Talk:Taiwan

"Current ROC territorial claims" vs. "historical ROC territorial claims"

Wanted to discuss the recent edit in the infobox to replace the historical ROC claim (including present-day PRC and Mongolia) with a "current claim" including PRC territories. I think this is a misleading label since Taiwan/ROC has not actively claimed the whole of PRC-controlled areas since at least 1991; the claiming of actual territory is nominal and more accurately described as "historical."

Further, is there a source that outlines any active claims by the Taiwanese government which includes actual territorial borders, etc.? Or is the area simply derived from the historical claim of being the legitimate government of China in competition with the PRC (thus taking PRC-controlled territory as claimed by the ROC)? As recent as 2021, government publications show territorial claims included only Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and islands in the South China Sea (some administered by the PRC). Butterdiplomat (talk) 19:33, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

Per Two Chinas, Taiwan "still opposes treating the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a legitimate state", and only acknowledges that the PRC "controls" mainland China without stating if that control is legitimate. Treating it as a separate state would be a de facto endorsement of Taiwanese independence, hence it is also mentioned that "Since then [1991], the ROC has neither actively asserted these claims nor denied them." Leadership has taken slightly different positions over the years, however, with former President Chen Shui-bian stating "with Taiwan and China on each side of the Taiwan Strait, each side is a country", and former President Ma Ying-jeou stating that relations between the PRC and Taiwan are a "special relationship" not between two Chinas/states but between two regions of one country. HapHaxion _{(talk / contribs)} 19:49, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

I think Two Chinas might either be dated or wrong then. The current situation appears to be that Taiwan supports treating the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a legitimate state... Its the PRC which opposes Taiwan treating the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a legitimate state. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 19:54, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

I think "current claim" is inappropriate since Taiwan/ROC has not actively claimed mainland China for a long time. This source mentions "Although the ROC dropped its claim to the mainland and has been open to dual recognition since 1991..."[1]--2601:44:8902:4800:AEE5:C5C3:796:F0C5 (talk) 03:11, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

What is the difference between active claim and current claim? The ROC claimed that mainland China is part of their state. Unless they renounce the claim, it remains a current claim. If they want to renounce it, we can report that, but they haven't done so. TFD (talk) 03:39, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

It would stop being both a current claim and an active if they stopped making it (which they appear to have done either in the 90s or early 2000s). If the last time the claim was made was decades ago then it is no longer current or active, even if it hasn't been renounced its now a historical claim. Sources can't speak to the future, thats just not possible... If the source says something is true in 2001 then we write "in 2001..." we can't assume that it remained true after 2001. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 15:53, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

I concur with the above comment that there is no such thing as “current territorial claim” over mainland China by the ROC when both versions were arguably “historical claims” whether it is with or without Mongolia. The fact is different from what many people believe, the ROC constitution never defined specific territorial boundaries, only stated at Article 4 (Territory):

“The territory of the Republic of China according to its existing national boundaries shall not be altered except by resolution of the National Assembly.”

The current ROC authority is no longer pursuing the One China policy nor the so-called “1992 consensus” which may regards itself as “legitimate China”, and the mainland territory has no longer published in the ROC yearbook by the central government since 2005, before that the “Mainland” defined by the KMT does not only encompass present-day PRC or Mongolia, but also parts of Russia, Tajikistan, Burma and India etc… including many territories that the ROC has never controlled in its history, but it is oddly acknowledged by many people such territorial claims are defined by law when there is actually none…

My suggestion is to remove the historical-claimed map from the infobox temporarily while the controversy of its legality or validity has not been addressed with sufficient evidence to support the territorial claims. If the source of the dispute material is not well referenced, we should not place it in the article. Gogoropath (talk) 17:02, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

There is no map in the infobox. Slatersteven (talk) 17:22, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Maybe this is a mobile vs desktop thing but I see maps in the infobox Horse Eye's Back (talk) 17:24, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

I mean the country template. Gogoropath (talk) 17:24, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Radio buttons, is why I did not see it. Seems to be that this is what, historically) the ROC claimed. Slatersteven (talk) 17:31, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

The argument between the ongoing edit war is that someone asserted the map without Mongolia is the so-called “current territorial claims” , I’m just pointing out how it is not standing when there is no evidence of the current government pursuing the claims, nor does its constitution. Gogoropath (talk) 17:38, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Not persuing and not having are not the same thing. But see below. Slatersteven (talk) 17:43, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Are there any sources for the claim the ROC has renou7ced its claims, not no loner makes them, actually renounced them? Slatersteven (talk) 17:34, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Thats what Gogoropath was talking about when they mentioned the changing the maps in the yearbook in 2005. The yearbook is the official yearly report on what the ROC is and does, a change in the yearbook reflects formal changes and is equivalent to an official announcement. You don't have to announce that you are renouncing your old views, you just have to announce that you have new views. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 17:38, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

OK so an official map does not match ours, then we should change it to reflect the new situation. Slatersteven (talk) 17:43, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Is there a link to it? Slatersteven (talk) 17:46, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

The official maps (examples [2][3]) match for the most part our first map but not the second because those claims are historical not contemporary. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 17:50, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Are these maps of the ROC or the Island of Twaine, I am having trouble verifying the former. Slatersteven (talk) 18:09, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

I don't see any maps which just have the island of Taiwan on them. Could you clarify which you're looking at? A good rule of thumb is that if Kinmen is on the map then its a map of the ROC not a map of the island of Taiwan or Taiwan as a historical entity. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 18:30, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

@Slatersteven: Has my reply satisfied your curiosity or are there really maps of only the island somewhere in what I sent? Horse Eye's Back (talk) 15:37, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

The official website of Executive Yuan (executive branch of the ROC central government ) published its introducing chapter on land defining the Taiwan Area only.[4] Unfortunately I cannot find the English version of the chapter, but it more and less reflects the current governmental position on this subject, with a detailed map attached. Gogoropath (talk) 18:51, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

"moved to Taiwan and administered the island of Taiwan and its affiliated islands, Penghu Islands, Kinmen Islands, Matsu Islands, Dongsha Islands, Zhongsha Islands, Nansha Islands and other places, effectively governing^{Bold text}Small text the land area. 36,197.067 square kilometers." (my Emphasis), this just say they administer it, not that they do not claim the rest of China (indeed the wording implies they have not, as this only reflects what they can (not should) administer). All of this tells me this is just politicians doing politics, and not saying the quite part out loud. Slatersteven (talk) 10:29, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

There is no statue of limitation that says the government of the Republic of China does not claim to be the government of China. There are examples of modern states renouncing claims. Under the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany(1990), the Federal Republic of Germany renounced its claim to Polish territories and amended its constitution. Under the Good Friday Agreement (1998), the government Republic of Ireland renounced its claim to Northern Ireland and amended its constitution.

Of course in both cases, West Germany and Ireland had long ceased to actively pursue their claims and had established diplomatic relations with the other side. That apparently is similar to where Taiwan is not. The article should not pretend that these claims have been renounced.

TFD (talk) 18:33, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

I think you have it backwards, the problem isn't that the article pretends that the claims have been renounced the problem is that the article pretends that the claims are current. We don't have support for either claim so we shouldn't be making either of them. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 18:36, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

I don’t deny that the historical claims may have existed and published as official documents in historical matters, but what we are talking about is that neither of the two versions of maps are the “current one”, and the editor tried to change the map as he considered the one without Mongolia should be regarded as the official position of the “current territorial claim”. If we’d like to define what the “current position” of the government is, it should give the evidence to clarify the validity of the map, otherwise it would be a meaningless argument hanging with different interpretations, before the actual result is addressed by the reliable source, those territorial-claimed map should be removed from the table before a better reference can support it. Gogoropath (talk) 19:02, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

As I said, historical claims remain current until renounced. Obviously, the ROC is not currently pursuing them, just as West Germany and Ireland stopped pursuing their claims years before they formally renounced them. The ROC has never renounced its claim to all of China, including Outer Mongolia.

Unofficially, supporters of the current regime in Taipei argue that Taiwan was never part of China and they are a separate people with a right to self-determination. However, they have not declared independence, let alone had it receive international recognition. De jure it remains part of China and the dispute with the PRC is which is the legitimate government, the one in Tapei or the one in Beijing. TFD (talk) 19:33, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

I concured that the ROC itself can be defined as an ethinic Chinese state, but this does not make Taiwan/ROC less to be its own sovereign country. The cross-strait relations are basically two rival states vying for their legitimacy of "China" as you said, so it's in fact more similar to the current situation of Two Koreas, in which both Koreas are regarded as "countries" as well, and simultaneously they have been claiming the legitimacy over entire Korean peninsula in their respective constitution that is similar to the cross-strait relations. This circumstance would not affect the way we have viewed them as two sovereign countries exercise sovereignty in their each actual-controlled territories, rather than seeing them as “One Korea” with two governments. Even in Chinese language Wikipedia, the main article of Taiwan also describes in the first sentence as 中華民國是位於東亞的民主共和國 ("The ROC is a republic and democratic country located in East Asia").

