List of battles over Quemoy

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The mainland Chinese city of Xiamen (pictured here from Kinmen) is within shelling distance of Kinmen.

The mainland Chinese city of Xiamen is within shelling distance of the small island of Quemoy (or Kinmen). As one of the front line islands between the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China, ROC-governed Quemoy has seen many battles and tensions between the two throughout the Cold War. It was generally understood by both the ROC and the PRC that if Quemoy fell to the PRC, Taiwan itself would follow.

The phrase "Quemoy and Matsu" became part of U.S. politics in the 1960 Presidential election. During the debates, both candidates, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy pledged to use U.S. force if necessary to protect the Republic of China from invasion from the mainland, the People's Republic of China, which the U.S. did not at that time recognize as a legitimate government. Vice-President Nixon charged that Senator Kennedy would not use U.S. force to protect Taiwan's forward positions, Quemoy and Matsu.

List of battles over Quemoy:

After the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis ended in stalemate, both sides settled upon a routine of bombarding each other every other day with shells containing propaganda leaflets. ROC troops on Quemoy continued constructing tunnels, bunkers, and other underground facilities. Commandos (often known as 水鬼, or "water ghosts" by ROC troops) were sent by both sides to conduct sabotage or attack lone sentries. The bombardment finally ended in 1979 with the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between the United States and the PRC.