Taiwan exercises democracy China exercises military force The first ever direct Presidential election in Taiwan was held on March 23, 1996. In an attempt to intimidate Taiwan and destabilize the election, China conducted missile tests and concurrent joint military exercises close to Taiwan from March 8 through 25. At 6:00 am, March 6 (5:00 pm EST, March 5), 1996, Beijing announced it will stage ...

Taiwan: In China's shadow and in international spotlight March 18, 1996 Web posted at: 10:45 p.m. EST (0345 GMT) Taiwan, an island about 100 miles off the southeastern coast of China, has frequently found itself receiving international attention far out of proportion to its small size. The leaf-shaped island, one of the most densely populated places on earth with 21 million people, is only about ...