Taiwan Strait
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait is a 180km-wide strait between mainland China and the island of Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast. The narrowest part is 131km wide. The Taiwan Strait is often incorrectly called the "Taiwan Straits".
Fujian province on the mainland is to the west of the strait, while important islands like Quemoy, Amoy, Hainan Island, and the Matsu Islands are nearby. To the east are the west coast of Taiwan and the Pescadores. The island fishermen use the strait as a fishing resource.
The Strait has been the theatre for several military confrontations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China since the last days of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 when the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek retreated across the Strait and relocated its government on its final stronghold of Taiwan.
There have been discussions about the strategic importance of the Taiwan Strait. Some Japanese politicians claimed that the Taiwan Strait is an essential sea route for oil shipment from the Middle East via the Malacca Strait to Japan. However, some have argued this to be untrue [1][2]
The Minjiang and Jiulong Rivers empty into the strait.
[edit] See also
- Geography of China
- Battle of Kuningtou
- First Taiwan Strait Crisis
- Second Taiwan Strait Crisis
- Third Taiwan Strait Crisis
- Mainland China
- Political status of Taiwan
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