First Taiwan Strait Crisis

September 3, 1954 – May 1, 1955 · Kinmen and the Taiwan Strait

Brief armed conflict in 1954-1955 between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China over ROC-held offshore islands near the Chinese mainland. The PRC began heavy bombardment of Kinmen (Quemoy) in September 1954, extended shelling to Matsu and Tachen, seized the Yijiangshan Islands in January 1955, and took the Dachen Islands while the US Navy helped evacuate ROC troops. The crisis de-escalated in April 1955 after Premier Zhou Enlai offered negotiations at the Bandung Conference, but the underlying issues remained unresolved.

Key people

Participants

Strength and losses

All
Killed c. 2,370

Before and after

Followed from
Chinese Civil War August 1, 1927 – May 1, 1950

Related events 1 degree away • 2 degrees away

1928
1931
1934
1937
1940
1943
1946
1949
1952
1955
1958
 
 
 
First Taiwan Strait Crisis