Taiwan

I

INTRODUCTION

Taiwan, island in East Asia. Taiwan is bordered on the west by the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from mainland China, on the north by the East China Sea, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, and on the south by the South China Sea. The government on Taiwan also administers the P’enghu Islands (Pescadores), the Chinmen Islands (Quemoy Islands) offshore from the mainland city of Xiamen, and the Matsu Islands offshore from Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province.

The government that administers Taiwan calls itself the Republic of China. Leaders of the government moved to the island from the Chinese mainland in 1949, when Communist armies gained control of the mainland and established the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The government on Taiwan recognizes the mainland city of Nanjing (spelled Nanking in Taiwan) as its official capital, and designates Taiwan’s largest city of Taipei as its temporary capital. The PRC does not recognize the government on Taiwan and considers the island a renegade province. Taiwan recognizes that the Communist government rules the Chinese mainland while the republican government rules Taiwan.

II

LAND AND RESOURCES OF TAIWAN

The total area of the islands administered by the government on Taiwan is about 36,000 sq km (about 13,900 sq mi). Taiwan Island accounts for about 98 percent of this. The island is shaped like a tobacco leaf, extending about 390 km (about 240 mi) from its stem in the south to its northern tip. At its widest east-west point, the island extends about 140 km (about 90 mi). P’enghu, the largest of the P’enghu Islands, constitutes approximately half the group’s total area of about 130 sq km (about 50 sq mi). The 12 small Chinmen Islands cover a total area of about 150 sq km (about 60 sq mi). The Matsu Islands, situated northwest of Taiwan Island outside the mouth of the Min River, consist of a small main island and several smaller islands. The main island has a total area of about 12 sq km (about 5 sq mi). Although administered by the government on Taiwan, the Matsu and Chinmen islands are officially part of Fujian Province.

Located about 1,800 km (about 1,100 mi) southwest of Taiwan in the South China Sea, the Spratly Islands are claimed by Taiwan, mainland China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines. A contingent of Taiwan’s Marine Corps is stationed on Itu Aba (called T’aip’ing Island in Taiwan) at the center of the group.

Taiwan Island’s most distinct land feature is its Chungyang Range, covering about half the total land area. The mountains extend over the island’s entire north-south length and reach a maximum elevation of 3,997 m (13,114 ft) at Yü Shan (Mount Jade). East of this central chain the land is rugged, terminating at precipitous cliffs that rise as high as 760 m (2,500 ft) from the Pacific Ocean. To the west, a broad, fertile plain and a series of connected basins slope gently to the shallow Taiwan Strait.

III

THE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN

Taiwan’s estimated population in 2008 was 22,920,946, yielding an average population density of 711 persons per sq km (1,840 per sq mi). The population is unevenly distributed, however, as most people live on the plains and basins west of the Chungyang Range.

Taipei, Kaohsiung, and T’aichung are the three largest cities. Metropolitan Taipei is the political, economic, cultural, and transportation center of Taiwan. Kaohsiung is the major industrial center in the south and Taiwan’s largest commercial port. T’aichung is the major industrial center of central Taiwan.

In 1952 Taiwan’s birth rate was 46.6 births per 1,000 people. By 2008 the birth rate had fallen to 9 per 1,000. Since the 1950s the level of education has risen in Taiwan; people are now more affluent and they tend to have fewer children.

A

Ethnic Groups and Languages

Most people in Taiwan are ethnic Han Chinese and were born on the mainland or have ancestors that were. They are divided into three groups based on their native Chinese dialect: Taiwanese (who speak Taiwanese, also called Min), Hakka (who speak Hakka, also called Kejia), and Mandarin. Min, Hakka, and Mandarin all belong to the Sino-Tibetan languages family. Taiwan also has a small population of aborigines who comprise about 2 percent of the total population. There are nine major aborigine tribes, each speaking a different form of Formosan, a member of the Austronesian languages family. Mandarin Chinese is Taiwan’s official language.

B

Religion

Religions practiced in Taiwan include Buddhism, Daoism (Taoism), Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam. Slightly more than half the people in Taiwan profess a faith; Buddhism has the most adherents, followed by Daoism.

C

Education

In 1952 less than 60 percent of people over the age of 15 could read and write. Educational reforms in 1968 extended compulsory education to 9 years, and Taiwan’s literacy rate climbed to 94 percent by 1994. Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 15, when students complete junior high school. Taiwan has more than 150 universities and other institutes of higher education. Major universities include National Taiwan University, in Taipei; National Central University, in Chungli; National Chunghsing University, in T’aichung; National Cheng Kung University, in T’ainan; and National Chung-shan University, in Kaohsiung.

