一百一十五, Lien Chan
Lien Chan was elected President of the Republic of China. China would have its second peaceful transfer of power, this time back to the Kuomintang. Lien Chan came into office with approval ratings a little over 50%. He spoke of the need for unity, and spoke of China’s past, present, and future greatness. The ruling KMT would also come back into power in the Legislative Yuan. 399 out of 773 were members of either the KMT or its affiliate the Tibet Improvement Party. It was a majority, though a small majority. There would need to be a new President of the Legislative Yuan, and Hu Jintao of Jiangsu seemed like a good pick to many, but his association with authoritarian politicians like Jiang Zemin made others suspicious. Finally, it was determined that 78-year-old Zhang Xizhe of Guangdong, who had been elected during the Civil War at the age of 29, would be the next President of the Legislative Yuan.
(Lien Chan)
Though some alarmists predicted a return to authoritarianism, the return of the KMT to power did not result in much of a change in how the government functioned. The government was a bit more functional because the Legislative Yuan was controlled by one party instead of an unruly coalition. Chiang Kai-shek would once again be honored by the government. New statues of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo were unveiled. He appointed Chiang Hsiao-wu, grandson of Chiang Kai-shek and Lien’s main opponent during the presidential nomination, as Premier. This appointment drew criticism, with many claiming that he was only chosen for his family name or as part of a possible deal that took place during the nomination process. Lien said that Chiang was chosen for his qualifications.
The early part of Lien Chan’s presidency was more concerned with foreign than domestic policy. The collapse of Communism presented new opportunities for foreign policy. Mongolia was in a tough situation. Its main benefactor had reduced aid years earlier and now was falling apart. In his last months in office, Li Ao had ordered military exercises near the Mongolian border and Chinese planes flew over Mongolian airspace. Mongolian leadership had already announced its departure from the Stalinist policies of Khorloogin Choibalsan and Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal in late 1995. The Chinese Communist exile bases were closed down. In 1996, Mongolian President Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat visited China, and met with Lien Chan. The two leaders came to an agreement that would preserve Mongolian independence. Aid would be given to help prop up the failing Mongolian economy. Chinese businessmen would soon descend upon the country.
(Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat)
China’s greatest rival was falling apart. Shortly after Lien entered office, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan voted to secede from the Soviet Union, giving China two new neighbors. Kazakhstan left the USSR later in the year. China quickly moved to establish diplomatic relations with their new neighbors. The Lien administration was criticized for not immediately pushing China’s territorial claims on Tajikistan. The Tajikistan issue would be left for a later date. Relations with the remaining USSR were normalized once more. The country was no longer seen as any threat to China. They mighty had fallen. Some of the Russian refugees in China would return to their home country. The Soviet Union’s former ally was going through hard times too.
North Korea, just like Mongolia, had seen Soviet aid reduced in the early years of the 1990s as the Soviet economy collapsed. Kim Il-sung died in 1991, and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. North Korea was suffering from food shortages and a failing economy. A group of officers attempted a coup in May 1996 and failed. Some anti-Kim elements in the military started a rebellion against the government, hoping to get help from South Korea and China. In July the Republic of Korea and the Republic of China launched airstrikes against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. After a few days of airstrikes, the North Korean air force bombed several targets in South Korea. All-out war followed.
(ROC planes)
North Korean soldiers launched an offensive to cut off the South Korean part of Hwanghae Province from the rest of the country. Border skirmishes broke out across the former DMZ. For the first few days, little happened on the China-Korea border. The Chinese army of the 1990s was smaller than it was in the 80s, and in 1996 the majority of Chinese soldiers were stationed in the west. However, the Chinese Navy and Air Force devastated their North Korean counterparts. In August, Chinese troops cut North Korea off from the roads connecting to the Soviet Union. In late August, a full-fledged Chinese offensive began. Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River from Dandong into Sinuiju, though they took heavy casualties in the process. North Korea launched missiles at China. Further South, North Korea had captured some Southern towns, but they were being pushed back. As ROK forces retook these towns, locals told of atrocities carried out by DPRK soldiers.
(North Korean Soldiers)
By September Chinese forces were pouring into North Korea in large numbers. Heavy fighting occurred between North and South Korean armies in the west. Large numbers of North Korean soldiers were deserting and many who were captured wanted to defect. At the end of the month, ROK forces captured Sariwon, and recaptured their side of Hwanghae Province with the help of Chinese marines. On October 1, Chinese forces captured Pyongsong. From the 12th to the 25th, the battle of Pyongyang was fought. Though the Chinese did the bulk of the fighting, South Korean troops arrived towards the end of the battle. The majority of the remaining DPRK forces surrendered after that. Kim Jong-il was missing, though he was found by North Korean rebels near Chongpyong on the 27th and summarily executed.
(Kim Jong-il)
Peace was not achieved yet. There would be an ongoing guerilla war as diehard believers in Juche would not lay down their arms. They would eventually be defeated. North Korea would be governed by a council of dissident officers. This new government would immediately lift restrictions on freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and property rights. Trade agreements were signed with both South Korea and China. Most within the new government expressed their desire for Korean unification, though that remained a divisive subject in the South. North Koreans would flood over the border in search of better job opportunities. South Korean (and to a lesser extent, Chinese) doctors, businessmen, missionaries, and others went North in large numbers as well. It was a new era for Korea.