More specifically, I’m not arguing that Taiwan ever claims their own independent sovereignty or not, just what the current “Mainland” actually is specified by the current government. As I repeatedly stated that the claimed maps are not well referenced in any reliable source and more likely a vague concept than an actual thing or legal definition. Gogoropath (talk) 20:10, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

I wouldn't assume that the Chinese Wikipedia is an unbiased source. Anyway the discussion in this thread is about the ROC government's claims to territory they don't control. My objection to calling Taiwan a country is that it is ambiguous. For example, Northern Ireland is a country that is part of two other countries: the UK and Ireland. But all three can only be true because each uses a different definition of country. Terms should not be used where they are likely to convey incorrect information to readers. TFD (talk) 03:18, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

To be clear, this is not a discussion of whether or not to call Taiwan a country. That was already settled in the previous consensus and is not relevant to the specific topic of this discussion (ROC territorial claim). Butterdiplomat (talk) 03:23, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

That's why I wrote, "Anyway the discussion in this thread is about the ROC government's claims to territory they don't control." TFD (talk) 03:33, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

TFD, with respect, I disagree with the two concepts you’re introducing here:

(1) the ROC not renouncing a historical claim does not make it a current claim, especially when the territories claimed are not clearly defined in map form; and

(2) the current regime (ROC) not declaring independence from China is a confusing statement, because (i) it did in fact have a defined date of establishment, and (ii) it does not claim to be part of China (rather, historically, the legitimate government of China).

Whether or not a formal Republic of Taiwan is declared has no bearing on the fact that Taiwan is the common name for the ROC, and that Taiwan/ROC is factually not part of the PRC. The Taiwan/ROC and China/PRC classification has been clear to most editors here, and there is no need to create confusion in this discussion on whether the ROC territorial claims as mapped out should be characterized as historical or current (and actual territories). Butterdiplomat (talk) 03:00, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

How does an historical claim become non-current without being renounced? I know that if you fail to exercise control over land that a squatter may obtain legal possession and you forfeit your claim. That's determined by equity (laches) and statute (limitations). What is the law under which Taiwan forfeited their claim to mainland China? What is the process by which an historical claim becomes non-current and when did it happen in this case? TFD (talk) 03:43, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

The historical claim was the policy of the ROC government during the KMT one-party rule era, so as the current government has a different diplomatic policy, the historical claim became non-current. The historical claim does not have a strong legal basis. The ROC constitution does not specify the exact boundaries, only vaguely saying "according to its existing national boundaries", thus there is dispute over what it actually claims. Some people may say that the ROC legally claims the mainland, but it is only the KMT's perspective of the constitution, and the current government does not have the same perspective. See [5] for more details about the dispute, where DPP legislators argued that the ROC constitutional claim does not include the mainland and asked the constitutional court to clarify the exact boundaries. The constitutional court refused to clarify, saying it is a Political question and the dispute should be resolved politically rather than legally.--2601:44:8902:4800:DFF:C18E:19A:CC7A (talk) 04:56, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

It becomes non-current with the passage of time (by definition) and with the changing of administrations/policy. Butterdiplomat (talk) 05:06, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

In order to renounce a claim, once would expect an executive order, legislation or constitutional amendment, none of which has happened. Political statements do not count.

I realize that things become non-current with the passage of time. Under the law of laches, property claims become non-current on the twentieth anniversary of the owner failing to exercise control. Under the current UK limitation act, (other jurisdictions may vary) they become non-current after 12 years. At what point in the passage of time did the ROC's claim to China become non-current? TFD (talk) 05:34, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Before saying that the renouncement of sovereignty must take legal action, we should set forth that those territorial claims are actually grounded by any legality or validity of constitutional rights. As far as I concerned, those claims are more likely a political statement issued by certain political party in their totalitarian era, rather than defining it by an actual law basis. This is why many people here whom already brought up the issue that the claimed territory is vague and lack of reliable sources to verify the exact extent of those claims. If those claims do not even come with legitimacy basis, how can they pursue to “renounce” them by legal means? Gogoropath (talk) 06:04, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

wp:v comes into play, we can verify the ROC made these claims, we can only verify they no longer publically make them, not that they have withdrawn them. Slatersteven (talk) 10:25, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

And in what exact legal ground of these claims clarified its definition to be Mainland China, Mongolia, or other territories that they once asserted to be parts of the ROC territory? If you cannot verify that legal basis, how does that apply to be a factual thing to say the modern government making such claims and even putting it in the contents with no supporting materials? Gogoropath (talk) 11:46, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Legality of the claim is irrelevant, RS say they claimed this, no RS has said they have stopped, thus we say they still claim it. Slatersteven (talk) 11:50, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

This doesn’t explain my question about the territorial claims lacking of legality. As some supporting commentators said that these claims are based on de jure basis, means that they must appear somewhere in law and can safely identify the claims in exact terms. And you’re telling me territorial claims are not relevant for legality? that’s quite contradictory to what they said in previous posts about it. Gogoropath (talk) 12:01, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

There are two questions, though:

(1) Is the territorial claim current? No one is arguing that it did not exist historically, so the question really is whether it can be considered current. There is no reliable source that says it is a active and current claim, and the absence of sources that said Taiwan had renounced the historical claim shouldn’t be the basis of including the map, in my opinion. Like others have mentioned, the passage of time, publication of a clear ROC map excluding any “mainland” areas, and several political transitions in the past 2+ decades make the politically charged claim one that should be heavily caveated if not excluded here.

(2) What exactly are the territories being claimed? The original version included territories administered by present-day PRC and Mongolia, as historically claimed by the ROC (and published in official maps). There have been no maps published that included only areas administered by the PRC, and no definition of borders or lands that would be considered part of the claim. So it seems odd for us to simply take territories currently administered by the PRC only and claim that this is what the ROC currently claims. Butterdiplomat (talk) 12:10, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

They might not acknowledge that “the Mainland” map once published by the KMT-dominated ROC government in the past does not only asserted claims over present-day PRC, or Mongolia, but also parts of Russia, Tajikistan, Burma and India etc… including many territories that the ROC has never controlled in its history, but it is oddly acknowledged by many people such territorial claims are defined by law when there is actually none… Gogoropath (talk) 12:19, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Also if RS say that is their claim, we assume the RS have reason to say it. Slatersteven (talk) 12:01, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Also read our article, the clue to your answer is there. Slatersteven (talk) 12:03, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

that’s why I suggested that we should remove the dispute claimed map temporarily before finding sufficient R/S to evidence those claims. Gogoropath (talk) 12:07, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

We already have them, in the article. Slatersteven (talk) 12:09, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

The article calls this claim historical, if I’m reading the right part (section on political and legal status). Butterdiplomat (talk) 12:19, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

No the article says " It has not formally renounced its claim to the mainland, but ROC government publications have increasingly downplayed this historical claim", this is sourced. Slatersteven (talk) 12:21, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Read the second to last word in that sentence. It has not formally renounced the historical claim. Why are we adding “current” to the label when it is clearly being disputed in this discussion? In my view, a “historical ROC claim” is accurate, a “ROC claim” footnoted with heavy caveats and contexts can be a viable alt; but adding “current” to it is a editorial claim until it can be backed up by RS. Butterdiplomat (talk) 12:55, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

That is an own goal of epic proportions... Yes, these are historical claims not current ones... Formal renunciation is not required for the claims to become historical. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 15:42, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

"historical claims remain current until renounced." not while WP:OR is policy they don't... Horse Eye's Back (talk) 15:38, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Unless the ROC has officially renounced these territorial claims I support including info on them. Ceasing to actively push for their inclusion politically is not the same as renouncing claims. Obviously the elephant, or the common belief/argument, is that Taiwan only keeps these claims due to the threat from PRC, but political climate changes depending on which political party is in power as well as other circumstances. The logic of removing the claims as info, whether pictoral or textual, due to them no longer being pressed or diminished is essentially the same as removing the name "Republic of China" from the lead or infobox. The name has been marginalized and no longer actively promoted under the Tsai and DPP administration. The name in English is no longer on current passports. It is clearly no longer the preferred name or supported among a significant portion of the population, but it does not follow that the name should therefore be removed until it actually is. Hence I don't support removing the info on claims of mainland China until they have been officially renounced if that ever occurs. Qiushufang (talk) 12:23, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

you’re taking the issue too far… renouncing the name of the nation is not quite the same as territorial claims.And I don’t deny the modern ROC inherited from Republican regime established in China and the continuity of its sovereignty in historical essence.

Repeating my previous comment, I don’t deny that the historical claims may existed and published as official documents in historical matters, but what we are talking about is that neither of the two versions of maps are the “current defined-territorial claims”, and the whole issue was started from an editor who tried to change the map as he considered the one without Mongolia should be regarded as the official position of the “current territorial claim” by the ROC. If we’d like to define what the “current position” of the government is, it should give the evidence to clarify the validity of these maps, otherwise it would be a meaningless argument hanging with different interpretations, before the actual result is addressed by the reliable source, those territorial-claimed maps are not more than a POV depictions. Gogoropath (talk) 12:43, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

The territorial-claimed maps are still used by official ROC government structures in emblems such as [6][7]. Qiushufang (talk) 23:10, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Emblems are not claims, though historical claims may inform the design of emblems, sure. Butterdiplomat (talk) 23:53, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

I understand your viewpoint and agree that it is important to include the ROC reference, but we are not proposing the exclusion of the ROC from the article. We are trying to figure out how to best contextualize the historical ROC claim in map/pictorial form. Again, I think the addition of the word “current” is misleading and not backed by RS at this point, and the theory of “not officially renouncing = current” is arguably original research and speculation at this point.

