Indeed, the entire region of present-day China was probably uninhabited at the time. Therefore, even if the land bridge had actually existed and even if China had good title to Taiwan during the period when the land bridge was to have existed, the principle of accretion would more probably weaken, if not completely demolish, rather than strengthen, China's claim to the now-detached territory. All parties to the dispute must agree to be bound by the decision of the authority before adjudication can occur. This method of determining sovereignty is most suitable for settling disputes over uninhabited lands. It is not appropriate in the case of Taiwan, where there is almost unanimous agreement amongst the powers that any settlement regarding Taiwan's status must take into account the will of the people.
Cession usually occurs as part of the peace settlement following war.
Financial or other consideration may be given for the territory being ceded, but usually the cessation of military operations is regarded as sufficient consideration. The transfer of Formosa and the Pescadores from China to Japan in 1895 was a cession in that the territories were transferred peaceably and then possessed by the new owners after the transfer. It is a general rule that where conquered territories have laws of their own, these laws remain in force after the conquest, until they are abrogated, unless they are contrary to the religion of the conquering country, or enact any malum in se. In all such cases the laws of the conquering country prevail. The people of a conquered territory change their allegiance, but by the modern practice, their relations to each other and their rights of property remain the same.