The Chinese Civil War[nb 2] was a civil war in China fought between forces loyal to the government of the Republic of China led by the Kuomintang (KMT) and forces of the Communist Party of China (CPC).[8] The war began in August 1927, amidst the Northern Expedition and essentially ended when major active battles ceased in 1950.[9] The conflict eventually resulted in two de facto states, the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China, both claiming to be the legitimate government of China.