Then there is the question of, even if we agree the claims are current (not yet agreed), what territories to include. As mentioned, official maps have not included any “mainland” areas in recent (read: current) years. Butterdiplomat (talk) 12:51, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Disagree. Unless a reliable source describes the subject using historical or current or similar wording, then it is original research. Whether it's wording or removal, the application to territorial claims which are not explicitly stated or confirmed bear the same application to the ROC as a name. There's also no need to put "mainland" in quotes, this is the terminology the ROC uses as well, per link in below comment by the IP. Qiushufang (talk) 23:04, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

The ROC is not considered a reliable source, and your opinion of how I should be punctuating things in this discussion has no bearing on the article itself. A claim that was made in the 1940s can indeed be characterized as historical without being original research. You have not yet addressed the problem of actual territorial borders. Butterdiplomat (talk) 23:51, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

A claim made in the 1940s which has not been repudiated, renounced, or been expounded on while its origin continues to use insignias and emblems which support the claim is at the very least, a real claim which exists and can be verified via sources. Whether or not it is historical or current needs to be backed up by WP:RS and I fundamentally disagree that any decision either or should be made regarding that adjective without that source. Basing an editing decision on no source at all is WP:OR without doubt, which makes this conversation moot, as it is based on nothing at all. Qiushufang (talk) 00:46, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

The “historical” wording was used in the stable version, just so you know, and it is factually accurate. So, arguably the onus is at least equally on you to provide actual sources that support otherwise, or provide the rationale that it is problematic. Emblems are artworks and do not take priority over official maps that have consistently shown the way-more-current territorial claims.

I will continue to maintain that a 1940s claim (based on an official map) that has since been replaced by publications of contradictory official maps can be characterized as historical. Butterdiplomat (talk) 01:00, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

I disagree with the use of "current" as well. Qiushufang (talk) 01:06, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

There are plenty of reliable sources about the current policy of ROC, which says the status quo is that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to each other. [8] This position is contradictory to some people's perspective that the status quo is the ROC government continue claiming mainland China until an official renouncement.--2601:44:8902:4800:FD9D:3809:2FA2:7999 (talk) 14:04, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Two sides not being subordinate to each other is not the same as a statement on territorial claims. Your link contains neither a statement of renouncement in claims or a statement on the nature of territory, whether historical, current, or other. Qiushufang (talk) 23:05, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

It is an obvious contradiction, if Taiwan truly still claims the mainland, it would say "the mainland should be part of us" instead of saying "the mainland should not be subordinate to us" [9], just like Ukraine would not say Crimea should not be subordinate to Ukraine. --2601:44:8902:4800:FD9D:3809:2FA2:7999 (talk) 18:26, 27 March 2024 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.197.161.48 (talk)

I just wanted to add one more point: Taiwan being the common name of the ROC is not just some unilateral prerogative of the DPP or Tsai administration, but the reflection of how the outside world actively understands and describes the current situation per WP:RS. So, the usage of Taiwan here on English Wikipedia isn’t tied to ROC administration or policy. I.e., editors did not decide to move the page because the government decided to change the passport cover, though the policy worked out to be consistent with how the outside world generally perceived Taiwan/ROC.

Similarly, the observable fact is that Taiwan isn’t actively maintaining the historical territorial claim, even if policy may evolve and change. Butterdiplomat (talk) 15:25, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Essentially the ROC is saying that the mainland is under the effective control of the PRC. That is an "objective truth." That does not mean it no longer claims the mainland. Crimea is under the effective control of Russia. That is an objective truth. That does not mean that Ukraine has renounced its claim.

Military occupation is a status understood in international law. A power may accept that part of its territory is occupied without recognizing its legitimacy. TFD (talk) 16:17, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

You still have not made an argument for why “current” (or ongoing) is a better description than “historical.” It takes a bit of logical extension and rationalization to get to your conclusion, while “historical” is well-sourced and less ambiguous. Butterdiplomat (talk) 16:39, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

I have made an argument why describing the claim as "historical" is ambiguous. It could mean either (a) was made in the past and continues to this day or (b) was made in the past and has now ended. As a compromise, I suggest we not use either historically or currently and just say that the ROC lays claim to mainland China. TFD (talk) 17:14, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

It is ambiguous, and that is at the core of the claim itself, especially currently. Further, simply omitting the word “current” does not address the second point mentioned above, relating to the actual territorial boundaries. The historical claim was clearly defined in map form, but that map has not been published in decades. In fact, it has been replaced with official maps that do not include any part of “mainland” China. Claims that are represented in map or pictorial form have all been unambiguously historical and non-current. Butterdiplomat (talk) 17:33, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Providing a map as evidence that a claim has been abandoned is original research. You need a reliable secondary source that has provided this interpretation.

Incidentally, I think that both historical and current should be avoided. The ROC claims jurisdiction over mainland China and Outer Mongolia. It's historic in the sense in was made in the past and also current in the sense that the claim has not been abandoned.

Let's state the facts and not pretend Taiwan has abandoned its claim. All we can honestly say is that they are not actively pursuing it. IOW, they are not currently at war with China. TFD (talk) 20:24, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

The claim over “China” as a concept is both historical and not yet renounced formally, and I can grant you this position is valid even if the currentness of this claim is very much in dispute. However, the actual boundaries of any claim was historically the PRC- and Mongolia-controlled areas (plus some other territories) relied on a map, and any recent maps published by the ROC have not included those territories.

Not sure if even relevant to this discussion, but since you brought it up: There is a clear distinction between any ROC nominal “claim” over PRC territories vs. the PRC active claim over ROC territories. To present them as equivalent or reciprocal is not stating the facts. Butterdiplomat (talk) 20:35, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

It claimed mainland in the past under the KMT, and that appears to be legitimate and recognized by most other nations. Part of the issue is what language to use, whether we say the claim has stopped, been renounced, or not mention the current situation at all. Renouncing it would probably mean a constitutional referendum. The other part is the politics, the KMT or some other pan-China party could gain support again, whether that's likely or not. CurryCity (talk) 18:41, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

I agree, and I think the best language to use is “historical ROC territorial claims” in line with what has been published in map form. What the KMT or another party may do in the future doesn’t affect what is factual today, so we can wait to characterize any such claim as current or ongoing. Butterdiplomat (talk) 19:16, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

As I mentioned above, "historical" could mean they no longer claim mainland China. There is no reason why the text should be ambiguous. TFD (talk) 20:27, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

Sure, it could mean that, which is consistent with the actual situation. Adding “current” is forcing a clarity that doesn’t exist. Butterdiplomat (talk) 20:41, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

No KMT government has claimed China since at least the 1980s... That doesn't appear to be a position that the modern KMT holds any more than the modern DPP does. I don't see how in a democratic system thats something the KMT ever picks up again. Military conquest of the PRC is no longer on the pan-blue ("pan-China") slate, either of the KMT or any other party. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 16:23, 27 March 2024 (UTC)

The idea of Taiwan conquering China is just delusional.--User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 20:06, 27 March 2024 (UTC)

It is clear that there is no political support for pursuing Taiwanese sovereignty over PRC-controlled territories, both in terms of party platforms and in recent policy. One can argue that the ROC still nominally claims to be the legitimate government of an ambiguous "China" (a position supported by some in the KMT), but any map that shows PRC- or PRC- plus Mongolia-controlled areas as claimed by the ROC is historical. Butterdiplomat (talk) 23:24, 27 March 2024 (UTC)

There should be some map indication of the de jure mainland territory of the ROC, beyond the free area of Taiwan and smaller islands. CurryCity (talk) 20:09, 28 March 2024 (UTC)

Should this theoretical map indication include the historical map (including present-day PRC and Mongolia)? Or should it be present-day PRC-controlled and claimed areas? It is hard to determine when this historical claim is ambiguous. FWIW, the Chinese Wikipedia for 中華民國 (ROC) does not include this “claimed territories” map in the infobox. Butterdiplomat (talk) 03:20, 29 March 2024 (UTC)

The claims to the mainland aren't de jure they're de facto, they are not enshrined in Taiwanese law and the Taiwanese supreme court ruled that the question is a political one not a legal one and therefore outside of the court's jurisdiction (legally there is no claim). Horse Eye's Back (talk) 17:32, 29 March 2024 (UTC)

If the territory is or was not "legal", why did they fight a civil war against the CCP then? CurryCity (talk) 23:54, 3 April 2024 (UTC)

The civil war ended in 1949, the Supreme Court made that ruling in the 1990s building on a ruling made in the 1980s... It is currently 2024. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 02:06, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

So it was legal but now no longer is? CurryCity (talk) 02:22, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

This is where we get into legalese... It was believed to be legal, but it never actually was. You have to understand that the early ROC on Taiwan was a dictatorship which didn't follow its own laws so what was "legal" in that era is a bit of a mess. But yes, in layman's terms it was legal but is no longer. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 17:26, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

In here out of the blue.... Taiwan government maps are designed for a claim to an economic zone [10]. No change in political position. Moxy🍁 01:09, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

That is a map of their exclusive economic zone... I don't know how you make a claim about your exclusive economic zone without also making a claim about your sovereign territory. I don't actually think its possible. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 02:06, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

They simply claiming the islands for economic zones...... this is unrelated to claims on the mainland. They don't dispute their own sovereignty. Moxy🍁 02:09, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

An EEZ is not an economic zone... It is a political zone in which a sovereign coastal state enjoys exclusive economic privileges. The question isn't whether they dispute their own sovereignty its whether they dispute the PRC's and the EEZ map proves they don't. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 02:12, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

This government map [11] is not about an economic zone, it includes multiple islands currently under control of the PRC, Japan... etc, but doesn't include mainland china. The text below says "the Diaoyutai Islands, which lie northeast of Taiwan, and a number of islands in the South China Sea, including those in the Dongsha, Nansha (Spratly), Xisha (Paracel) and Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank) islands, are also part of the territory of the ROC." while it doesn't mention mainland china. Diaoyutai is controlled by japan. Xisha and Zhongsha is controlled by the PRC. Nansha is partially controlled by Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and the PRC. --108.53.191.58 (talk) 03:18, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

I don’t think there is a political desire to claim or reclaim the “mainland” in the year 2024, and any statement or map here that represents this claim should be backed up by a clear and reliable source. Any historical claim that includes a historical (and territorially ambiguous) China is by definition historical, and is arguably not meaningful or useful in the infobox. Butterdiplomat (talk) 13:49, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

I think the option of having a map depicting "lost" mainland territories is helpful information on English Wikipedia, whether the claims are active or historical. CurryCity (talk) 05:42, 8 April 2024 (UTC)

This seems like a moving target. You don’t see Germany depicting a map of Nazi Germany, and you don’t see Japan depicting a map of the Empire of Japan at its territorial peak. Similarly, the territories effectively administered by the ROC prior to its retreat to Taiwan in 1949 are already appropriately housed in the historical Republic of China (1912–1949) article. That map, incidentally, includes territories then claimed but not controlled. Butterdiplomat (talk) 00:53, 9 April 2024 (UTC)

Nazi Germany and Empire of Japan are easier cases because they have surrendered their war-time territory but ROC has not surrendered to the communists and still exists in a way. If you look at the Free area of the Republic of China, it excludes mainland China, so it seems to be a compromise here that we show both maps in this article but with the territory under ROC control as first choice. CurryCity (talk) 20:57, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

The "free area" is indeed the map that should be included, because that represents the territories currently administered by the ROC and commonly known as Taiwan. I think we are all in agreement of this.

