Harvard Researcher Says Chiang Kai-shek Fighting Back against China Was A Disguise
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Jay Taylor believes that soon after Chiang retreated to Taiwan, he gave up his plan to recover the lost Mainland China. Chiang prepared to take root in Taiwan, but he kept pretending to want to recover China as a bargaining chip to stabilize domestic affairs and negotiate with the US.
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Researcher of Harvard’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Jay Taylor, also known as the first western scholar who researched the diaries of Chiang Kai-shek, points out that Chiang was dealing with countries in power to protect the Chinese culture and traditions.
Taylor believes that soon after Chiang retreated to Taiwan, he gave up his plan to recover the lost Mainland China. Chiang prepared to take root in Taiwan, but he kept pretending to want to recover China as a bargaining chip to stabilize domestic affairs and negotiate with the US.
Apple Daily reports, Taylor was once an US diplomat stationed in Taipei, and he served at the Embassy of the United State in Beijing after China–United States relations were established. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research. Jay is the first western scholar to research the diaries of Chiang Kai-shek, and is also the western authority on Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo.
UDN reports, on October 23, Taylor pointed out at the international academic conference, “Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling in World History,” that whether it was fighting against the Japanese army or building a police state after the KMT retreated to Taiwan, Chiang made decisions based on national interest and through macro strategy. He also took brutal measures to protect Chinese traditional Confucianism, national dignity and interest.
Taylor reiterates that there was emissary between Chiang Kai-shek and Zhou Enlai. He says that several years before former President of the United States Richard Nixon broke the ice to visit China and build a relation with China, Zhou had informed Chiang of the secret interaction between the US and the Communist Party of China to restore diplomatic relations. Chiang hoped to reduce the impact after Taiwan and the US broke off relations.
Liberty Times reports, Taylor says that in 1953, Chiang faced the fact that he would stay in Taiwan for the rest of his life and it was impossible to recover China. Chiang was not happy with the US believing that he would fight back against China, and thought the US government didn’t understand that he was merely stabilizing domestic affairs and maintaining the hopes of people. But it seemed as if the US always misunderstood Chiang, until he eventually told the US directly that he would not fight back against China.
Translated by Wen-yee Lee
Edited by Olivia Yang
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