Second Taiwan Strait Crisis — 1958 conflict between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) in which the PRC shelled Kinmen and Matsu
The 1958 PRC shelling of Kinmen and Matsu tested U.S. commitments to Taiwan and was described as the first serious nuclear crisis of the Cold War.
Key Facts
- Year
- 1958
- PRC Objective
- Capture Kinmen and Matsu islands from the ROC
- Secondary PRC Goal
- Probe extent of U.S. commitment to defend the ROC
- Operations Involved
- Artillery, air, naval, and amphibious operations
- Nuclear Dimension
- Described as first serious nuclear crisis by U.S. Sec. of State
- ROC Governing Party
- Kuomintang (KMT)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The PRC sought to assert control over ROC-held offshore islands, Kinmen and Matsu, lying close to the Chinese mainland. It also aimed to test the degree to which the United States was willing to militarily defend the Republic of China, governed by the Kuomintang, amid Cold War tensions in the Taiwan Strait region.
Beginning in 1958, the People's Republic of China launched an intensive artillery bombardment of the islands of Kinmen and Matsu. The conflict expanded beyond shelling to include air, naval, and amphibious operations between PRC and ROC forces, drawing in significant U.S. attention and involvement as Washington weighed its treaty obligations.
The crisis failed to dislodge ROC forces from Kinmen and Matsu. It heightened Cold War tensions in East Asia and alarmed U.S. officials, with Secretary of State Christian Herter reportedly characterizing it as the first serious nuclear crisis, underscoring the danger that regional conflicts between the PRC and ROC could escalate to superpower confrontation.