IV

CULTURE

Many ancient Chinese customs and holidays are still observed in Taiwan, including the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese New Year, and the Feast of Lanterns. The birthday celebration of Chinese philosopher Confucius is held annually on September 28. It is known as National Teacher’s Day, and people observe it by performing traditional rituals at temples throughout Taiwan. Most people in big cities also celebrate Christmas, although not as a religious holiday.

The arts in Taiwan draw from a diverse heritage, encompassing aboriginal art, folk art, traditional fine arts, and modern art. Chinese calligraphy and traditional painting make up the mainstream of traditional Chinese fine arts. Other art forms include sculpture, ceramics, cloisonné, jade carving, and flower arranging. Performing arts include Chinese opera, Taiwanese opera, and drama. Taiwan’s thriving film industry produces more than 100 movies annually; some receive international acclaim.

The island’s largest libraries, both in Taipei, are the National Central Library and the Taiwan Branch Library. There are also more than 15 public libraries located throughout Taiwan. Important museums include the National Palace Museum in Taipei, which houses collections of traditional Chinese art; the National Museum of History in Taipei, which exhibits mainly historical artifacts; and the Taiwan Provincial Museum in Taipei, which displays collections from local cultures.

V

ECONOMY OF TAIWAN

After retreating from the mainland in 1949, the leaders of the government on Taiwan instituted land reforms that increased agricultural productivity. In the 1960s Taiwan adopted export-oriented policies, establishing export processing zones with incentives to attract direct foreign investment. Meanwhile, the government also pursued industrialization. A strong manufacturing sector developed, with most products consisting of labor-intensive goods. During the 1980s the focus of manufacturing shifted to capital- and technology-intensive commodities, such as personal computers and machinery. In an effort to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), an international body that promotes and enforces the provisions of trade laws and regulations, Taiwan’s government began liberalizing the economy in the 1990s by deregulating banking, finance, the stock market, investment, and trade. These policies contributed to rapid economic growth, and by the 1990s Taiwan could boast one of the world’s highest standards of living. Taiwan became known as one of Asia’s “Four Tigers,” along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea. Taiwan’s membership in the WTO was approved in late 2001.

A

Services

Services account for about 60 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). The most important services are finance, insurance, and business services. Next in importance are wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels, followed by government services. Tourism is significant, with 3.5 million tourists visiting Taiwan in 2006. The majority of tourists are Japanese, although many Southeast Asians, North Americans, and Europeans also visit Taiwan. Among the major tourist attractions are the National Palace Museum, Yangmingshan National Park, Sun Moon Lake, Mount Ali, Cheng Ching Lake, Kenting National Park, and Taipei 101, which ranked as the world’s tallest building when it was completed in 2004.

B

Manufacturing

Manufacturing accounts for about 35 percent of the GDP. Chief manufactured products include chemicals, petrochemicals, electrical and electronic machinery, basic metals, paper products, and nonmetallic mineral products. The importance of labor-intensive products, such as garments, leather, fur, and bamboo and wood products, is declining.

C

Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing account for less than 5 percent of the GDP. Taiwan’s chief agricultural areas are located on the island’s fertile western plains and basins. Rice is the principal food crop. Other major crops include sweet potatoes, citrus fruits, sugarcane, watermelons, pineapples, bananas, peanuts, mushrooms, tea, asparagus, and soybeans. Pigs, chickens, ducks, cattle, and goats are among the livestock raised.

About half of the land is forested, but timber production is insufficient to meet domestic demand. The main timbers are oak, cedar, hemlock, bamboo, and rattan. Onshore and deep-sea fishing yield about 80 percent of the total catch; the remainder comes from along the coast and from cultivated ponds. Mackerel and various types of tuna are the leading marine species caught.

D

Energy

Thermal power plants burning fossil fuels provide 73 percent (2003) of Taiwan’s energy supply. Other sources of energy include nuclear power, supplied by 6 (2001) nuclear reactors, and hydroelectric facilities tapping the island’s major rivers, including the Choshui, Shimen, and Tahan.

E

Transportation and Communications

Taiwan has a well-developed road and rail network. The majority of railroads and highways are concentrated along the western coast, plains, and basins of Taiwan Island, where the most people live. The principal ports are Hualien, Kaohsiung, Chilung, T’aichung, and Suao. Chiang Kai-shek International Airport near Taipei is Taiwan’s largest airport, and there is also an international airport at Kaohsiung. China Airlines is the government-owned airline of Taiwan.

