Taiwan’s government, officially the Republic of China, fled the mainland after losing the civil war to communist forces in 1949 and now functions as a sovereign state. The government in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China, has vowed to bring the island under its control and in recent years has dramatically stepped up its military activities in the Taiwan Strait to pressure Taipei.
Taiwan is a top U.S. trade partner and a key hub in tech supply chains, accounting for roughly 90 percent of advanced semiconductor production. Washington, Taipei’s main source of arms sales, is required to help provide for the island’s defense under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.
