The "Retaking the Mainland" by Taiwanese Government: The Concept of Chinese Unification by the ROC

Is the story of “Chinese unification” truly only Beijing’s ambition? Have we forgotten the other dream of unification?

After retreating to Taiwan in 1949, the Republic of China (ROC) government never abandoned its claim to sovereignty over all of China. On the contrary, it continued to uphold a national goal of launching a military campaign to recover the mainland—known as “Retaking the Mainland” (反攻大陸). Despite playing a crucial role in shaping the ROC’s military structure, diplomatic orientation, and conceptualization of “China” during the Cold War, this vision has remained largely unexamined in scholarly research.

This groundbreaking study by historian Takayuki Igarashi sheds new light on this neglected history. Drawing on a wealth of previously underused sources—including classified military documents from the ROC Ministry of National Defense, the Chiang Ching-kuo Diaries publicly released in February 2020, and diplomatic and political records from both Taiwan and the United States—the book reconstructs the concrete evolution of the “Retaking the Mainland” strategy. Far from being mere propaganda, this campaign remained an official military mission until 1991, deeply embedded in the ROC’s Cold War statecraft and national vision.

Offering a fresh perspective on the international political history of Cold War East Asia and on the cross-Strait relationship between the ROC and the People’s Republic of China, this book explores how the Taipei-based government articulated its own version of “One China,” how that vision shaped real-world military and diplomatic policy, and how its legacy continues to shape tensions in the Taiwan Strait today. It is essential reading for those interested in Cross-Strait relations, East Asian geopolitics, and the hidden dimensions of the Cold War.