Early History of Formosa

In December 1949, Chiang Kai-shek, under the threat of the advancing Red Armies of Mao Tse-tung, transferred the seat of his government from the mainland of China to the island province of Formosa. This act by the Nationalist Government set the stage for one of the most perplexing and controversial disputes to be faced by the fledgling United Nations. The immediate issue to be settled by that organization was the China representation question. For, out of the chaos of the Nationalist defeat emerged the still unresolved problem of two governments, that of Nationalist China and that of Communist China, both claiming to represent the Chinese people. As a corollary to the China representation problem is the question of the legal status of Formosa.