peaceful reunification can only take place under the one Chinaprinciple. All rights reserved. As a consequence you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the contents of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presses.
China wants Taiwan to adhere to the one China policy.
Beijing sees the island as a renegade province. Taiwan split from China in 1949, when the Communist government rose to power. Two million Chinese fled to the island, and in the past five decades, Taiwan has been democratized and has thrived economically. The erroneous report appeared to signal a change in China's position on Taiwan. For years, China has threatened military action only if Taiwan declares outright independence or puts off reunification talks indefinitely.