What is behind the China-Taiwan dispute? (2024)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the actions of the Chinese military after one of its warships came just metres away from a US naval vessel in the Taiwan Strait.

Albanese, speaking from Vietnam, said the actions of the Chinese ship that sailed across the path of an American destroyer and Canadian frigate transiting the strait on Saturday, showed the danger of military miscalculation in the hotly disputed waters.

"One of the things that I spoke about in Singapore in the Shangri-La Dialogue was the need for proper rules to operate, for there to be that engagement and dialogue. And these issues are of concern," he said.

"I spoke there about a misadventure or a miscalculation having consequences.

"We need to make sure that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea applies.

"We need to make sure that all operations, maritime and aviation in the region are able to operate safely."

How is China responding to the incident?

China's defence minister defended the actions of his country's warship in the waterway dividing the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own, and mainland China.

General Li Shangfu told the Shangri-La Dialogue that China doesn't have any problems with "innocent passage" but that "we must prevent attempts that try to use those freedom of navigation (patrols), that innocent passage, to exercise hegemony of navigation".

The Chinese vessel overtook the American ship and then veered across its bow at a distance of 140 metres in an "unsafe manner," according to the US Indo-Pacific Command.

Li also accused the US and others of "meddling in China's internal affairs" by providing Taiwan with defence support and training, and conducting high-level diplomatic visits.

But the US has pledged to continue its maritime and air patrols through the Taiwan Strait and the wider South China Sea.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told the same forum Saturday that Washington would not "flinch in the face of bullying or coercion" from China and would continue regularly sailing through and flying over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea to emphasise they are international waters, countering Beijing's sweeping territorial claims.

Here is what you need to know about the Taiwan dispute and what it means for Australia.

The history of Taiwan

Taiwan's official name is the Republic of China (ROC), tracing its founding to 1911 on the Chinese mainland after the collapse of China's last imperial dynasty.

The Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), ruled China until 1949 when it was defeated by the army of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in a bloody civil war and fled to Taiwan, an island off the southeastern coast of mainland China.

Later that same year, Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the birth of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from Tiananmen Gate in Beijing.

The two sides have been governed separately since, though a shared cultural and linguistic heritage mostly endures - with Mandarin spoken as the official language in both places.

Why does China want Taiwan?

Beijing views Taiwan as an inseparable part of its territory - even though the Chinese Communist Party has never governed the island.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to pursue "reunification" with Taiwan by peaceful means.

In a speech in 2021, Xi said the biggest obstacle to the reunification of China was the "Taiwan independence" force.

"Those who forget their heritage, betray their motherland and seek to split the country will come to no good," Xi said.

He said he wanted to see peaceful reunification occur under a "one country two systems" policy, similar to that used in Hong Kong. However the system of government is generally opposed by Taiwan.

Is Taiwan a democracy?

Taiwan, with a population of more than 23 million people, has become a vibrant democracy since the 1990s - with the two main political parties, the Kuomintang (KMT) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) trading victories in presidential elections.

Who recognises Taiwan?

Fifty years ago, the United Nations voted to recognise the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Communist government that took power in the mainland as the "only legitimate representative of China".

Today only 14 nations give diplomatic recognition to Taiwan, and thus do not have official ties with China. They are: Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland and Tuvalu.

Crucially in 1979, the US joined a growing list of nations to formally switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

In what is known as the "One China" policy, Washington recognises the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China; it also acknowledges Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never accepted the CCP's claim of sovereignty over the island.

Meanwhile, the US continues to retain close unofficial ties with Taiwan under the terms of the decades-old Taiwan Relations Act, facilitating commercial, cultural and other exchanges through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - the de facto US Embassy in Taipei.

Does China have the capability to invade Taiwan?

China, after years of rising military spending, now boasts the world's second-largest defence budget behind the US, totalling about $290 billion in 2022. That has allowed the development of advanced weapons systems including the J-20 stealth fighter, hypersonic missiles and two aircraft carriers, with a third under construction.

China's tacit support for Russia's war on Ukraine has fuelled speculation over its intentions with Taiwan, raising questions about how the world might react should it launch an attack.

Since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine on February 24, China has pointedly refused to criticize Russia's action, blaming the US and NATO for provoking Moscow, and has blasted punishing sanctions imposed on Moscow.

Concerns over a possible invasion have prompted the Taiwanese government to beef up its combat readiness and wartime preparation.

A study released by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission last year said China has boosted its arsenal of new missiles and amphibious ships - key weapons needed in any crossing of the 200km-long Taiwan Strait to the island.

What is the US role in defending Taiwan?

Washington's longstanding policy has been to provide political and military support for Taiwan, while not explicitly promising to defend it from a Chinese attack.

In May 2022, US President Joe Biden's warning the US would defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression made headlines around the world - and put growing tensions between the small democratic island and its neighbouring autocratic superpower back under the spotlight

Though the US has no bases on Taiwan, American officials confirmed last year that special forces have been training with the Taiwan military for more than a year, including maritime operations with Marine commandos in recent weeks.

US military support for Taiwan is "based on an assessment of Taiwan's defence needs and the threat posed by" China, Pentagon spokesman John Supple said.

- With CNN, AP

Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.