The media environment in Taiwan is free of government censorship. Both broadcast and print media reflect a wide range of views. Television broadcasting includes commercial and noncommercial networks with options for cable and satellite channels. Taiwan has hundreds of newspapers, the majority of which are privately owned. The major newspapers are based in Taipei. Both Chinese- and English-language dailies are available.

F

Trade

In 2003 Taiwan’s exports totaled U.S.$150.6 billion; imports cost U.S.$127.2 billion. Exports consistently exceed imports, giving Taiwan one of the world’s largest trade surpluses. Exports include machinery, electrical and electronic products, and textiles. A majority of Taiwan’s imports are agricultural and industrial raw materials used by the manufacturing sector to create finished products. Japan and the United States are Taiwan’s most significant trade partners for both exports and imports. Trade with the Chinese mainland is of increasing significance to Taiwan’s economy.

In 1990 Taiwan applied for admission to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in late 1995. In November 2001 the member nations of the WTO approved the accession of Taiwan, and it formally became a member in January 2002. Although Taiwan is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a trade organization of the Pacific Rim, Taiwan’s president was denied participation in APEC’s highest ranking meetings due to opposition from mainland China, which is also a member.

G

Currency and Banking

Taiwan’s basic unit of currency is the New Taiwan dollar (32 New Taiwan dollars equal U.S.$1; 2008). The bank of issue is the Central Bank of China. The banking sector was opened to privately owned commercial banks in 1991, and all government banks were privatized by 2006.

VI

GOVERNMENT OF TAIWAN

The current constitution of the government on Taiwan was adopted during the Chinese civil war in 1947, two years before the leaders of the government retreated to the island from the mainland. A series of additional articles became effective in 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1997. Among the most significant changes was the 1994 adoption of presidential elections by popular vote. Voting is universal for all citizens aged 20 or older.

A

President

The president is the head of state and represents Taiwan in its foreign relations and at state functions. Formerly, the president was elected by the National Assembly to a six-year term. Constitutional amendments reduced the presidential term to four years and called for direct elections by popular vote. The first popularly elected president took office in 1996.

B

National Assembly

The National Assembly is an impermanent body that convenes on an as-needed basis to ratify certain initiatives of Taiwan’s legislature, known as the Legislative Yuan. The National Assembly was a permanent body until April 2000, when its members approved a series of constitutional amendments that transferred most of the assembly’s powers to the legislature and made the assembly an ad hoc body. The National Assembly may convene when the Legislative Yuan proposes to amend the constitution, alter national territory, or impeach the president or vice president. The National Assembly is made up of 300 members who are elected by a system of proportional representation prior to a convention of the assembly. Their terms expire upon the last day of the convention, which may last no more than one month.

C

The Five Yuan

In addition to the president and National Assembly, Taiwan’s government contains five yuan, or branches of government: the Executive Yuan, the Legislative Yuan, the Control Yuan, the Examination Yuan, and the Judicial Yuan.

The Executive Yuan, the government body responsible for making and implementing government policy, is the highest administrative branch. The president appoints a premier and other ministers and members of the Executive Yuan.

The Legislative Yuan exercises legislative power on behalf of the people, examines the budget, and audits reports submitted by the Executive Yuan. The 113 members of the Legislative Yuan are elected under a mixed system of direct election and proportional representation. All members serve three-year terms.

The Control Yuan exercises powers of consent, impeachment, censure, and audit. It is responsible for finding and removing corrupt officials at all levels of government. The 29 members are appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly.

The 21-member Examination Yuan handles the examination, employment, and management of all Taiwan’s civil servants, including all elected and appointed government officials. Members of the Examination Yuan are appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly to six-year terms.

The Judicial Yuan runs Taiwan’s court system and is responsible for civil, criminal, and administrative cases, as well as cases concerning the disciplining of public officials. The Judicial Yuan consists of a president, a vice president, and a 15-member Council of Grand Justices. Below the Judicial Yuan are the Supreme Court, the high courts, the district courts, the Administrative Court, and the Committee on the Discipline of Public Functionaries.

D

Political Parties

The Kuomintang (KMT) was founded as Taiwan’s ruling party in 1949. The KMT approach to government was based on Sun Yat-sen’s Three Principles of the People, which are nationalism, democracy, and social well-being. Until Taiwan lifted martial law in 1987, parties other than the ruling KMT had little political influence. In 1989 political parties besides the KMT were legalized and allowed to function.

Starting in the late 1970s an informal organization known as the Outsiders Party attempted to present unified platforms and nominated candidates for elections. In 1986 some members of the Outsiders Party established the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which became the first influential opposition party in Taiwan. Although originally founded as a pro-independence party, the DPP has since softened its stance on complete independence for Taiwan. In contrast, the KMT favors closer political and economic ties with mainland China.