The "claimed territories" map is the one in question. That the ROC still exists does not mean that it continues to claim the large area few of its leaders much less its citizens have visited. The military strategy as well as political support for any form of "retaking the mainland" is minimal today, hence there would be very little meaning in including a historical map. You may be conflating the name ROC and its constitutional concept of an abstract China with the historical (Qing or just early ROC?) China. All sources depicting any current territorial claims line up more with the actual free area (with minimal areas disputed or not actually controlled), and I would be open to including this as a secondary map. But no current maps show the Taiwanese ROC government claiming the PRC or Mongolian/Russian territories.

I would also note the government of the Republic of China (1912–1949) took on different forms in China as the modern ROC government did in Taiwan, during martial law and after, then after numerous administration transitions. That there is a continual Japan whose history included an outsized territorial conquest and claim does not mean that historical map belongs in the main article. Similarly, I would contend that a historical claim by the dictatorial CKS regime does not belong in the main article and is more appropriate in the historical Republic of China (1912–1949) article. Butterdiplomat (talk) 14:29, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

Country or Chinese Province?

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

---

Why does it say that Taiwan is a country? Surely it would say it is neither? Or both? Because it is hotly debated. I will give you a YouTube link to show you what I mean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxKgNv6o9oI 80.4.77.150 (talk) 16:50, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Youtube is not an RS. Slatersteven (talk) 16:56, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

I don't know what "RS" means. Point is, is that Taiwan isn't a member of the UN and only 11 countries (plus Holy See) officially recognise it as a country. It would be like saying Abkhazia and South Ossetia are countries. This should go for Palestine, Taiwan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Northern Cyprus, Transnistria, Kosovo, Somaliland and Western Sahara/Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. 80.4.77.150 (talk) 17:24, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Reliable source is what RS means, not "some bloke on the internet". And see the talk page archive for every answer to your points. Slatersteven (talk) 17:27, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

If we were being fully neutral we would describe the controversy. However that would be hard to effectively do in a lede. And, regardless of recognition, Taiwan is a de-facto country via its evident autonomy. Barring a compelling reason supported by reliable sources I see no reason to change it. Simonm223 (talk) 17:54, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 16 April 2024

Change 'Taiwan is a country' to 'Taiwan is province of China'

The above is factually and legally correct according the constitution of Republic of China (Taiwan) and the UN, as per international law People's Republic of China is currently the government of China. It is also state in the People's Republic of China too.

Suggesting Taiwan as a country is dishonesty and false, even as an opinion it's not fact nor changes it's current status under Chinese Sovereignity. 2001:569:7C1E:7900:913F:FDE7:DC6A:CFC6 (talk) 10:09, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: See the top of this talk page for more info; consensus has decided that Taiwan is a country. '''[[User:CanonNi]]''' (talk|contribs) 10:15, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

Kosovo's "with limited recognition" should be applied to Taiwan also

The description of Kosovo states:
"Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a is a country in Southeast Europe with partial diplomatic recognition."
I see no reason why Kosovo (recognized by 104 UN members) should have the "partial diplomatic recognition" and Taiwan (recognized by 12 UN members) shouldn't. Either make both have the "with partial diplomatic recognition" part, or make neither have it.
2604:3D08:8B80:F00:8CB1:B64A:6D54:E344 (talk) 20:49, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Because article X has this or that doesn't mean this article should be the same. It is WP:OTHERSTUFF. soetermans. ^{↑↑↓↓←→←→ B A TALK} 20:53, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Did you at all check what situations WP:OTHERSTUFF refers to? Or just trying to impress an IP editor with a cryptic acronym? — kashmīrī ^TALK 21:08, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

It is not an acronym. It is not argument to have the wording of the article on Taiwan changed because of the wording in the one on Kosovo. And to make an ultimatum to boot ("either both or neither") is not helping either. soetermans. ^{↑↑↓↓←→←→ B A TALK} 21:25, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Can you explain what, specifically, makes Taiwan different from Kosovo? 2604:3D08:8B80:F00:8CB1:B64A:6D54:E344 (talk) 21:45, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

I agree. I see no reason to treat Taiwan differently than, say, Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Kosovo as regards their recognition. — kashmīrī ^TALK 21:07, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

The difference is those other states are relatively recent breakaway states, while Taiwan is an older rump state that emerged from a civil war. Much harder to summarise recognition, which is not as a new breakaway state as it is for the other examples given. CMD (talk) 21:17, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Kosovo, although recent, is a fully functional country with no countries to back it up (like Turkey for Northern Cyprus, or Russia for Abkhazia/South Ossetia). It is just as much of a functional state as Taiwan. Just because a state is older does not mean it is automatically more legitimate. 2604:3D08:8B80:F00:8CB1:B64A:6D54:E344 (talk) 21:44, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

"Recency" does not automatically give a state more legitimacy. South Sudan broke away from Sudan in 2011, but no one disputes that it is a country, simply because there are no states that explicitly do not recognize South Sudan. Game2Winter (talk) 21:51, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

I do: they're different countries that arose from different situations. Remsense诉 21:45, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Can you explain what makes Taiwan more legitimate than Kosovo then? 2604:3D08:8B80:F00:8CB1:B64A:6D54:E344 (talk) 21:45, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

I don't think any states are legitimate or illegitimate. I think my editorial instinct would be that the "partial recognition" guff should be removed from Kosovo, but I haven't edited that article. This is why "well what about other articles" arguments are usually seen as absurd barring any overarching editorial policy. Remsense诉 21:47, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Diplomatic recognition has nothing to do with legitimacy – it's a unilateral act of other states that may be done with or without a reason. When a state has been recognised by all or nearly all other sovereign states, its recognition does not rise to the point of having to be mentioned in the lead. However, when a state enjoys only limited recognition or none at all, the general practice on Wikipedia is to mention this fact in the lead section – and it's rather independent of the country's age. — kashmīrī ^TALK 22:01, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Why is it mentioned in Kosovo's lead section and not Taiwan's? Can you name anything specific that makes the situations different? Game2Winter (talk) 22:06, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

No idea, and I'm all for including this info in Taiwan article. — kashmīrī ^TALK 22:29, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

My position is the precise degree of international recognition or number of recognizing states is not useful in an infobox. Those points should be discussed in the article body, which they are. Remsense诉 02:15, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

The information is indeed already discussed in the article. I am generally against adding this in the infobox. I would be supportive of dropping this language in the Kosovo infobox as well, FWIW. Butterdiplomat (talk) 02:41, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Taiwan as a sovereign state inherited from the former Chinese Republic, As a nation in its own right that is existed long before the establishment of communist China and never be placed under the PRC rule in history, therefore no one would actually consider Taiwan as a PRC province or a breakaway state seceded from the PRC, despite being asserted by the communist regime as such. The cross-strait relations are basically two rival states vying for their legitimacy of "China", so it's in fact more similar to the current situation of Two Koreas, in which both Koreas are regarded as "countries" as well, and simultaneously they have been claiming the legitimacy over entire Korean peninsula in their respective constitution that is similar to the cross-strait relations. This circumstance would not affect the way we have viewed them as two sovereign countries exercise sovereignty in their each actual-controlled territories, rather than seeing them as “One Korea” with two governments, same applies to the ROC and PRC. Sheherherhers (talk) 13:37, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

Let's refocus: couch this argument in terms of why it makes the Taiwan article specifically better, or don't bother. If you want to change Kosovo, discuss that there—that article is irrelevant here, that's not generally how Wikipedia works. Remsense诉 21:54, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Good idea, I'll see if I can try to get it done. Game2Winter (talk) 21:59, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

I think the better solution if you want to standardize is to drop that language from Kosovo, that does appear to be what your primarily interested in after all. Horse Eye's Back (talk) 02:10, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 24 April 2024

"Republic of China" redirects here. For the People's Republic of China, see China. For other uses, see Republic of China (disambiguation) and Taiwan (disambiguation).

For the mainland period, see Republic of China (1912–1949).

