Comments by "DasBubba" (@dasbubba841) on "When China Failed to Conquer Taiwan: the Battle for Kinmen Island" video.

Yes, the Nationalists at the time, were the legal government of China, the whole of China. However, they lost the civil war. They didn't totally lose, since they still survive on Taiwan, but they lost control of the mainland. Thus, the CCP has become the legal government of Mainland China. The ROC lost control through internal war, and thus the CCP has "earned" the right or mandate to rule China. However, they never finished the job. They couldn't conquer Taiwan through war, so they have no right over it. They have no right to prevent Taiwan from become it's own country since the war is over. Taiwan and China are two different countries. Bottom line, the ROC has no right to claim all of China since it lost it through war, and the PRC has no right to claim Taiwan and prevent it from being a country on the international stage since it failed to conquer it.
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The ROC didn't cease to exist, but they lost control of the mainland, and thus the legitimacy to call themselves "China". Thus, going by that logic, the ROC lost the title of "China" and became a mere separatist group resisting the "legitimate" government in Beijing. However, the CCP couldn't finish off the ROC and eventually the Americans came to guard them. Thus, we have this odd status quo. Neither can make a move on the other one.
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Indeed. Though, much of their victories can be attributed to how by that point, the Nationalists were heavily corrupt, suffering from hyper-inflation, and their troops had terrible morale. The PLA was able to force the KMT off the Mainland, but as seen by the Battle of Kinmen, they couldn't finish them off. There was also a Muslim insurgency that proved damaging even into the early 60s.
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Chiang was able to do better on Taiwan, but he suffered on the Mainland because a lot of the populace had become seduced by Mao's promises of land reform and better governance. The Nationalists had also become worn-down by heavy fighting with the Japanese, while Mao had consolidated his position with the peasants. Chiang's tactics were also pretty shitty as he sent large formations into the mountains to destroy the communists. Mao simply retreated and cut off the KMT and destroyed them. When the time was right, he attacked en mass and routed the KMT. When Chiang got to Taiwan, the water meant that he could consolidate he position and use the poor naval capabilities of the PLA to his advantage. The battle of Kinmen is evident of this.
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