The Origins of the Korean War by Peter Lowe

Author:Peter Lowe [Lowe, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780582251472
Publisher: TaylorFrancis
Published: 1986-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

The significance of Taiwan

Lastly let us consider Taiwan (Formosa). This was extremely significant in political and strategic terms. Taiwan was the scene of Chiang Kai-shek's final stand; if Taiwan fell the last shreds of Chiang's credibility would vanish. There was talk of Chiang's definitive retirement, perhaps to Switzerland, but the Generalissimo had no intention of departing. He believed he had a historic task to fulfil as the successor to Sun Yat-sen and felt that the Kuomintang could be saved at the eleventh hour provided that he could operate with other trenchant anti-communists such as Syngman Rhee and President Quirino of the Philippines and induce the United States to accept the obligation to defend Taiwan and South Korea. A third world war could be the salvation of the Kuomintang. Chiang appeared in effective control of Taiwan, although there was speculation on a possible coup, perhaps to advance General Sun Li-jen. The influx of numerous refugees was resented by the native Taiwanese, who had suffered enough already from the Kuomintang, notably in the harsh suppression of the 1947 rising. There had been some American interest in the Taiwanese autonomy movement, especially in 1948-49 when the complete disintegration of the Kuomintang was feared. The tact that large numbers of troops were evacuated from the mainland with the air force and loyal sections of the navy postponed the collapse and eliminated the likelihood of advancing the Taiwanese cause. The strategic position of Taiwan was the vital question for American policy-makers; they had long ago given up hope of Chiang's revival, as the China White Paper demonstrated. Chinese communist possession of Taiwan could pose a threat to the concept of the American frontier in the western Pacific, formulated in the later 1940s. The key aspect was precisely how important was Taiwan? Was it so valuable as to justify American intervention to prevent the communists capturing it? This was the focus of intense debate in Washington in the autumn of 1949 and in the course of 1950 until the question was decisively answered by the events of June and November 1950.

The relationship between Taiwan and Japan is a significant area to examine. Economic relations were close and the political connections between General MacArthur and the Kuomintang are a fascinating if obscure subject. Trade between Taiwan and Japan had revived by 1948 to the point where the formation of a trade association to promote commerce was envisaged in Taiwan.76 In addition, trading contacts with South Korea were being developed. The descent of large numbers of refugees in 1948-49 worsened the economic problems in Taiwan with the onset of serious inflation. Production of manufactured sugar, Taiwan's most valuable export, rose from 260,000 tons in 1948 to 620,000 tons in 1949. The biggest single contract for sugar exports was with SCAP, although the bulk of the sugar was exported to countries within the sterling area and purchases were made by the British Ministry of Food. It was estimated in July 1949 that there were over 400,000 soldiers in Taiwan, all of whom had escaped from the mainland, plus approximately half a million civilian refugees.

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