E

Social Services

In 1995 Taiwan launched a government-funded health insurance program. Medical resources increased and rural facilities were upgraded. Taiwan’s highest public health authority is the Department of Health under the Executive Yuan. The department determines health policies and coordinates health services at all levels. Among the major health programs are prenatal and postnatal care, prevention of cancer, and the control of communicable diseases.

F

Defense

The president serves as commander in chief. The Ministry of National Defense, headed by a civilian, is responsible for overseeing the administrative affairs of the military. Equipped with modern weapons, aircraft, and ships, Taiwan’s military includes an army, a navy, an air force, and a logistical command called the Combined Services Force. In 2004 military personnel totaled 290,000. Beginning at the age of 18, all able men must serve two years in the armed forces, although they may delay conscription if attending school.

VII				HISTORY OF TAIWAN
A		Chinese Settlement

In 1644 the Manchus of northeastern China defeated the Ming dynasty and established the Qing dynasty. Meanwhile, a group of Ming followers led by Cheng Ch’eng-kung, known in the West as Koxinga, drove the Dutch from Taiwan and occupied the island’s southwestern portion. Cheng established a formal Chinese government, ruling Taiwan as a Ming enclave. It was not until 1683 that the island finally fell to Qing rule. Thereafter, immigration to Taiwan from mainland China increased greatly. As a result of Britain’s victory against China in the Opium Wars and the ratification of the Treaty of Tientsin in 1860, two ports on Taiwan’s western coast opened to foreign ships. Roman Catholic and Protestant missions were established on the island soon after.

B

Japanese Rule

The Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 terminated the first Sino-Japanese War and required that China cede Taiwan and the P’enghu Islands to Japan. However, the Chinese inhabitants of Taiwan refused to submit and instigated a rebellion that was put down by the Japanese. For the next 50 years a stringent occupation and colonization followed, including a rigorous effort at Japanization—the attempt to replace Chinese culture and tradition with that of the Japanese.

C

Nationalist Refuge

In 1945, with the defeat of Japan in World War II, Taiwan and the P’enghu Islands were returned to China, but corrupt Chinese government authorities caused widespread resentment on the island. The unrest resulted in an uprising in February 1947. It was quickly suppressed with serious loss of life, and two months later Taiwan was proclaimed a province of China.

Meanwhile, China was enmeshed in a civil war between Communist forces led by Mao Zedong and the Kuomintang (KMT) led by Chiang Kai-shek, who had assumed leadership of the party in the mid-1920s after the death of KMT founder Sun Yat-sen. With mainland China falling to the Communists, Chiang moved the KMT government from Nanjing to Taipei on December 8, 1949. Communist plans to invade Taiwan were subsequently frustrated by the United States, which in 1950 sent naval forces to defend the island.

For the remainder of the 1950s, despite sporadic hostilities between Taiwan and the mainland, the United States Seventh Fleet shielded the KMT government from a Communist invasion. In March 1954 Chiang Kai-shek was reelected president of the Republic of China (as his Taiwan government continued to call itself). Later that year the KMT and the United States signed a mutual-defense treaty, by which the United States agreed conditionally to take punitive action against the Chinese mainland if the Communist regime attacked Taiwan..

D

Taiwan in the 21st Century

In March 2000 presidential elections, voters in Taiwan elected Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shui-bian president, ending more than 50 years of rule by the KMT. China reacted warily to the election of a member of the DPP, which was founded as a pro-independence party. Chen was narrowly reelected in March 2004 in a hotly contested race against the KMT’s candidate, Lien Chan. The DPP also won the largest number of seats in the 2001 and 2004 elections to the legislature. Although the KMT won fewer seats than the DPP, it retained majority rule through alliances with two other smaller parties.

In March 2005 the legislature of the People’s Republic of China passed a law authorizing the use of military force against Taiwan if its government moved toward a formal declaration of independence. The move prompted large protests against the anti-secession law in Taiwan and heightened cross-strait tensions. The Chinese Communist Party subsequently invited KMT members to visit, notably excluding representatives of the DPP. In April, Lien made an official visit, marking the first time a KMT leader set foot on the mainland since 1949.

In 2008 the KMT made a strong political comeback. In the January parliamentary elections the KMT delivered a crushing defeat to the DPP, winning 81 of the 113 seats in the legislature. Then in March the KMT’s presidential candidate, Ma Ying-jeou, won 58 percent of the vote. A Harvard-educated former mayor of Taipei, Ma had campaigned for closer economic ties with Beijing but refused to discuss political reunification.