In November, Lien Chan gave a speech in which he declared that Communism in Asia is finished. Mongolia was transitioning to democracy and the Iranian Communist regime was bound to fall soon. His popularity rose. Though some criticized the war in Korea as unnecessary, they were firmly in the minority when it came to public opinion. The United States congratulated China and South Korea for liberating the North Korean people. Lien Chan had meet with US President Jack Kemp earlier in the year. The two men were on friendly terms. But there was a growing distrust of China not only in the United States but all throughout the West. With the Soviet Union an afterthought, one that would cease to exist within a year, America’s next geopolitical rival was obvious. That could come later. For now, Kemp and Lien could enjoy the well-fought victory in the Cold War.
(Lien Chan)
Though some alarmists predicted a return to authoritarianism, the return of the KMT to power did not result in much of a change in how the government functioned. The government was a bit more functional because the Legislative Yuan was controlled by one party instead of an unruly coalition. Chiang Kai-shek would once again be honored by the government. New statues of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo were unveiled. He appointed Chiang Hsiao-wu, grandson of Chiang Kai-shek and Lien’s main opponent during the presidential nomination, as Premier. This appointment drew criticism, with many claiming that he was only chosen for his family name or as part of a possible deal that took place during the nomination process. Lien said that Chiang was chosen for his qualifications.
The early part of Lien Chan’s presidency was more concerned with foreign than domestic policy. The collapse of Communism presented new opportunities for foreign policy. Mongolia was in a tough situation. Its main benefactor had reduced aid years earlier and now was falling apart. In his last months in office, Li Ao had ordered military exercises near the Mongolian border and Chinese planes flew over Mongolian airspace. Mongolian leadership had already announced its departure from the Stalinist policies of Khorloogin Choibalsan and Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal in late 1995. The Chinese Communist exile bases were closed down. In 1996, Mongolian President Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat visited China, and met with Lien Chan. The two leaders came to an agreement that would preserve Mongolian independence. Aid would be given to help prop up the failing Mongolian economy. Chinese businessmen would soon descend upon the country.
(Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat)
China’s greatest rival was falling apart. Shortly after Lien entered office, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan voted to secede from the Soviet Union, giving China two new neighbors. Kazakhstan left the USSR later in the year. China quickly moved to establish diplomatic relations with their new neighbors. The Lien administration was criticized for not immediately pushing China’s territorial claims on Tajikistan. The Tajikistan issue would be left for a later date. Relations with the remaining USSR were normalized once more. The country was no longer seen as any threat to China. They mighty had fallen. Some of the Russian refugees in China would return to their home country. The Soviet Union’s former ally was going through hard times too.
North Korea, just like Mongolia, had seen Soviet aid reduced in the early years of the 1990s as the Soviet economy collapsed. Kim Il-sung died in 1991, and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. North Korea was suffering from food shortages and a failing economy. A group of officers attempted a coup in May 1996 and failed. Some anti-Kim elements in the military started a rebellion against the government, hoping to get help from South Korea and China. In July the Republic of Korea and the Republic of China launched airstrikes against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. After a few days of airstrikes, the North Korean air force bombed several targets in South Korea. All-out war followed.
(ROC planes)
North Korean soldiers launched an offensive to cut off the South Korean part of Hwanghae Province from the rest of the country. Border skirmishes broke out across the former DMZ. For the first few days, little happened on the China-Korea border. The Chinese army of the 1990s was smaller than it was in the 80s, and in 1996 the majority of Chinese soldiers were stationed in the west. However, the Chinese Navy and Air Force devastated their North Korean counterparts. In August, Chinese troops cut North Korea off from the roads connecting to the Soviet Union. In late August, a full-fledged Chinese offensive began. Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River from Dandong into Sinuiju, though they took heavy casualties in the process. North Korea launched missiles at China. Further South, North Korea had captured some Southern towns, but they were being pushed back. As ROK forces retook these towns, locals told of atrocities carried out by DPRK soldiers.
(North Korean Soldiers)
By September Chinese forces were pouring into North Korea in large numbers. Heavy fighting occurred between North and South Korean armies in the west. Large numbers of North Korean soldiers were deserting and many who were captured wanted to defect. At the end of the month, ROK forces captured Sariwon, and recaptured their side of Hwanghae Province with the help of Chinese marines. On October 1, Chinese forces captured Pyongsong. From the 12th to the 25th, the battle of Pyongyang was fought. Though the Chinese did the bulk of the fighting, South Korean troops arrived towards the end of the battle. The majority of the remaining DPRK forces surrendered after that. Kim Jong-il was missing, though he was found by North Korean rebels near Chongpyong on the 27th and summarily executed.
(Kim Jong-il)
Peace was not achieved yet. There would be an ongoing guerilla war as diehard believers in Juche would not lay down their arms. They would eventually be defeated. North Korea would be governed by a council of dissident officers. This new government would immediately lift restrictions on freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and property rights. Trade agreements were signed with both South Korea and China. Most within the new government expressed their desire for Korean unification, though that remained a divisive subject in the South. North Koreans would flood over the border in search of better job opportunities. South Korean (and to a lesser extent, Chinese) doctors, businessmen, missionaries, and others went North in large numbers as well. It was a new era for Korea.
In November, Lien Chan gave a speech in which he declared that Communism in Asia is finished. Mongolia was transitioning to democracy and the Iranian Communist regime was bound to fall soon. His popularity rose. Though some criticized the war in Korea as unnecessary, they were firmly in the minority when it came to public opinion. The United States congratulated China and South Korea for liberating the North Korean people. Lien Chan had meet with US President Jack Kemp earlier in the year. The two men were on friendly terms. But there was a growing distrust of China not only in the United States but all throughout the West. With the Soviet Union an afterthought, one that would cease to exist within a year, America’s next geopolitical rival was obvious. That could come later. For now, Kemp and Lien could enjoy the well-fought victory in the Cold War.
