AIT in Taiwan

While in Taipei, Florence and I went to the AIT(American Institute in Taiwan). This is the "American Embassy" in Taiwan. Since the 1971, recognition of Mainland China as the legitimate authority in China, the US in Taiwan has only an institute and doesn't recognize Taiwan as a country. But Taiwan is #19 of the largest economies in the world. (#1 is US, #2 China, #3 Japan, ... ) Taiwan has more than 23 million people, ... China prevents Taiwan from becoming recognized but the KMT party in Taiwan doesn't help the situation(see below).

Anyway, while at the AIT, we took some photos which was forbidden, a guard came out and made Florence delete the pictures from the camera. This put me on a "Mission Impossible" task of getting pictures in front of the AIT. It turned out to be pretty simple, the guard goes off duty at 5PM, so you only have to wait until after 5PM to take your pictures.

After the drama of having to delete the forbidden photos, it was anticlimactic to get the shots. Just what was the point of forbidding photos? The diplomatic world is like "Alice in Wonderland".

This is a good time to go over the time line of China/Taiwan history.

1895 The Qing Dynasty loses a war with Japan and Taiwan becomes Japanese territory
1911 Sun Yat-Sen overthrows the Qing Dynasty and establishes the ROC(Republic of China)
1928 Chiang Kai-Shek takes over ROC with the KMT(Kuo Ming Tang) party. 
         From this time on the KMT fights with the communists for control of China.
1937 Japan and China are at war.
1945 Japan loses the "War of the Pacific", Taiwan goes back to China.
1949 Chiang Kai-Shek and the ROC/KMT lose to the Communists on the Mainland.
         Chiang Kai-Shek and the ROC/KMT retreat to Taiwan.
         Mao Tze-Tung & Chinese Communists Party(CCP) establish the People's Republic of
         China(PRC) on the Mainland
         The ROC is still recognized as the rightful government of China by the US, UN, ...
1971 Tricky Dick Nixon and "No Scruples" Kissinger switch the recognition of China from the  
         ROC/KMT to CCP/PRC. Done to use China as a counterweight to Communist Russia(USSR)
1972 No more American Embassy in Taiwan, just the AIT
1994 First democratic election for president in Taiwan, Lee Tung-Hui(KMT) elected.
2000 First nonKMT elected in president in Taiwan, Chen Shui-Bian, 
         Democratic Progressive Party(DPP).
2004 Chen Shui-Bian reelected
2008 Ma Ying-Jeou(KMT) elected president of Taiwan
2012 another presidential election