Key Facts about Taiwan Strait

About Taiwan Strait: 

• The Taiwan Strait, or Formosa Strait is a 180 km-wide strait between mainland China and the island of  Taiwan.
  • It runs between the coast of Fujian (Fukien) Province, China, and the island of Taiwan.
• The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north.
• The strait’s seafloor is mostly a continental shelf extending out from the Asian continent, with Taiwan on the outer edge. 
• It is relatively shallow. It has an average depth of about 490 feet, and a minimum depth of 82 feet.
• Islands:
  • The biggest islands along the Taiwan side include Penghu (or Pescadores), Xiamen, and Pingtan.
  • The Xiamen and Pingtan Islands are administered by the People’s Republic of China, while the other three islands: Penghu (or Pescadores), Kinmen and Matsu are under the administration of the Republic of China (Taiwan). 
• The strait is a major global shipping corridor, with 44 percent of the world’s container fleet moving through it in 2022. 
• The chief ports are Amoy in mainland China and Kao-hsiung on Taiwan.
• The Strait has been the theatre for several military confrontations between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan since the last days of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek retreated across the Strait and relocated its government on its final stronghold of Taiwan.
• The median line of the Taiwan Strait:
  • It is the informal dividing line in the Taiwan Strait between theChinese mainland and Taiwan. 
  • It came about during the Cold War as a way to try and delineate the two opposing sides and reduce the risk of clashes.
  • No agreement or treaty ever solidified its status.
  • It served as a tacit boundary between Taiwan and China until 2019, when sorties by the People's Liberation Army crossed the line.
  • Beijing has since sought to further reject the existence of a median line in the strait by more frequently sending warplanes over the line.