Editing Kinmen (section)

==History==
{{Overly detailed|section|date=February 2023}}
[[File:Kinmen Qing Military Governor Office - main gate - DSCF9418.JPG|thumb|[[Kinmen Military Headquarters of Qing Dynasty]]]]
[[File:Three Principles of the People Unites China.jpg|thumb|The slogan "[[Three Principles of the People]] [[Chinese unification|unite China]]" written in [[Traditional Chinese]] (official script of ROC) is founded on [[Dadan Island]] facing mainland China by General Zhao in August 1986, deposed after the [[1987 Lieyu massacre]].]]

Humans have lived on Kinmen for 5,800 to 8,000 years.<ref name=aboutKNP/> During the reign of [[Emperor Yuan of Jin|Emperor Yuan]] (317 CE), the [[Five Barbarians]] invasion of China led six extended families to flee south and they settled in Kinmen, then called '''Wuzhou'''.<ref name="aboutKNP">{{Cite web |title=About the Park |url=https://www.kmnp.gov.tw/information/meet_kinmen?language=2 |access-date=16 September 2020 |publisher=Kinmen National Park |archive-date=7 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107142843/https://www.kmnp.gov.tw/information/meet_kinmen?language=2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> More people settled there during the [[Tang dynasty]], changing the name from'' Wuzhou'' to ''Kinmen''.<ref name="lonelypl">{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taiwans-islands/kinmen/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420022644/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/taiwans-islands/kinmen/history |archive-date=20 April 2016 |access-date=24 May 2016 |website=Lonely Planet}}</ref>

During the [[Ming dynasty]], more migrants settled in Kinmen. [[Koxinga]] used Kinmen as a base to capture [[Formosa]] and Penghu from the Dutch. He cut down trees to build his navy, resulting in massive deforestation that made Kinmen vulnerable to soil erosion.<ref name=lonelypl/>

[[File:Attack in Quemoy 1663.jpg|thumb|Attack in Quemoy (1663)|left]]

The [[Zhu Yihai, Prince of Lu|Prince of Lu]], a member of the [[Southern Ming]] dynasty, resisted the invading Manchu [[Qing dynasty]] forces. In 1651, he fled to Kinmen, which the Qing dynasty took in 1663.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wakeman |first=Frederic |title=The Great Enterprise : The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China |date=1986 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0-520-04804-0 |location=Berkeley |page=114}}</ref> During the Qing Dynasty, the Kinmen area was part of [[Tong'an District|Tungan County]].<ref name="govkmeng" /><ref name="cihai" />

After the establishment of the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]] (ROC) in 1912, Kinmen became part of Fujian Province. In 1913, the Kinmen area was made part of [[Siming District|Siming County]].<ref name="cihai" /> Kinmen County was established in 1914.<ref name="cihai" /><ref name="govqz" /> In 1928, the county came under direct administration of the provincial government.<ref name="cihai" />

The Empire of Japan captured Kinmen in 1937 during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]. They blockaded the island on September 3 and landed on October 23. Fighting was light with ROC forces fleeing rather than fighting. The only casualty was sustained by a local self-defense unit. Many of the residents fled to the mainland or to Southeast Asia. The purpose of the Japanese seizure of Kinmen was to use it as a position from which to attack the neighboring city of Xiamen which they would seize in May 1938. Following the seizure of Xiamen many of the locals who had fled there returned to Kinmen.<ref name="Taipei Times 2022" />

After the capture of the island the county government went into exile in Dadeng.<ref name="govkmeng">{{Cite web |date=8 December 2017 |title=Kinmen Awareness |url=https://www.kinmen.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=22D15C7FFDA4350D |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527023057/https://www.kinmen.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=22D15C7FFDA4350D |archive-date=27 May 2018 |access-date=10 August 2019 |website=Kinmen County Government |quote=Long belonging to the administration of Tungan Prefecture of Fujian Province, Kinmen had begun its county administration since 1915.{...}In 1937, the County Government was moved to Dadeng for battle and it was later returned to Kinmen after the victory in 1935.{...}The minerals within Kinmen County include china clay and granite.}}</ref> The Japanese administered Kinmen as a special municipality of Xiamen, the government was composed of locals, people from other parts of occupied China, and Taiwanese.<ref name="Taipei Times 2022" />