Republic of China 中華民國 (Chinese) Zhōnghuá Mínguó (Pinyin)
Flag Emblem
Anthem:  中華民國國歌 Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guógē "National Anthem of the Republic of China"
Capital	Taipei 25°04′N 121°31′E
Largest city	New Taipei City
Official languages	Standard Chinese
Official script	Traditional Chinese
National languages	Mandarin Hokkien Hakka Formosan Matsu Wuqiu Taiwan Sign Language
Ethnic groups (2016)	95–97% Han 2.3% indigenous 0.7–2.7% other
Religion (2020)	35.1% Buddhism 33.0% Taoism 26.7% no religion 3.9% Christianity 1.3% other
Demonym(s)	Taiwanese
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• President	Tsai Ing-wen
• Vice President	Lai Ching-te
• Executive Yuan President / Premier	Chen Chien-jen
• Legislative Yuan President	Han Kuo-yu
• Judicial Yuan President	Hsu Tzong-li
Legislature	Legislative Yuan
Establishment
• Republic of China established	10 October 1911
• Taiwan under ROC rule	25 October 1945
• Retreat of ROC to Taiwan	7 December 1949
Area
• Total	36,197 km2 (13,976 sq mi)
Population
• 1 July 2022 estimate	23,894,394 (56th)
• 2010 census	23,123,866
• Density	650/km2 (1,683.5/sq mi) (17th)
GDP (PPP)	2023 estimate
• Total	$1.685 trillion (20th)
• Per capita	$72,485 (15th)
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$751.930 billion (21st)
• Per capita	$32,339 (30th)
Gini (2017)	34.1 medium
HDI (2021)	0.926 very high (19th)
Currency	New Taiwan dollar (NT$) (TWD)
Time zone	UTC+8 (National Standard Time)
ISO 3166 code	TW
Internet TLD	.tw, .台灣, .台湾

Republic of China (Taiwan),commonly known as Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia.

It is located at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. The territories controlled by the ROC consist of 168 islands with a combined area of 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 square miles). The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. The capital, Taipei, forms along with New Taipei City and Keelung the largest metropolitan area. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries.

The ROC was formally declared on 1 January 1912, before Puyi, who had reigned as the Xuantong Emperor of the Qing dynasty, abdicated on 12 February 1912. Sun Yat-sen, the ROC's founder and provisional president, served only briefly before handing over the presidency to Yuan Shikai, the leader of the Beiyang Army. Yuan quickly became authoritarian and used his military power to control the administration, which consequently became known as the "Beiyang government". Yuan even attempted to replace the Republic with his own imperial dynasty until popular unrest forced him to back down. When Yuan died in 1916, the country fragmented between the various local commanders of the Beiyang Army. This began the Warlord Era defined by decentralized conflicts between rival cliques. The most powerful of these cliques, notably the Zhili and Fengtian cliques, at times used their control of Beijing to assert claims to govern the entire Republic.

Meanwhile, the nationalist KMT under Sun's leadership attempted multiple times to establish a rival national government in Guangzhou. Sun was finally able to take Guangzhou with the help of weapons, funding, and advisors from the Soviet Union. As a condition of Soviet support, the KMT formed the "First United Front" with the CCP. CCP members joined the KMT and the two parties cooperated to build a revolutionary base in Canton. Sun planned to use this base to launch a military campaign northwards and reunify the rest of China. Sun's death in 1925 precipitated a power struggle that eventually resulted in the rise of General Chiang Kai-shek to KMT chairmanship. Thanks to strategic alliances with warlords and help from Soviet military advisors, Chiang was able to lead a successful "Northern Expedition". By 1927, Chiang felt secure enough to end the alliance with the Soviet Union and purged the Communists from the KMT. In 1928, the last major independent warlord pledged allegiance to the KMT's Nationalist government in Nanjing.

While there was relative prosperity during the following ten years under Chiang Kai-shek, the ROC continued to be destabilized by the Chinese Civil War, revolts by the KMT's warlord allies, and steady territorial encroachments by Japan. Although heavily damaged by the purge, the CCP gradually rebuilt its strength by focusing on organizing peasants in the countryside. Warlords who resented Chiang's attempts to take away their autonomy and incorporate their military units into the National Revolutionary Army repeatedly led devastating uprisings, most significantly the Central Plains War. In 1931, the Japanese invaded Manchuria. They continued a series of smaller territorial encroachments until 1937, when they launched a full-scale invasion of China.

World War II devastated China, leading to enormous loss of life and material destruction. The war between China and Japan continued until the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II in 1945, which led to Taiwan being placed under Chinese administration. In the aftermath of World War II, civil war resumed between the areas liberated by the KMT and those liberated by the CCP. The CCP's People's Liberation Army managed to defeat the larger and better-armed National Revolutionary Army due to better military tactics and corruption of the ROC leadership. In 1949, the ROC repeatedly moved its capital to avoid the Communist advance—first to Guangzhou, followed by Chongqing, Chengdu, and lastly to Taipei. In October 1949, the CCP established the PRC. Remnants of the ROC government would hang on in mainland China until late 1951.

In the early 1960s, Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization called the "Taiwan Miracle". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ROC transitioned from a one-party state under martial law to a multi-party democracy, with democratically elected presidents since 1996. Taiwan's export-oriented industrial economy is the 21st-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the 20th-largest by PPP measures, with a focus on steel, machinery, electronics, and chemicals manufacturing. Taiwan is a developed country. It is ranked highly in terms of civil liberties, healthcare, and human development.

The political status of Taiwan is contentious. The ROC no longer represents China as a member of the United Nations after UN members voted in 1971 to recognize the PRC instead. The ROC maintained its claim of being the sole legitimate representative of China and its territory until 1991, when it ceased to regard the CCP as a rebellious group and recognized its control over mainland China. Taiwan is claimed by the PRC, which refuses to establish diplomatic relations with countries that recognise the ROC. Taiwan maintains official diplomatic relations with 11 out of 193 UN member states and the Holy See. Many others maintain unofficial diplomatic ties through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates. International organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate on a non-state basis. Domestically, the major political contention is between parties favoring eventual Chinese unification and promoting a pan-Chinese identity, contrasted with those aspiring to formal international recognition and promoting a Taiwanese identity; into the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal.

Name of the country

See also: Chinese Taipei, Names of China, and China and the United Nations

The official name of the country in English is the "Republic of China". Shortly after the ROC's establishment in 1912, while it was still located on the Chinese mainland, the government used the short form "China" (Zhōngguó, 中國) to refer to itself, derived from zhōng ("central" or "middle") and guó ("state, nation-state"). The term developed under the Zhou dynasty in reference to its royal demesne, and was then applied to the area around Luoyi (present-day Luoyang) during the Eastern Zhou and later to China's Central Plain, before being used as an occasional synonym for the state during the Qing era. The name of the republic had stemmed from the party manifesto of the Tongmenghui in 1905, which says the four goals of the Chinese revolution was "to expel the Manchu rulers, to revive Chunghwa, to establish a Republic, and to distribute land equally among the people." Revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen proposed the name Chunghwa Minkuo as the assumed name of the new country when the revolution succeeded.

During the 1950s and 1960s, after the ROC government had withdrawn to Taiwan, it was commonly referred to as "Nationalist China" (or "Free China") to differentiate it from "communist China" (or "Red China"). Over subsequent decades, the Republic of China has become commonly known as "Taiwan", after the main island. To avoid confusion, the ROC government in Taiwan began to put "Taiwan" next to its official name in 2005. In ROC government publications, the name is written as "Republic of China (Taiwan)", "Republic of China/Taiwan", or sometimes "Taiwan (ROC)".

The Republic of China participates in most international forums and organizations under the name "Chinese Taipei" as a compromise with the People's Republic of China (PRC). For instance, it is the name under which it has participated in the Olympic Games as well as the APEC. "Taiwan authorities" is sometimes used by the PRC to refer to the government in Taiwan.

History

Main article: History of the Republic of China

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Republic of China history.

1912–1916: Founding

Main article: Wuchang Uprising

Further information: Beiyang government and China during World War I

Yuan Shikai (left) and Sun Yat-sen (right) with flags representing the early republic

In 1912, after over two thousand years of dynastic rule, a republic was established to replace the monarchy. The Qing dynasty that preceded the republic had experienced instability throughout the 19th century and suffered from both internal rebellion and foreign imperialism. A program of institutional reform proved too little and too late. Only the lack of an alternative regime prolonged the monarchy's existence until 1912.

The Chinese Republic grew out of the Wuchang Uprising against the Qing government, on 10 October 1911, which is now celebrated annually as the ROC's national day, also known as "Double Ten Day". Sun Yat-sen had been actively promoting revolution from his bases in exile. He then returned and on 29 December, Sun Yat-sen was elected president by the Nanjing assembly, which consisted of representatives from seventeen provinces. On 1 January 1912, he was officially inaugurated and pledged "to overthrow the despotic government led by the Manchu, consolidate the Republic of China and plan for the welfare of the people". Sun's new government lacked military strength. As a compromise, he negotiated with Yuan Shikai the commander of the Beiyang Army, promising Yuan the presidency of the republic if he were to remove the Qing emperor by force. Yuan agreed to the deal. On 12 February 1912, regent Empress Dowager Longyu signed the abdication decree on behalf of Puyi, ending several millennia of monarchical rule. In 1913, elections were held for provincial assemblies, which would then chose delegates for a new National Assembly. The Kuomintang emerged as the formal political party that replaced the revolutionary organization Tongmenghui, and at the 1913 elections, it won the largest share of seats in both houses of the National Assembly and in some provincial assemblies. Song Jiaoren led the Kuomintang Party to electoral victories by fashioning his party's program to appeal to the gentry, landowners, and merchants. Song was assassinated on 20 March 1913, at the behest of Yuan Shikai.

