Historiskt handslag – efter 66 års fiendeskap

Cross-Strait relations (simplified Chinese: 海峡两岸关系; traditional Chinese: 海峽兩岸關係; pinyin: Hǎixiá liǎng'àn guānxì) are the relations between mainland China and Taiwan, which are separated by the Taiwan Strait in the west Pacific Ocean, and in particular between their respective governments: the People's Republic of China, abbreviated as PRC, commonly known as China, and the Republic of China, abbreviated as ROC, commonly known as Taiwan. In 1949, with the Chinese Civil War turning decisively in the Communists' (CPC) favour, the ROC government led by the Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to Taipei, in Taiwan, while the CPC proclaimed the PRC government in Beijing. Since then, the relations between China and Taiwan have been characterized by limited contact, tensions, and instability. In the early years, military conflicts continued, while diplomatically both governments competed to be the "legitimate government of China". More recently, questions around the political and legal status of Taiwan have focused on the alternative prospects of political unification with China or full Taiwanese independence. The People's Republic remains hostile to any formal declaration of independence and maintains its claim over Taiwan. At the same time, non-governmental and semi-governmental exchanges between the two sides have been increasing. From 2008, negotiations began to restore the "three links" (transportation, commerce, and communications) between the two sides, cut off since 1949. Party-to-party talks between the CPC and the KMT have resumed and semi-official negotiations through organizations representing the interests of their respective governments are being scheduled. The English expression "cross-Strait relations" has been used by the two sides concerned and by many observers so that the relationship between China and Taiwan would not be referred to as "(Mainland) China–Taiwan relations" or "PRC–ROC relations". There is also no commonly used Chinese language phrase equivalent to the latter two phrases, although China–Taiwan relations (simplified Chinese: 中台关系; traditional Chinese: 中台關係/中臺關係; pinyin: Zhōng-Tái guānxì) is occasionally used by sources that favour a dichotomy between "China" and "Taiwan", and conversely Mainland-Taiwan relations (simplified Chinese: 陆台关系; traditional Chinese: 陸台關係/陸臺關係; pinyin: Lù-Tái guānxì) is occasionally used by neutral sources and sources that favour avoiding that dichotomy.