the mainland. Chiang Kai-shek said the following of the PRC's attempt to ignore the Nationalist relief offer: 1970s In 1971, the ROC was expelled from the United Nations and replaced with the PRC. Despite this, the Free China Relief Association conducted an operation to send 170,000 balloons filled with relief aid and propaganda leaflets across the Strait to the Mainland in collaboration with the Ministry of National Defense after the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. The move was made following an official rejection of aid shipments from the ROC by the PRC. 1980s In 1984 the organization gave financial and lifepath assistance to the hijackers of CAAC Flight 296. In 1988, the FCRA sent the PRC $100,000 USD to help Chinese flood victims. This marked the first successful instance of direct humanitarian assistance to the PRC from an ROC institution. 1990s In 1991, the association changed its name to the China Relief Association (中國災胞救助總會). In July 1992, the FCRA donated $300,000 USD to the Chinese Red Cross after a series of floods and droughts had affected six Mainland Chinese provinces. In December 1993, the association donated NT $1,371,767 to benefit the victims of a tsunami that struck South Asia. 2000s In 2000, the association re-branded itself as the Chinese Association for Relief and Ensuing Services or "CARES" (中華救助總會) after significant downsizing and a transition away from international relief work, transforming itself effectively into an internal social welfare organisation with some international work still ongoing. 2010s The organisation's mission currently includes assisting the integration of Mainland spouses into Taiwanese society, providing services to disadvantaged, elderly and aboriginal groups on Taiwan, providing emergency relief to the same groups including care and assisted living services, participation in international humanitarian work, providing assistance to former refugees and their descendants in Thailand and Burma and Organising a regularly held Social Welfare Forum to improve existing welfare services. Publications External links Homepage References Chiang Kai-shek Anti-communist organizations International political organizations Organizations established in 1949 1949 establishments in Taiwan Organizations based in Taipei International organizations based in Taiwan Foreign relations of Taiwan