President Lai Ching-te Will Visit Taiwan's Outermost Islands Tomorrow

Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te (Wikimedia Commons/Office of the President/Simon Liu)

JAKARTA - Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te will make his first visit since taking office in the sensitive Kinmen Islands next to China's coast, where tensions have risen between Taipei and Beijing.

President Lai's office said on Thursday it would travel to Kinmen on Friday for an event marking the 66th anniversary of major military clashes with Chinese troops, better known internationally as the start of the second Taiwan Strait crisis.

" Located in the first island group, Taiwan faces a direct threat from China. However, Taiwan will not be intimidated," President Lai said in a security forum in Taipei.

China views democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly denounced President Lai as "separatist".

He rejected Beijing's sovereignty by saying only the Taiwanese could decide their future, but had also offered talks with China.

Taiwan has controlled Kinmen and Matsu Islands on the coast of China, since the defeated Chinese Republican government fled to Taipei in 1949 after losing a civil war with communist Mao Zedong. No peace treaty or ceasefire has ever been signed.

The persistent battleground during the Cold War peak, Chinese coast guard since February has been conducting routine patrols around Kinmen following the deaths of two Chinese people at a speedboat Beijing blamed on Taipei.

The 1958 crisis is the last time Taiwanese troops have fought against China on a large scale.

In August of that year, Chinese troops began bombing Kinmen for more than a month, along with Matsu, including sea and air fighting, with the aim of forcing them to bow.

Taiwan fought back at the time with support from the United States, which delivered military equipment such as advanced Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles, which gave Taiwan technological advantage.

The crisis ended in a dead end, and Taiwan commemorates August 23 each year as a date to fend off Chinese attacks.

Kinmen menghadapi dengan kota-kota China, Xiamen dan Quanzhou. Jarak terdekatnya kurang dari dua km (1,2 mil) dari wilayah yang dikuasai China.

It is known, Kinmen, previously called Quemoy in English, is now a popular tourist destination, although Taiwan maintains a significant military presence.