Key facts on Taiwan-China relations as military tensions soar

China has claimed Taiwan through its ࢀœone Chinaࢀ policy since the Chinese civil war forced the defeated Kuomintang, or Nationalists, to flee to the island in 1949, and has vowed to bring it under Beijingࢀ™s rule, by force if necessary. Following are key facts on ties between Taiwan and China: POLITICS – Relations warmed considerably after Ma Ying-jeou, from the Kuomintang party, which favours close ties to China, took office as president in 2008 and then won re-election in 2012. Ma held a landmark meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in 2015. – Since the Democratic Progressive Partyࢀ™s…