Yuan was elected president of the ROC in 1913. He ruled by military power and ignored the republican institutions established by his predecessor, threatening to execute Senate members who disagreed with his decisions. He soon dissolved the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, banned "secret organizations" (which implicitly included the KMT), and ignored the provisional constitution. Ultimately, Yuan declared himself Emperor of China in 1915. The new ruler of China tried to increase centralization by abolishing the provincial system; however, this move angered the gentry along with the provincial governors, who were usually military men.

1916–1927: Warlord Era

Main article: Warlord Era

See also: First United Front, Northern Expedition, Shanghai massacre of 1927, and Nanchang Uprising

Yuan's changes to government caused many provinces to declare independence and become warlord states. Increasingly unpopular and deserted by his supporters, Yuan abdicated in 1916 and died of natural causes shortly thereafter. China then declined into a period of warlordism. Sun, having been forced into exile, returned to Guangdong in the south in 1917 and 1922, with the help of warlords, and set up successive rival governments to the Beiyang government in Beijing, having re-established the KMT in October 1919. Sun's dream was to unify China by launching an expedition against the north. However, he lacked the military support and funding to turn it into a reality.

Meanwhile, the Beiyang government struggled to hold onto power, and an open and wide-ranging debate evolved regarding how China should confront the West. In 1919, a student protest against the government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, considered unfair by Chinese intellectuals, led to the May Fourth movement, whose demonstrations were against the danger of spreading Western influence replacing Chinese culture. It was in this intellectual climate that Marxist thought began to spread. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded in 1921.

After Sun's death in March 1925, Chiang Kai-shek became the leader of the Kuomintang. In 1926, Chiang led the Northern Expedition with the intention of defeating the Beiyang warlords and unifying the country. Chiang received the help of the Soviet Union and the CCP. However, he soon dismissed his Soviet advisers, being convinced that they wanted to get rid of the KMT and take control. Chiang decided to purge the Communists, massacring thousands in Shanghai. At the same time, other violent conflicts were taking place in China: in the South, where the CCP had superior numbers, Nationalist supporters were being massacred. Such events eventually led to the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists and Communists.

1927–1937: Nanjing decade

Main article: Nanjing decade

Further information: Nationalist government

See also: Northeast Flag Replacement, Central Plains War, Encirclement Campaigns, Mukden Incident, and Xi'an Incident

Major Chinese warlord coalitions during the "Nanjing Decade"

Chiang Kai-shek pushed the CCP into the interior and established a government, with Nanjing as its capital, in 1927. By 1928, Chiang's army overthrew the Beiyang government and unified the entire nation, at least nominally, beginning the so-called Nanjing decade.

Sun Yat-sen envisioned three phases for the KMT rebuilding of China – military rule and violent reunification; political tutelage; and finally a constitutional democracy. In 1930, after seizing power and reunifying China by force, the "tutelage" phase started with the promulgation of a provisional constitution. In an attempt to distant themselves from the Soviets, the Nationalist Government sought assistance from Germany.

According to Lloyd Eastman, Chiang Kai-shek was influenced by European fascist movements, and he launched the Blue shirts and the New Life Movement in imitation of them, in an effort to counter the growth of Mao's communism as well as resist both Western and Japanese imperialism. According to Stanley Payne, however, Chiang's KMT was "normally classified as a multi-class populist or "nation-building" party but not a fitting candidate for fascism (except by old-line Communists)." He also stated that, "Lloyd Eastman has called the Blue Shirts, whose members admired European fascism and were influenced by it, a Chinese fascist organization. This is probably an exaggeration. The Blue Shirts certainly exhibited some of the characteristics of fascism, as did many nationalist organizations around the world, but it is not clear that the group possessed the full qualities of an intrinsic fascist movement....The Blue Shirts probably had some affinity with and for fascism, a common feature of nationalisms in crisis during the 1930s, but it is doubtful that they represented any clear-cut Asian variant of fascism."

Still other historians have noted that Chiang and the KMT's exact ideology itself was very complex and oscillated over time, with different factions of his government cooperating with both the Soviets and Germans as they saw fit, and that Chiang eventually became disillusioned with the Blue Shirts, which officially disbanded by 1938, something Payne also mentions as "possibly because of competition with the KMT itself." Some have also noted that in contrast to older historians from decades ago, Chiang's efforts have been increasingly seen by newer Western and Chinese historians alike as an arguably necessary if austere part of the complicated nation-building process in China during his time, especially given the wide range of both domestic and foreign challenges it faced on many different concurrent fronts.

Several major government institutions were founded during this period, including the Academia Sinica and the Central Bank of China. In 1932, China sent its first team to the Olympic Games. Campaigns were mounted and laws passed to promote the rights of women. In the 1931 Civil Code, women were given equal inheritance rights, banned forced marriage and gave women the right to control their own money and initiate divorce. No nationally unified women's movement could organize until China was unified under the Kuomintang Government in Nanjing in 1928; women's suffrage was finally included in the new Constitution of 1936, although the constitution was not implemented until 1947. Addressing social problems, especially in remote villages, was aided by improved communications. The Rural Reconstruction Movement was one of many that took advantage of the new freedom to raise social consciousness. The Nationalist government published a draft constitution on 5 May 1936.

Continual wars plagued the government. Those in the western border regions included the Kumul Rebellion, the Sino-Tibetan War, and the Soviet Invasion of Xinjiang. Large areas of China proper remained under the semi-autonomous rule of local warlords such as Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan, provincial military leaders, or warlord coalitions. Nationalist rule was strongest in the eastern regions around the capital Nanjing. The Central Plains War in 1930, the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and the Red Army's Long March in 1934 led to more power for the central government, but there continued to be foot-dragging and even outright defiance, as in the Fujian Rebellion of 1933–1934.

Reformers and critics pushed for democracy and human rights, but the task seemed difficult if not impossible. The nation was at war and divided between Communists and Nationalists. Corruption and lack of direction hindered reforms. Chiang told the State Council: "Our organization becomes worse and worse... many staff members just sit at their desks and gaze into space, others read newspapers and still others sleep."

1937–1945: Second Sino-Japanese War

Main article: Second Sino-Japanese War

See also: Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Second United Front, New Fourth Army incident, and Burma Campaign

China had been at war with Japan since 1931.

Few Chinese had any illusions about Japanese desires on China. Hungry for raw materials and pressed by a growing population, Japan initiated the seizure of Manchuria in September 1931, and established the former emperor Puyi as head of the puppet state of Manchukuo in 1932. The loss of Manchuria, and its potential for industrial development and war industries, was a blow to the Kuomintang economy. The League of Nations, established at the end of World War I, was unable to act in the face of Japanese defiance.

The Japanese began to push south of the Great Wall into northern China and the coastal provinces. Chinese fury against Japan was predictable, but anger was also directed against Chiang and the Nanjing government, which at the time was more preoccupied with anti-Communist extermination campaigns than with resisting the Japanese invaders. The importance of "internal unity before external danger" was forcefully brought home in December 1936, when Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang and forced to ally with the Communists against the Japanese in the Second United Front, an event now known as the Xi'an Incident.

Chinese resistance stiffened after 7 July 1937, when a clash occurred between Chinese and Japanese troops outside Beijing near the Marco Polo Bridge. This skirmish led to open, although undeclared, warfare between China and Japan. Shanghai fell after a three-month battle during which Japan suffered extensive casualties in both its army and navy. Nanjing fell in December 1937, which was followed by mass murders and rapes known as the Nanjing Massacre. The national capital was briefly at Wuhan, then removed in an epic retreat to Chongqing, the seat of government until 1945. In 1940, the Japanese set up the collaborationist Wang Jingwei regime, with its capital in Nanjing, which proclaimed itself the legitimate "Republic of China" in opposition to Chiang Kai-shek's government, although its claims were significantly hampered due to its being a puppet state controlling limited amounts of territory.

Chinese Nationalist Army soldiers during the 1938 Yellow River flood

The United Front between the Kuomintang and the CCP had salutary effects for the beleaguered CCP, despite Japan's steady territorial gains in northern China, the coastal regions and the rich Yangtze River valley in central China. After 1940, conflicts between the Kuomintang and Communists became more frequent in the areas not under Japanese control. The Communists expanded their influence wherever opportunities presented themselves through mass organizations, administrative reforms and the land- and tax-reform measures favoring the peasants and, the spread of their organizational network, while the Kuomintang attempted to neutralize the spread of Communist influence. Meanwhile, northern China was infiltrated politically by Japanese politicians in Manchukuo using facilities such as the Manchukuo Imperial Palace.

After its entry into the Pacific War during World War II, the United States became increasingly involved in Chinese affairs. As an ally, it embarked in late 1941 on a program of massive military and financial aid to the hard-pressed Nationalist Government. In January 1943, both the United States and the United Kingdom led the way in revising their unequal treaties with China from the past. Within a few months a new agreement was signed between the United States and the Republic of China for the stationing of American troops in China as part of the common war effort against Japan. The United States sought unsuccessfully to reconcile the rival Kuomintang and Communists, to make for a more effective anti-Japanese war effort. In December 1943, the Chinese Exclusion Acts of the 1880s, and subsequent laws, enacted by the United States Congress to restrict Chinese immigration into the United States were repealed. The wartime policy of the United States was meant to help China become a strong ally and a stabilizing force in postwar East Asia. During the war, China was one of the Big Four Allies, and later one of the Four Policemen, which was a precursor to China having a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

In August 1945, with American help, Nationalist troops moved to take the Japanese surrender in North China. The Soviet Union—encouraged to invade Manchuria to hasten the end of the war and allowed a Soviet sphere of influence there as agreed to at the Yalta Conference in February 1945—dismantled and removed more than half the industrial equipment left there by the Japanese. Although the Chinese had not been present at Yalta, they had been consulted and had agreed to have the Soviets enter the war, in the belief that the Soviet Union would deal only with the Kuomintang government. However, the Soviet presence in northeast China enabled the Communists to arm themselves with equipment surrendered by the withdrawing Japanese army.

