Return of Taiwan imminent
17 October. Chinese government forces land at Kirun (now Keelung) in northern Taiwan and begin marching towards Taihoku (Taipei) to accept the Japanese surrender. Before its conquest by Ching forces in the 17th century, Taiwan was never part of China. It was also ceded to Japan in 1895 before the fall of this ‘foreign’ dynasty. Nonetheless, both KMT and CCP leaders regard it as an integral part of Chinese territory.
United Nations Charter ratified
24 October. The five permanent members of the Security Council (the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France and China), along with other 24 non-permanent members, formally ratify the UN Charter. This day is henceforth commemorated as United Nations Day. However, nationalist leaders like Ho Chi Minh, hearing of the speeches delivered on self-determination for colonized peoples, look for more than words.
Special China Edition: Aftermath
On 13 November 1945, 100 tumultuous days had passed since the dropping of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima. One thousand days later, on 9 August 1948, the forces that had been set in train by Japan’s defeat and surrender continued to shape the face of Asia.
By August 1948 much of northern China was also in CCP hands or contested by communist guerrilla forces. CCP forces were also active in the mountains of the far south, while the northwest was dominated by warlords of the Ma family, who offered only vague loyalty to the KMT. Civil war between the KMT and the CCP had broken out in earnest … (to continue reading Cribb and Li’s aftermath, click the link below)
KMT–CCP negotiations continue
10 October. About six weeks after the start of negotiations in Chungking, a joint KMT–CCP communiqué emphasises progress. Both parties claim to accept three principles: peaceful national reconstruction, dispute resolution via negotiation, and maintenance of legal and equal rights of different political parties. Nonetheless, substantial divergences remain. Mao flies back to Yen’an the following day, Chou En-lai staying on to continue the negotiations.
Chinese communists launch ‘transportation campaign’
15 October. The CCP central committee orders its central and northern forces to concentrate on the ‘transportation campaign’, aimed at deterring and eliminating the northward-marching Nationalist army. The most capable cadres and troops are to be mobilized for this purpose.
Threat of civil war in China
24 October. Fo Tso-i, commander of Republican China’s 12th military region, cables Mao, accusing the Communist army of attacks on Shanxi and Sui-yuan in the past two months. He warns that further CCP encroachments might lead to civil war, for which the CCP would take full responsibility. Two days later, the CCP’s Xinhua News Agency dismisses Fo’s statement.