A poor harvest in 1938 brought challenges for islanders. The Japanese engaged in economic development of the island including through the use of forced labor. KMT forces engaged in two serious attempts to retake the island and kept up a low level campaign against the Japanese. In 1943, insurgents kidnapped two Taiwanese officials who had been overseeing the salt fields and took them to China before executing them. In retaliation the Japanese authorities rounded up 300 young men from the local community eventually executing four.<ref name="Taipei Times 2022" />

Towards the end of WWII conditions worsened with Japanese authorities [[conscription|conscripting]] 500 locals (with their [[mule]]s) into the military and confiscating household goods. The island came under allied bombing including one attack on 30 August 1944 which killed 19 locals.<ref name="Taipei Times 2022" />

WWII ended on 15 August 1945 with the surrender of Japan. Following the end of the war there were attacks by locals against Taiwanese who took shelter with the Japanese garrison. Kinmen was effectively ungoverned until 3 October 1945 when ROC forces landed and installed a new government. A celebration on Oct. 10 marked the end of hostilities. Locals who had survived the war following their conscription by the Japanese were treated as traitors by the KMT occupation authorities.<ref name="Taipei Times 2022" >{{cite web |last1=Cheung |first1=Han |title=Taiwan inTime: 'Eight years of vicissitude' |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2022/10/23/2003787551 |website=taipeitimes.com |date=23 October 2022 |publisher=Taipei Times |access-date=18 November 2022}}</ref>

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) by the Chinese Communists in October 1949, Kinmen County was claimed by both the Nationalists and the Communists. Dadeng, [[Xiaodeng Island|Xiaodeng]] and Jiaoyu were taken by the Communists on 9 October<ref name="govqz" /> or 15 October<ref name="twlsdt" /> 1949. While those islands are still claimed by the ROC,<ref name="moikin">{{Cite web |title=05-19 Táiwān dǎoyǔ miànjī |script-title=zh:05-19 臺灣島嶼面積 |trans-title=Location and Area of Islands in Taiwan |url=https://www.moi.gov.tw/files/site_stuff/321/2/year/y05-19.ods |access-date=20 October 2019 |language=zh-tw,en |format=ODS |via=[[Ministry of the Interior (Taiwan)|Ministry of the Interior]] |quote=05-19 金門縣島嶼及面積 Area of Islands in Kinmen County 區域別 Locality 面積(平方公里) Area (km<sup>2</sup>){...}外圍島嶼 Offshore Islet{...}大嶝 Dadeng 22.7500 小嶝 Xiaodeng 3.3100 角嶝 Jiaodeng 2.4400{...}資料來源：金門縣政府。 Source： Kinmen County Government. 附 註： 1.大嶝、小嶝、角嶝目前由中國大陸管轄，烏坵鄉由金門縣政府代管。 2.總面積151.656平方公里(不含大小嶝角嶝，含烏坵1.2平方公里)，部分無人島未列入。 Remark： 1.Dadeng, Xiaodeng, Jiaodeng are governed by Mainland China, Wuqiu belongs to other county but mandated by Kinmen County Government. 2.Total Area of Kinmen is 151.656 km<sup>2</sup>(Exclude Dadeng, Xiaodeng, Jiaodeng, Include Wuqiu 1.2 km<sup>2</sup>), some unmanned islands and reefs are not listed.}}</ref> they are governed as part of [[Dadeng Subdistrict]], [[Xiang'an District]], [[Xiamen]], Fujian, China.<ref name="govdd">{{Cite web |date=12 July 2019 |title=Dàdèng jiēdào |script-title=zh:大嶝街道 |url=http://www.xiangan.gov.cn/mlxa/xagk/szyj/201311/t20131106_88087.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809103455/http://www.xiangan.gov.cn/mlxa/xagk/szyj/201311/t20131106_88087.htm |archive-date=9 August 2019 |access-date=10 August 2019 |website=Xiàmén Shì Xiángān Qū rénmín zhèngfǔ |language=zh-hans |quote={{lang|zh-hans|大嶝街道位于厦门市翔安区东南部，隔海北与南安市石井镇毗邻，南与金门岛相对，西南与厦门岛相望，由大嶝、小嶝、角屿三个岛屿组成，总人口约2.6万人，土地面积13.2平方公里，海岸线25.15公里，{...}一方面加快大嶝战地旅游设施建设，另一方面开辟了"游三岛、登白哈、看金门"的旅游航线，组建了一支豪华舒适的旅游船队。}} |script-website=zh:厦门市翔安区人民政府 |trans-website=People's Government of Xiang'an Xiamen}}</ref><ref name="govxa">{{Cite web |title=Mèilì Xiángān |script-title=zh:魅力翔安 |url=http://www.xiangan.gov.cn/mlxa/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809101822/http://www.xiangan.gov.cn/mlxa/ |archive-date=9 August 2019 |access-date=9 August 2019 |website=Xiàmén Shì Xiángān Qū rénmín zhèngfǔ |language=zh-hans |quote=翔安区设立于2003年10月19日。陆地总面积420平方公里，海域面积134平方公里，下辖一街（大嶝街道）、四镇（新店、马巷、内厝和新圩），{...}大嶝岛 小嶝岛 角屿 白蛤礁 |script-website=zh:厦门市翔安区人民政府 |trans-website=People's Government of Xiang'an Xiamen}}</ref>

