Why Does Taiwan Still Own These Islands On China’s Coast?
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Why does Taiwan control islands right off the coast of mainland China? The Kinmen (Quemoy) and Matsu islands are just a few kilometers away from the Chinese city of Xiamen, yet they’re not part of the People’s Republic of China. Instead, they remain under Taiwan (the Republic of China). In this video, we’ll dive into the strange history and strategic importance of these islands. From their settlement during the Tang Dynasty, to Koxinga’s campaigns against the Dutch, to the decisive Battle of Guningtou in 1949, and the Cold War Taiwan Strait Crises that nearly triggered U.S. nuclear strikes. We’ll also explore what life is like there today: their unique flag, economy built on Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, military heritage tourism, and why they remain at the heart of the Taiwan-China standoff.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 What are these islands?
01:53 Where is Kinmen?
03:09 The island’s population and flag
03:46 Taiwanese military defenses
04:30 The local economy
05:07 Raycon
07:04 How it became part of China
07:31 Etymology (name origin)
07:57 Ming & Qing Conquests
09:24 Annexation by the Japanese Empire
10:35 Chinese Civil War & retreat into Taiwan
11:05 1949 Battle of Guningtou
11:30 The Japanese General that helped
12:28 Nationalist victory?
13:44 Why Taiwan managed to keep them
14:13 Taiwan Strait Crisis & Chinese attacks
14:36 USA influence & defence of Taiwan
15:32 US debate about Kinmen’s defense
15:59 The similar Matsu archipelago
16:14 Today
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12 Comments
Give an inch and they will take a mile. So taiwan better hold on tight to those islands.
The islands absolutely belong to them, even if not “geographically” Taiwan, they’re their inseparable blood brothers
I feel bad for this guy everyone started swearing at him when he asked us that those islands belongs to china or Taiwan in the post pole 😂
There is no Taiwan; only the Republic of China Taipei regime which is in a state of tacit ceasefire within a civil war with the People's Republic of China Beijing regime. Taiwan belongs to the Taiwan Province of the Republic of China, while Kinmen and Matsu belong to the Fujian Province of the Republic of China. Control over territory does not equate to national sovereignty. Currently, two governments claim legitimacy over all of China, each exercising actual control over different regions: the mainland; and Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu.
Kinmen and The Matsu Islands are both geographically closer to China and also vote for the Kuomintang reliably, which is considered the more "pro-China" party. I think they should have a referendum.
Why not? Taiwan owns the entire country!
1 like on this comment and I will conquer Kinmen in the name of Portugal
真的很复杂，我都学了一周才弄明白
Thanks for your efforts on sound quality. I do quite a bit of painting and your videos help me enjoy the work,
Loved the video!
An observation: The algorithm is trying to push your videos out of my home page even though I watch every week! For two weeks now I’ve only able to see your videos because of the notification..
0:09 this statement is gonna upset A LOT of people😂
Maybe you say this in the video but it’s important to point out that the people on the kinmen and matsu islands do not consider themselves taiwanese and would probably be offended to be called that. They’re staunchly anti PRC but they still identify as Chinese. Traditionally the islands were a part of the Fujian province (the vast majority of which is under PRC control), and they’re still culturally Fujianese, unlike Taiwan which used to be its own province.