Taiwan's Frontline Islands

KINMEN COUNTY, TAIWAN - APRIL 19: An old Western style house still bears bullet holes and damage from the Battle of Guningtou, an attempted invasion of Kinmen by Communist forces in 1949, on the Taiwanese island of Kinmen which, at points lies only a few miles from China, on April 19, 2018 in Kinmen, Taiwan. China recently carried out live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait involving its Liaoning aircraft carrier, an exercise interpreted as a show of force and a message to self-governed Taiwan which China claims as its territory. The naval exercise was the first in the Taiwan Strait since 2016 and was held just over 100 miles off the coast of Taiwan. Following the defeat of the ruling Kuomintang party by the Chinese Communist Party and their retreat to Taiwan in 1949, cross-strait relations have varied from open conflict to diplomatic war. China's President, Xi Jinping, recently emphasised China's sovereignty over Taiwan by stating that 'We have sufficient abilities to thwart any form of Taiwan independence attempts'. Beijing has also imposed financial restrictions by significantly limiting the number of Chinese tour groups allowed to visit Taiwan and imposed trade sanctions on the island. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)