On 25 October 1949, [[People's Liberation Army|People's Liberation Army (PLA)]] forces landed on Kinmen Island near Guningtou beginning the [[Battle of Kuningtou]]. ROC forces successfully defended the island and prevented an attack on Taiwan.

At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, retired Admiral [[Charles M. Cooke Jr.]], advisor to President Chiang Kai-shek, opposed withdrawing ROC forces from Quemoy (Kinmen).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lin |first=Hsiao-ting |author-link=Lin Hsiao-ting |date=6 April 2012 |title=Taiwan's Secret Ally |url=https://www.hoover.org/research/taiwans-secret-ally |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906121736/https://www.hoover.org/research/taiwans-secret-ally |archive-date=6 September 2019 |access-date=6 September 2019 |website=[[Hoover Institution]] |quote=In early July, Chiang was seriously considering withdrawing from Quemoy and other tiny coastal possessions off Southeast China to bolster Taiwan's defense and free up 33,000 combat troops for the Korean theater. Even though Cooke fully supported the Nationalist government's probable participation in the Korean War, he vehemently opposed the evacuation from Quemoy. Cooke was convinced that it would not only look weak to the Chinese Communists but damage morale in Taiwan and the entire free world.}}</ref> On 26 July 1950, ROC forces on [[Dadan Island]] (Tatan), in total 298 soldiers, repulsed an attack ([[:zh:大擔島戰役|大擔島戰役]]) from a People's Liberation Army force of 700 soldiers that landed on the island.<ref name="linmateng">{{Cite book |last=Lin |first=Ma-teng 林馬騰 |title=Mì dǎo: Dà èr dǎn de mìjìng mìshǐ |date=2009 |publisher=Lín Mǎténg wénshǐ gōngzuò shì |isbn=978-957-41-6438-7 |language=zh-tw |script-title=zh:秘島：大二膽的秘境秘史}}</ref>{{rp|11, 19–20}} General [[Douglas MacArthur]] and other US officials supported ROC efforts to defend the islands.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng rìjì yǔ mínguó shǐ yánjiū |year=2011 |publisher=Shijie datong chuban youxian gongsi |editor-last=Lu |editor-first=Fang-shang 呂芳上 |volume=2nd |location=Taipei |page=643 |language=zh-tw |script-title=zh:蔣中正日記與民國史研究 |trans-title=Chiang Kai-Shek's Diaries and the Study of Republican Chinese History |quote=其實國府堅守金馬最初是受到美國鼓勵的{...}國府{...}考慮放棄金門，但因東盟總麥克阿瑟將軍（Douglas MacArthur）不贊成{...}韓戰過後到第一次臺海危機（1954年9月至1955年4月）爆發之前，美方也不願中共拿下外島，鼓勵國府增派受美援訓練的部隊駐守外島。}}</ref>
[[File:Txu-oclc-10552568-ng50-15.jpg|thumb|Map including most of the territory of Kinmen County ([[Army Map Service|AMS]], 1954)|left]]
The PLA extensively shelled the island during the [[First Taiwan Strait Crisis|First]] and [[Second Taiwan Strait Crisis|Second]] Taiwan Strait crises in 1954–1955 and 1958 respectively. In 1954, the United States considered responding by using [[nuclear weapon]]s against the PRC.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Wong |first1=Edward |last2=Yang |first2=Xiyun |date=16 September 2011 |title=Once a Redoubt Against China, Taiwan's Outpost Evolves |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/world/asia/kinmen-seeks-to-evolve-as-china-and-taiwan-improve-ties.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=27 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826114401/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/world/asia/kinmen-seeks-to-evolve-as-china-and-taiwan-improve-ties.html |archive-date=26 August 2017}}</ref> Again in 1958, General [[Nathan Farragut Twining]] and the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] believed that the United States should not permit the loss of the islands to the communists and recommended to President Eisenhower the use of whatever force was necessary, including atomic weapons.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1949–2012  |url=https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/History/Institutional/Chairmanship_of_the_JCS.pdf |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Joint History Office, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |date=2012 |page=93 |access-date=22 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513045627/http://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/History/Institutional/Chairmanship_of_the_JCS.pdf |archive-date=13 May 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The phrase "Quemoy and [[Matsu Islands|Matsu]]" became part of American political language in the [[1960 U.S. presidential election]]. During the debates, both candidates, Vice President [[Richard Nixon]] and Senator [[John F. Kennedy]], pledged to use American forces if necessary to protect Taiwan from invasion by the PRC, which the United States did not recognize as a legitimate government. But in the second debate on 7 October 1960, the two candidates presented different opinions about whether to use American forces to protect [[Taiwan]]'s forward positions, Quemoy and Matsu, also. Senator Kennedy stated that these islands – as little as 9 kilometres (5.5&nbsp;mi) off the coast of China and as much as 170 kilometres (106&nbsp;mi) from Taiwan – were strategically indefensible and were not essential to the defense of Taiwan. Vice President Nixon maintained that since Quemoy and Matsu were in the "area of freedom," they should not be surrendered to the Communists as a matter of principle.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norris |first=Robert B. |date=29 November 2010 |title=Quemoy and Matsu: A Historical Footnote Revisited |url=http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2010/0912/comm/norris_quemoymatsu.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020144403/http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2010/0912/comm/norris_quemoymatsu.html |archive-date=20 October 2018 |access-date=1 April 2014 |website=American Diplomacy}}</ref>