1945–present:Republic of China(taiwan)

Main articles: Republic of China (1912–1949) and History of Taiwan (1945–present)

See also: History of the Republic of China and Chinese Civil War

General Chen Yi (right) accepting the receipt of General Order No. 1 from Rikichi Andō (left), the last Japanese governor-general of Taiwan, in Taipei City Hall

While Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the Republic of China was founded on mainland China on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution of 1911. Central authority waxed and waned in response to warlordism (1915–28), Japanese invasion (1937–45), and the Chinese Civil War (1927–49), with central authority strongest during the Nanjing decade (1927–37), when most of China came under the control of the Kuomintang (KMT). During World War II, the 1943 Cairo Declaration specificed that Formosa and the Pescadores be returned by Japan to the ROC; the terms were later repeated in the 1945 Potsdam Declaration that Japan agreed to carry out in its instrument of surrender. On 25 October 1945, Japan surrendered Taiwan to the ROC, and in the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan formally renounced their claims to the islands, though without specifying to whom they were surrendered. In the same year, Japan and the ROC signed a peace treaty.

While initially enthusiastic about the return of Chinese administration and the Three Principles of the People, Formosans grew increasingly dissatisfied about being excluded from higher positions, the postponement of local elections even after the enactment of a constitution on the mainland, the smuggling of valuables off the island, the expropriation of businesses into government-operated monopolies, and the hyperinflation of 1945–1949. The shooting of a civilian on 28 February 1947 triggered island-wide unrest, which was suppressed with military force in what is now called the February 28 Incident. Mainstream estimates of the number killed range from 18,000 to 30,000. Chen was later replaced by Wei Tao-ming, who made an effort to undo previous mismanagement by re-appointing a good proportion of islanders and re-privatizing businesses.

The Nationalists' retreat to Taipei

After the end of World War II, the Chinese Civil War resumed. A series of Chinese Communist offensives in 1949 led to the capture of its capital Nanjing on 23 April and the subsequent defeat of the Nationalists on the mainland. The Communists founded the People's Republic of China on 1 October. On 7 December 1949, Chiang Kai-Shek evacuated his Nationalist government to Taiwan and made Taipei the temporary capital of the ROC. Some 2 million people, mainly soldiers, members of the ruling Kuomintang and intellectual and business elites, were evacuated to Taiwan, adding to the earlier population of approximately six million. These people and their descendents became known in Taiwan as "waisheng ren" (外省人). The ROC government took to Taipei many national treasures and much of China's gold and foreign currency reserves. Most of the gold was used to pay soldiers' salaries, with some used to issue the New Taiwan dollar, part of a price stabilization program to slow inflation in Taiwan.

After losing control of mainland China in 1949, the ROC retained control of Taiwan and Penghu (Taiwan, ROC), parts of Fujian (Fujian, ROC)—specifically Kinmen, Wuqiu (now part of Kinmen) and the Matsu Islands and two major islands in the South China Sea. The ROC also briefly retained control of the entirety of Hainan, parts of Zhejiang (Chekiang)—specifically the Dachen Islands and Yijiangshan Islands—and portions of Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Yunnan. The Communists captured Hainan in 1950, captured the Dachen Islands and Yijiangshan Islands during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1955 and defeated the ROC revolts in Northwest China in 1958. ROC forces entered Burma and Thailand in the 1950s and were defeated by Communists in 1961. Since losing control of mainland China, the Kuomintang continued to claim sovereignty over 'all of China', which it defined to include mainland China (including Tibet), Taiwan (including Penghu), Outer Mongolia, and other minor territories.

Martial law era (1949–1987)

See also: Martial law in Taiwan and Taiwan Miracle

Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Kuomintang from 1925 until his death in 1975

Martial law, declared on Taiwan in May 1949, continued to be in effect until 1987, and was used to suppress political opposition. During the White Terror, as the period is known, 140,000 people were imprisoned or executed for being perceived as anti-KMT or pro-Communist. Many citizens were arrested, tortured, imprisoned or executed for their real or perceived link to the Chinese Communist Party. Since these people were mainly from the intellectual and social elite, an entire generation of political and social leaders was destroyed.

Following the eruption of the Korean War, US President Harry S. Truman dispatched the United States Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait to prevent hostilities between the ROC and the PRC. The United States also passed the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty and the Formosa Resolution of 1955, granting substantial foreign aid to the KMT regime between 1951 and 1965. The US foreign aid stabilized prices in Taiwan by 1952. The KMT government instituted many laws and land reforms that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China. Economic development was encouraged by American aid and programs such as the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction, which turned the agricultural sector into the basis for later growth. Under the combined stimulus of the land reform and the agricultural development programs, agricultural production increased at an average annual rate of 4 percent from 1952 to 1959. The government also implemented a policy of import substitution industrialization, attempting to produce imported goods domestically. The policy promoted the development of textile, food, and other labor-intensive industries.

As the Chinese Civil War continued, the government built up military fortifications throughout Taiwan. Veterans built the Central Cross-Island Highway through the Taroko Gorge in the 1950s. During the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, Nike Hercules missiles were added to the formation of missile batteries throughout the island.

With Chiang Kai-shek, US president Dwight D. Eisenhower waved to crowds during his visit to Taipei in June 1960.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the ROC maintained an authoritarian, single-party government under the Kuomintang's Dang Guo system while its economy became industrialized and technology-oriented. This rapid economic growth, known as the Taiwan Miracle, occurred following a strategy of prioritizing agriculture, light industries, and heavy industries, in that order. Export-oriented industrialization was achieved by tax rebate for exports, removal of import restriction, moving from multiple exchange rate to single exchange rate system, and depreciation of the New Taiwan dollar. Infrastructure projects such as the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, Taoyuan International Airport, Taichung Harbor, and Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant were launched, while the rise of steel, petrochemical, and shipbuilding industries in southern Taiwan saw the transformation of Kaohsiung into a special municipality on par with Taipei. In the 1970s, Taiwan became the second fastest growing economy in Asia. Real growth in GDP averaged over 10 percent. In 1978, the combination of tax incentives and a cheap, well-trained labor force attracted investments of over $1.9 billion from overseas Chinese, the United States, and Japan. By 1980, foreign trade reached $39 billion per year and generated a surplus of $46.5 million. Along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea, Taiwan became known as one of the Four Asian Tigers.

Because of the Cold War, most Western nations and the United Nations regarded the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China until the 1970s. Eventually, especially after the expulsion in the United Nations, most nations switched diplomatic recognition to the PRC. Until the 1970s, the ROC government was regarded by Western critics as undemocratic for upholding martial law, severely repressing any political opposition, and controlling the media. The KMT did not allow the creation of new parties and competitive democratic elections did not exist.

From the late 1970s to the 1990s, Taiwan underwent political and social reforms that transformed it into a democracy. Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek's son, served as premier from 1972 and rose to the presidency in 1978. He sought to move more authority to "bensheng ren" (residents of Taiwan before Japan's surrender and their descendants). Pro-democracy activists Tangwai emerged as the opposition. In 1979, the Kaohsiung Incident took place in Kaohsiung on Human Rights Day. Although the protest was rapidly crushed by the authorities, it is considered as the main event that united Taiwan's opposition.

In 1984, Chiang Ching-kuo selected Lee Teng-hui as his vice-president. After the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was (illegally) founded as the first opposition party in Taiwan to counter the KMT in 1986, Chiang announced that he would allow the formation of new parties. On 15 July 1987, Chiang lifted martial law on the main island of Taiwan.

Transition to democracy

See also: Politics of the Republic of China

In 1988, Lee Teng-hui became the first president of the Republic of China born in Taiwan and was the first to be directly elected in 1996.

After Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 1988, Lee Teng-hui became the first president of the ROC born in Taiwan. Lee's administration oversaw a period of democratization in which the Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion were abolished and the Additional Articles of the Constitution were introduced. Congressional representation was allocated to only the Taiwan Area, and Taiwan underwent a process of localization in which Taiwanese culture and history were promoted over a pan-China viewpoint while assimilationist policies were replaced with support for multiculturalism. In 1996, Lee was re-elected in the first direct presidential election. During Lee's administration, both he and his party were involved in corruption controversies that came to be known as "black gold" politics.

Chen Shui-bian of the DPP was elected as the first non-KMT president in 2000. However, Chen lacked legislative majority. The opposition KMT developed the Pan-Blue Coalition with other parties, mustering a slim majority over the DPP-led Pan-Green Coalition. Polarized politics emerged in Taiwan with the Pan-Blue preference for eventual Chinese unification, while the Pan-Green prefers Taiwanese independence.

Chen's reference to "One Country on Each Side" of the Taiwan Strait undercut cross-Strait relations in 2002. He pushed for the first national referendum on cross-Strait relations, and called for an end to the National Unification Council. State-run companies began dropping "China" references in their names and including "Taiwan". In 2008, referendums asked whether Taiwan should join the UN. This act alienated moderate constituents who supported the status quo, as well as those with cross-strait economic ties. It also created tension with the mainland and disagreements with the United States. Chen's administration was also dogged by public concerns over reduced economic growth, legislative gridlock, and corruption investigations.

Students occupied the Legislative Yuan in protest against a controversial trade agreement with China in March 2014.

