NewsTracker Answers for week of Feb. 17, 2014

Q: Taiwan and China officials held their first official talks since the end of China’s civil war in 1949. It was a symbolic development in the easing of their longtime rivalry. Where is Taiwan?

Circle the area on this map

Q: The losing side in the Chinese civil war retreated to the island of Taiwan in 1949. What is the government of Taiwan officially called?

A. Republic of Taiwan

B. Republic of China

C. Peoples Republic of Taiwan

D. Peoples Republic of China

B. The Republic of China (ROC) was established in 1912 after the last imperial dynasty lost power. But, the nation was torn by fighting warlords, the Japanese invasion and World War II. After the war, ROC forces lost the mainland to Communists who then established the Peoples Republic of China.

Q: Who ruled Taiwan before the ROC?

A. Japan

B. Korea

C. Philippines

D. United States

A. In 1945, the U.S. Navy ferried ROC troops to Taiwan in order to accept the formal surrender of Japanese military. Japan had ruled the island since it defeated China's Qing Dynasty in 1895.

Q: The Peoples Republic of China claims sovereignty over Taiwan which is separated from the mainland by the . . .

A. Taiwan Strait

B. South China Sea

C. Pacific Ocean

D. All of the above

D. The Taiwan Strait is part of the South China Sea which is part of the Pacific Ocean. The narrowest part of the strait is 81 miles wide. The ROC has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the mainland but never attempted to retake lost territory. China, however, is actively demanding reunification with the island.

Q: Trade between the island and mainland grew to $197 billion last year. How do mainland China and Taiwan compare based on Gross Domestic Product per person?

A. Taiwan is twice as rich

B. China is twice as rich

C. Taiwan is 4 times as rich

D. China is 4 times as rich

C. China has the world's second largest economy, but it also has the largest population. Its per person GDP is $9,100 compared with Taiwan's $38,400 per person. Until now, China and Taiwan met only through unofficial organizations which arranged trade between the two sides.