Earlier in the debate, then-Vice President Nixon mentioned:<ref name="cspan" /><ref name="matthews" />

{{blockquote|In the Truman Administration 600 million people went behind the [[Iron Curtain]] including the satellite countries of Eastern Europe and [[Loss of China|Communist China]]. In this Administration we have stopped them at Quemoy and Matsu, we have stopped them in Indo China, we have stopped them in [[1958 Lebanon crisis|Lebanon]], we have stopped them in other parts of the world.}}

Later in the debate, [[Edward P. Morgan]] asked then-Senator Kennedy:<ref name="cspan">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?33149-1/1960-presidential-candidates-debate |title=October 7, 1960 Presidential Candidates Debate |time=52:34 |access-date=7 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416080346/https://www.c-span.org/video/?33149-1%2F1960-presidential-candidates-debate |archive-date=16 April 2019 |url-status=live |via=[[C-SPAN]]}}</ref><!--<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-4VeDta7Mo  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/z-4VeDta7Mo| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=John F. Kennedy vs Richard Nixon – Second Presidential Debate 1960 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} (starting at 50:00)</ref>--><ref name="jfklibrary">{{Cite web |title=Television Debates: Transcript: Second Debate |url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKCAMP1960/1052/JFKCAMP1960-1052-002 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821110144/https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKCAMP1960/1052/JFKCAMP1960-1052-002 |archive-date=21 August 2019 |access-date=21 August 2019 |pages=53, 58–61 |via=[[John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum]]}}</ref><ref name="jointapperances">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RLYjAQAAMAAJ |title=The Joint Appearances of Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Other 1960 Campaign Presentations |date=1961 |publisher=[[US Government Printing Office]] |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=RLYjAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163 163] |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=16 October 1961 |title=Presidential Debate in Washington, DC |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/presidential-debate-washington-dc |access-date=4 October 2020 |website=The American Presidency Project |publisher=UC Santa Barbara}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Senator, Saturday on television, you said that you had always thought that Quemoy and Matsu were unwise places to draw our defense line in the Far East. Would you comment further on that, and also address to this question: couldn't a pull-back from those islands be interpreted as [[appeasement]]?}}

