Taiwan Japan’s First Colony

Taiwan was Japan’s first colony. It occupied Taiwan for 50 years until it had to hand it back to China after WWII. Then it broke away from China in 1949 and declared itself an independent republic. China has never recognized its independence and still considers Taiwan to be part of China today. The US has a special relationship with Taiwan. From 1954 to 1979, the United States was a partner with Taiwan in a mutual defense treaty. The United States remains one of the main supporters of Taiwan and, has continued selling arms and providing military training to the Armed Forces. This situation continues to be an issue for the People’s Republic of China, which considers US involvement disruptive to the stability of the region.