WI: China invaded Formosa at the end of the Civil War

What if the Communist Chinese had invaded Taiwan after winning the Chinese Civil War? How would world powers such as the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. react? Would there have been a war?
 
I don't think they had the naval lift to support an invasion of Taiwan immediately following the conclusion of the civil war. Then again they took Hainan but my understanding was botched half-assed Nationalist defense failed to stop the landing in it's infancy.

EDIT: Interesting, just looked at DavidT's post, I wonder how successful such an attempt would be with junks and river vessels, they casualties would be horrific but the PLA never seemed to see that as an issue.
 
I don't think they had the naval lift to support an invasion of Taiwan immediately following the conclusion of the civil war. Then again they took Hainan but my understanding was botched half-assed Nationalist defense failed to stop the landing in it's infancy.

Hainan's a lot easier to get to than Formosa. The Quiongzhou Strait is only 19 miles wide on average and the deepest point is 390 feet. Not to mention there was a large group of Communist supporters to begin with. Meanwhile the Taiwan Strait that separates Taiwan is 81 miles wide at it's narrowest point (110 miles at it's widest) and had no Communist presence at all prior to the Communist takeover of mainland China
 
China DID invade Formosa.

That's why there's a KMT government there.

It's hard to call it an invasion--it was in accordance with the Cairo Conference decision, and the Japanese troops on the island surrendered without a struggle.

Obviously, this is not to excuse the corruption of the KMT rule in Taiwan in the late 1940's or the brutality of the 228 Incident. But "invasion" normally indicates a military operation against a foreign country meeting some armed resistance. I don't think the KMT takeover of Taiwan in 1945 can be so described.
 
Some native Formosans are still angry that the KMT arrived in 1946.

I recently met a Taiwanese aboriginal who was far wider and far more muscular than any chinaman I have ever met! He may not have been very tall, but he was as muscular as the fitter Polynesians! Think Dwayne Johnson alias "
the Rock."
 
Some native Formosans are still angry that the KMT arrived in 1946.

I recently met a Taiwanese aboriginal who was far wider and far more muscular than any chinaman I have ever met! He may not have been very tall, but he was as muscular as the fitter Polynesians! Think Dwayne Johnson alias "
the Rock."

"Chinaman"
Jesus, that's what Lee Kwan Yew called derogatory in the 60s.
 
Hainan's a lot easier to get to than Formosa. The Quiongzhou Strait is only 19 miles wide on average and the deepest point is 390 feet. Not to mention there was a large group of Communist supporters to begin with. Meanwhile the Taiwan Strait that separates Taiwan is 81 miles wide at it's narrowest point (110 miles at it's widest) and had no Communist presence at all prior to the Communist takeover of mainland China

You are correct being closer does help significantly too :eek:
 
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