[[File:Nationalist China - administrative divisons. LOC 2007633622.jpg|thumb|Chin-men Tao (Quemoy Island, Greater Kinmen), Lieh Hsü (Lesser Kinmen), Tung-ting Hsü (Dongding Island), Wu-ch'iu Hsü (Daqiu), and Hsia Hsü (Xiaoqiu)<br/>"The Nationalist-held islands off the Chinese mainland are nominally a part of Fukien Province, but are presently under military administration." (1962)]]

Then-Senator Kennedy responded to Morgan's question saying:<ref name="cspan" /><ref name="matthews">{{Cite book |last=Matthews |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ARqaAAAAQBAJ |title=Chris Matthews Complete Library |date=2013 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=9781476764696 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ARqaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT653&lpg=PT653] |author-link=Chris Matthews}}</ref><ref name="jfklibrary" /><ref name="jointapperances" />

{{Poem quote|Well, the United States has on occasion attempted, mostly in the middle '50s to persuade [[Chiang Kai-shek]] to pull his troops back to Formosa. I believe strongly in the defense of Formosa. These islands are a few miles, five or six miles{{efn|The northern coast of Greater Kinmen (Quemoy) is about five or six miles from the nearest point on mainland Asia in places. In the Matsu Islands, [[Gaodeng Island]] is 5.75 miles from the Beijiao Peninsula. Some ROC-controlled areas are closer than five miles from PRC-controlled areas. For instance, Jiaoyu in [[Dadeng Subdistrict]] is a little more than one mile from the tip of Greater Kinmen in [[Jinsha, Kinmen|Jinsha Township]].}} off the coast of Red China within a general harbor area, and more than a hundred miles{{efn|[[Wuqiu, Kinmen]] is about eighty miles from the closest point on the main island of Taiwan (Formosa). [[Juguang, Lienchiang]] and [[Dongyin, Lienchiang]] are a little more than ninety miles from the closest point. The main islands Greater Kinmen (Quemoy) and [[Nangan, Lienchiang|Nangan]] (Matsu) are over one hundred miles from Taiwan Island.}} from Formosa. We have never said flatly that we will defend Quemoy and Matsu if it is attacked. We say we will defend it if it's part of a general attack on Formosa, but it is extremely difficult to make that judgment.

Now, Mr. [[Christian Herter|Herter]], in 1958, when he was [[United States Under Secretary of State|Under Secretary of State]], said they were strategically indefensible. Admiral [[Raymond A. Spruance|Spruance]] and [[J. Lawton Collins|Collins]] in 1955 said that we should not attempt to defend these islands in their conference on the Far East. General [[Matthew Ridgway|Ridgway]] has said the same thing. I believe that when you get into a war, if you're going to get into a war for the defense of Formosa, it ought to be on a clearly defined line. One of the problems, I think, at the time of South Korea was the question of whether the United States would defend it if it were attacked. I believe that we should defend Formosa, we should come to its defense. It leaves this rather in the air that we will defend it under some conditions but not under others, I think it is a mistake.

Secondly, I would not suggest a withdrawal at the point of the Communist guns. It is a decision finally that the Nationalists should make and I believe that we should consult with them and attempt to work out a plan by which the line is drawn at the Island of Formosa. It leaves 100 miles{{efn|The island of Taiwan is separated from the southeast coast of China by the [[Taiwan Strait]], which ranges from {{convert|220|km|mi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} at its widest point to {{convert|130|km|mi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} at its narrowest.}} between the sea. But with General Ridgway, Mr. Herter, General Collins, Admiral Spruance and many others, I think it is unwise to take the chance of being dragged into a war which may lead to a world war over two islands which are not strategically defensible, which are not according to their testimony, essential to the defense of Formosa.

I think that we should protect our commitments. I believe strongly we should do so in [[West Berlin|Berlin]]. I believe strongly we should do so in Formosa and I believe we should meet our commitments to every country whose security we've guaranteed. But I do not believe that that line, in case of a war, should be drawn on those islands, but instead on the island of Formosa. And as long as they are not essential to the defense of Formosa, it has been my judgement ever since 1954, at the time of the [[Eisenhower Doctrine]] for the Far East, that our line should be drawn in the sea around the island itself.}}

Then–Vice President Nixon retorted:<ref name="cspan" /><ref name="matthews" /><ref name="jointapperances" />

{{Poem quote|I disagree completely with Senator Kennedy on this point.

