Asia 791
Narrative: On October 1, 1949, the Chinese Civil War ended and an interstate con-
flict began with the Nationalists who fled to Formosa, when the Chinese People’s
Republic was formally established on the mainland. Clashes followed frequently, and
the Nationalists implemented a blockade of Communist ports. On June 27, 1950, the
United States entered the dispute when President Truman announced his order to the
Seventh Fleet of the US navy to enter the Taiwan Strait and prevent any attack on
Formosa.
Coding changes: End Date changed from August 7, 1950.
MID#2052
Dispute Number: 2052
Date(s): January 27, 1951 to October 16, 1952
Participants: 710 China/2 United States of America, 713 Taiwan
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: 251–500 deaths
Narrative: On January 27, 1951, in a response to Communist China’s occupation of
surrounding lands, Taiwan raided the mainland, killing more than 300 communists.
On February 16, the United States began to outline a pact/alliance with islands within
the reach of Red China in a display of force vowing to consider an armed attack on any
one of the signatories (Nationalist China and Japan included) as an attack upon itself.
Meanwhile, clashes between the Communists and the Nationalists continued on the
mainland. In May 1952, Communist China protested this pact, declaring that Taiwan
intended to invade the mainland and the United States would then recognize the future
holdings of Nationalist China. Finally, on October 17, 1952, the Secretary of State
Acheson proclaimed that the United States would not commit any acts of aggression
that would violate the UN charter.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from February 16, 1951.
MID#50
Dispute Number: 50
Date(s): February 9, 1953 to February 6, 1956
Participants: 2 United States of America, 713 Taiwan/365 Russia, 710 China
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: 26–100 deaths
Narrative: This dispute involves the attempts of Chinese Nationalists under the
leadership of General Chiang to reclaim mainland China from the Communist govern-
ment. The Communist leadership was in turn attempting to exercise what it believed
was its territorial right to control the island of Formosa (Taiwan) and other areas in
which exiled anticommunists had fled in 1949. As part of its anti-Communist foreign
policy, the United States became involved by providing military protection for For-
mosa in the region while at the same time ensuring that the Nationalists would not try
to invade the mainland.
In early February 1953, President Eisenhower declared that the United States would
no longer prevent the Nationalists from attacking China’s mainland, while US forces