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https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/video/2023/04/30/china-and-taiwan-is-a-conflict-inevitable_6024899_4.html
Since the end of the Chinese civil war and the nationalists' retreat to Taiwan in 1949, it has been the Chinese Communist Party's historic mission to merge the island into its territory, in the name of its "One-China" policy.
While Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated that he will achieve this peacefully, he does not rule out the use of force. This threat became dangerously clear when the Chinese army engaged in large-scale military drills around the island, as it did in early April 2023 and in August 2022. Both times, a third actor was involved in the escalation of tensions: the United States, as the close ties between Taipei and Washington irritate Beijing. At the heart of these tensions lies the question of a potential American intervention in the event of a Chinese invasion.
In this episode of our "World Maps" video series, Le Monde's video team examines the reasons behind the tensions between China and Taiwan, as well as the possibilities and implications of a conflict, if one were to occur. We do this with the help of researchers Antoine Bondaz, at France's Foundation for Strategic Research, and Ian Easton, at the Project 2049 Institute.