I remember in the period immediately before the Korean War, South Korea was supposed to be indefensible as well. Generals testified to that, and Secretary [[Dean Acheson|Acheson]] made a very famous speech at the [[National Press Club (United States)|Press Club]] early in the year that the Korean War started, indicating in effect that South Korea was beyond the defense zone of the United States. I suppose it was hoped when he made that speech that we wouldn't get into a war, but it didn't mean that. We had to go in when they came in.

Now I think as far as Quemoy and Matsu are concerned, that the question is not these two little pieces of real estate—they are unimportant. It isn't the few people who live on them—they are not too important. It's the principle involved. These two islands are in the area of freedom. The Nationalists have these two islands. We should not force our Nationalist allies to get off of them and give them to the Communists. If we do that, we start a chain reaction, because the Communists aren't after Quemoy and Matsu, they're after Formosa. In my opinion, this is the same kind of woolly thinking that lead to disaster for America in Korea, I'm against it, I would never tolerate it as President of the United States, and I will hope that Senator Kennedy will change his mind if he should be elected.}}

[[File:Commemorative NT$10 Coin in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Taiwan's Retrocession.png|thumb|Kinmen in the map on the obverse of the Commemorative NT$10 Coin in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Taiwan's Retrocession (1995)]]

After the third debate on 13 October 1960, Kennedy's advisers spoke with then Secretary of State Herter and said Kennedy was willing to revise his position on the Quemoy and Matsu issue so as not to give the Communists the impression that the USA would not stand united against aggression. Nixon pointed out the change in Kennedy's position but decided not to press the point due to the importance of the USA's role in what was an extremely tense situation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nixon |first=Richard |url=https://archive.org/details/memoirsofrichard00nixo |title=RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon |date=1978 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=0-446-93259-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/memoirsofrichard00nixo/page/272 272] |quote=Once again I hit hard on the Quemoy-Matsu issue, stating that Kennedy's willingness to surrender the islands to the Communists under threat of war was no different from submitting to blackmail. Shortly after the third debate I learned that one of Kennedy's top foreign policy advisers had telephoned Secretary of State Herter to say that Kennedy did not want to give the Communists the impression that America would not stand united against aggression and was therefore prepared to revise his position in order not to appear to oppose the administration on this issue. I saw this as Kennedy's way of trying to slide away from an unpopular position, and my immediate inclination was not to let him get away with it. But the Quemoy-Matsu situation was so tense, and the importance of America's role in discouraging Communist aggression was so great, that I decided not to press the point if Kennedy modified his stand. I pointed out how his changed attitude reflected his lack of experience, and then let the issue drop. |author-link=Richard Nixon |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Nixon's polls among Republicans and Democrats showed overwhelming support for Nixon's position on the issue.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lasky |first=Victor |url=https://archive.org/details/jfkmanmyth00lask |title=J.F.K.: The Man and the Myth |date=1963 |publisher=[[Macmillan Company]] |location=New York City |page=[https://archive.org/details/jfkmanmyth00lask/page/444 444] |author-link=Victor Lasky |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

Kinmen was originally a military reserve under the [[Martial law in Taiwan|Martial Law]] [[curfew]]s, which eventually led to the tragedies of innocent civilian casualties,<ref>{{Cite web|title=111司調0025 調查報告 |trans-title=2022 Justice Investigation Report No. 0025 |url=https://www.cy.gov.tw/CyBsBoxContent.aspx?n=133&s=17946 |last=Gao |first=Yong-cheng |date=13 July 2022 |access-date=7 August 2022 |publisher=[[Control Yuan]] |language=zh-TW |location=Taipei}}</ref> such as the 1985 [[Shi Islet#History|Shi Islet Slaughter]] and [[1987 Lieyu massacre]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=時論－一封永遠無法寄達的家書 |trans-title=Commentary - A home letter never been delivered |url=https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20131029000502-260502?chdtv |last=Shi |first=Wen-jie |date=29 October 2013 |access-date=26 September 2022 |publisher=China Times |language=zh-TW |location=Taipei}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 March 2008 |script-title=zh:《國軍屠殺越南難民的三七事件》你不知道的台灣 |url=http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/kuan0416/post/1304293327 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908002445/http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/kuan0416/post/1304293327 |archive-date=8 September 2015 |access-date=11 August 2015 |website=pchome.com.tw}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hau |first=Pei-tsun |title=八年參謀總長日記 |trans-title=8-year Diary of the Chief of the General Staff (1981–1989) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2WKCAAAAIAAJ |publisher=[[:zh:天下文化|Commonwealth Publishing]] |date=1 January 2000 |isbn=9576216389 |language=zh-TW |location=Taipei}}</ref> The island was returned to the civilian government in the mid-1990s, after which travel to and from it was allowed. Direct travel between [[mainland China]] and Kinmen re-opened in January 2001 under the mini [[Three Links]], and there has been extensive tourism development on the island in anticipation of mainland tourists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Backgrounder: Milestones in Cross-Straits Relations Over 30 Years |url=http://www.gwytb.gov.cn/en/Headline/201103/t20110316_1787640.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714173713/http://www.gwytb.gov.cn/en/Headline/201103/t20110316_1787640.htm |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=4 July 2014 |website=Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council PRC |agency=Xinhua News Agency}}</ref> Direct travel was suspended in 2003 as a result of the [[SARS]] outbreak, but has since resumed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vol. 4, Issue 1 |url=http://globaltaiwan.org/2019/01/vol-4,-issue-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128030340/http://globaltaiwan.org/2019/01/vol-4,-issue-1/ |archive-date=28 January 2019 |access-date=27 January 2019 |website=Global Taiwan Institute}}</ref><ref name="TaipeiTimes4">{{cite web | last=Wei-li | first=Fang | last2=Chung | first2=Jake | title=SARS stops `small three links\' for a month in Kinmen | website=Taipei Times | date=2003-05-17 | url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2003/05/17/0000210911 | language=la | access-date=2025-01-07}}</ref>

Many Taiwanese businessmen use the link through Kinmen to enter the Chinese mainland, seeing it as cheaper and easier than entering through Hong Kong. However, this changed following the [[2005 Pan–Blue visits to mainland China]] and the 2008 [[2008 Republic of China presidential election|presidential]] and [[2008 Republic of China legislative election|legislative]] victories of the KMT, that allowed easier [[cross-Strait relations]]. Kinmen has experienced a considerable economic boom as businessmen relocate to the island for easier access to the vast markets of the PRC.

On 30 June 2014, [[Dadan Island]] and [[Erdan Island]] were handed over from the [[Republic of China Armed Forces|military]] to civilians, represented by [[Kinmen County Government]].<ref name="taipeitimes2">{{Cite news |date=1 July 2014 |title=Jiang Hopeful of Chinese Landing Visas to Islands |page=3 |work=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/07/01/2003594092 |url-status=live |access-date=19 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714183012/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/07/01/2003594092 |archive-date=14 July 2014}}</ref> Since 1 January 2015, tourists from [[Mainland China]] could directly apply for the [[Exit & Entry Permit for Taiwan|Exit and Entry Permit]] upon arrival in Kinmen. This privilege also applies to [[Penghu]] and [[Matsu Islands]] as means to boost tourism in the outlying islands of Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Hui-min |last2=Low |first2=Y. F. |date=30 December 2014 |title=Annual Ridership on Kinmen-Fujian Ferry Services Tops 1.5 Million |work=Focus Taiwan News Channel |agency=Central News Agency |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/acs/201412300006.aspx |access-date=2 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231232924/http://focustaiwan.tw/news/acs/201412300006.aspx |archive-date=31 December 2014}}</ref>

On 23 August 2019, the sixty-first anniversary of the beginning of the [[Second Taiwan Strait Crisis]], President [[Tsai Ing-wen]] visited the Taiwushan [[Martyrs' shrines (China)|martyrs' shrine]] ({{lang|zh-tw|太武山忠烈祠}}) in [[Mount Taiwu]] where she placed flowers and offered incense.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chen |first=Kuan-lin 陳冠霖 |date=24 August 2019 |title=823 jì bài xiānliè zǒngtǒng Cài Yīngwén: Wù wàng 823 jīngshén |script-title=zh:823祭拜先烈 總統蔡英文：勿忘823精神 |url=https://www.kmdn.gov.tw/1117/1271/1272/309589 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921111656/https://www.kmdn.gov.tw/1117/1271/1272/309589 |archive-date=21 September 2019 |access-date=21 September 2019 |website=Jīnmén rìbào |language=zh-tw |script-website=zh:金門日報 |trans-website=[[Kinmen Daily News]]}}</ref>