The KMT's nominee Ma Ying-jeou won the 2008 presidential election on a platform of increased economic growth and better ties with the PRC under a policy of "mutual non-denial". Under Ma, Taiwan and China opened up direct flights and cargo shipments. The PRC government even made the atypical decision to not demand that Taiwan be barred from the annual World Health Assembly. Ma also made an official apology for the White Terror. However, closer economic ties with China raised concerns about its political consequences. In 2014, university students occupied the Legislative Yuan and prevented the ratification of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement in what became known as the Sunflower Student Movement. The movement gave rise to youth-based third parties such as the New Power Party, and is viewed to have contributed to the DPP's victories in the 2016 presidential and legislative elections, the latter of which resulted in the first DPP legislative majority in Taiwanese history. In January 2024, William Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party won Taiwan's presidential elections. However, no party won a majority in the simultanious Taiwan's legislative election for the first time since 2004, meaning 51 seats for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), 52 seats for the Kuomintang (KMT), and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) secured eight seats.

History(Taiwan)

Main article: History of Taiwan

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Taiwanese history.

2,300-year-old jade, unearthed at Beinan Cultural Park

Pre-colonial period

Main articles: Prehistory of Taiwan and Taiwanese indigenous peoples

Taiwan was joined to the Asian mainland in the Late Pleistocene, until sea levels rose about 10,000 years ago. Human remains and Paleolithic artifacts dated 20,000 to 30,000 years ago have been found. These peoples were similar to the Negrito peoples of the Philippines. Paleolithic Taiwanese likely settled the Ryukyu Islands 30,000 years ago. Slash-and-burn agriculture practices started at least 11,000 years ago.

Stone tools of the Changbin culture have been found in Taitung and Eluanbi. Archaeological remains suggest they were initially hunter-gatherers that slowly shifted to intensive fishing. The distinct Wangxing culture, found in Miaoli County, were initially gatherers who shifted to hunting.

Around 6,000 years ago, Taiwan was settled by farmers of the Dapenkeng culture, most likely from what is now southeast China. These cultures are the ancestors of modern Taiwanese Indigenous peoples and the originators of the Austronesian language family. Trade with the Philippines persisted from the early 2nd millennium BCE, including the use of Taiwanese jade in the Philippine jade culture.

The Dapenkeng culture was succeeded by a variety of cultures throughout the island, including the Tahu and Yingpu; the Yuanshan were characterized by rice harvesting. Iron appeared in such cultures as the Niaosung culture, influenced by trade with China and Maritime Southeast Asia. The Plains Indigenous peoples mainly lived in permanent walled villages, with a lifestyle based on agriculture, fishing, and hunting. They had traditionally matriarchal societies.

Early colonial period (to 1683)

Main articles: Early Chinese contact with Taiwan, Dutch Formosa, Spanish Formosa, Kingdom of Middag, and Kingdom of Tungning

The Penghu Islands were inhabited by Han Chinese fishermen by 1171 and in 1225, Penghu was attached to Jinjiang. The Yuan dynasty officially incorporated Penghu under the jurisdiction of Tong'an County in 1281. Penghu was evacuated in the 15th century by the Ming dynasty as part of their maritime ban, which lasted until the late 16th century. In 1349, Wang Dayuan provided the first written account of a visit to Taiwan. By the 1590s, a small number of Chinese from Fujian had started cultivating land in southwestern Taiwan. Some 1,500-2,000 Chinese lived or stayed temporarily on the southern coast of Taiwan, mostly for seasonal fishing but also subsistence farming and trading, by the early 17th century. In 1603, Chen Di visited Taiwan on an anti-wokou expedition and recorded an account of the Taiwanese Indigenous people.

In 1591 Japan sent envoys to deliver a letter requesting tribute relations with Taiwan. They found no leader to deliver the letter to and returned home. In 1609, a Japanese expedition was sent to survey Taiwan. After being attacked by the Indigenous people, they took some prisoners and returned home. In 1616, a Japanese fleet of 13 ships were sent to Taiwan. Due to a storm, only one ship made it there and is presumed to have returned to Japan.

Fort Zeelandia, built in 1634, was the governor's residence in Dutch Formosa

In 1624 the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established Fort Zeelandia on the coastal islet of Tayouan (in modern Tainan). The lowland areas were occupied by 11 Indigenous chiefdoms, some of which fell under Dutch control, including the Kingdom of Middag. When the Dutch arrived, southwestern Taiwan was already frequented by a mostly transient Chinese population numbering close to 1,500. The VOC encouraged Chinese farmers to immigrate and work the lands under Dutch control and by the 1660s, some 30,000 to 50,000 Chinese were living on the island. Most of the farmers cultivated rice for local consumption and sugar for export while some immigrants engaged in deer hunting for export.

In 1626 the Spanish Empire occupied northern Taiwan as a trading base, first at Keelung and in 1628 building Fort San Domingo at Tamsui. This colony lasted until 1642, when the last Spanish fortress fell to Dutch forces. The Dutch then marched south, subduing hundreds of villages in the western plains.

Tainan Confucian Temple built in 1665 during the Kingdom of Tungning period

Following the fall of the Ming dynasty in Beijing in 1644, Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) pledged allegiance to the Yongli Emperor and attacked the Qing dynasty along the southeastern coast of China. In 1661, under increasing Qing pressure, he moved his forces from his base in Xiamen to Taiwan, expelling the Dutch the following year. The Dutch retook the northern fortress at Keelung in 1664, but left the island in 1668 in the face of indigenous resistance.

The Zheng regime, known as the Kingdom of Tungning, proclaimed its loyalty to the overthrown Ming, but ruled independently. However, Zheng Jing's return to China to participate in the Revolt of the Three Feudatories paved the way for the Qing invasion and occupation of Taiwan in 1683.

Qing rule (1683–1895)

Main article: Taiwan under Qing rule

Chihkan Tower, originally built as Fort Provintia by the Dutch, was rebuilt under Qing rule.

Following the defeat of Koxinga's grandson by an armada led by Admiral Shi Lang in 1683, the Qing dynasty formally annexed Taiwan in May 1684, making it a prefecture of Fujian province while retaining its administrative seat (now Tainan) under Koxinga as the capital.

The Qing government generally tried to restrict migration to Taiwan throughout the duration of its administration because it believed that Taiwan could not sustain too large a population without leading to conflict. After the defeat of the Kingdom of Tungning, most of its population in Taiwan was sent back to the mainland, leaving the official population count at only 50,000, including 10,000 troops. Despite official restrictions, officials in Taiwan solicited settlers from the mainland, causing tens of thousands of annual arrivals by 1711. A permit system was officially recorded in 1712, but it likely existed as early as 1684; its restrictions included only allowing those to enter who had property on the mainland, family in Taiwan, and who were not accompanied by wives or children. Many of the male migrants married local Indigenous women. Over the 18th century, restrictions were relaxed. In 1732, families were allowed to move to Taiwan. By 1811 there were more than two million Han settlers in Taiwan, and profitable sugar and rice production industries provided exports to the mainland. In 1875, restrictions on entering Taiwan were repealed.

Taiwanese indigenous peoples hunting deer, 1746

Three counties nominally covered the entire western plains, but actual control was restricted to a smaller area. A government permit was required for settlers to go beyond the Dajia River. Qing administration expanded across the western plains area over the 18th century due to continued illegal crossings and settlement. The Taiwanese Indigenous peoples were categorized by the Qing administration into acculturated aborigines who had adopted Han culture and non-acculturated aborigines who had not. The Qing did little to administer or subjugate them. When Taiwan was annexed, there were 46 aboriginal villages under its control, likely inherited from the Kingdom of Tungning. During the early Qianlong period there were 93 acculturated villages and 61 non-acculturated villages that paid taxes. In response to the Zhu Yigui settler rebellion in 1722, separation of aboriginals and settlers became official policy via 54 stelae used to mark the frontier boundary. The markings were changed four times over the latter half of the 18th century due to continued settler encroachment. Two aboriginal affairs sub-prefects, one for the north and one for the south, were appointed in 1766.

During the 200 years of Qing rule in Taiwan, the Plains Indigenous peoples rarely rebelled against the government and the mountain Indigenous peoples were left to their own devices until the last 20 years of Qing rule. Most of the more than 100 rebellions during the Qing period, such as the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, were caused by Han settlers. Their frequency was evoked by the common saying "every three years an uprising, every five years a rebellion" (三年一反、五年一亂), primarily in reference to the period between 1820 and 1850.

Many officials stationed in Taiwan called for an active colonization policy over the 19th century. In 1788, Taiwan Prefect Yang Tingli supported the efforts of a settler named Wu Sha to claim land held by the Kavalan people. In 1797, Wu Sha was able to recruit settlers with financial support from the local government but was unable to officially register the land. In the early 1800s, local officials convinced the emperor to officially incorporate the area by playing up the issue of piracy if the land was left alone. In 1814, some settlers attempted to colonize central Taiwan by fabricating rights to lease aboriginal land. They were evicted by government troops two years later. Local officials continued to advocate for the colonization of the area but were ignored.

Taipei North Gate, constructed in 1884, was part of the Walls of Taipei.

The Qing took on a more active colonization policy after 1874 when Japan invaded Indigenous territory in southern Taiwan and the Qing government was forced to pay an indemnity for them to leave. The administration of Taiwan was expanded with new prefectures, sub-prefectures, and counties. Mountain roads were constructed to make inner Taiwan more accessible. Restrictions on entering Taiwan were ended in 1875 and agencies for recruiting settlers were established on the mainland, but efforts to promote settlement ended soon after. In 1884, Keelung in northern Taiwan was occupied during the Sino-French War but the French forces failed to advance any further inland while their victory at Penghu in 1885 resulted in disease and retreat soon afterward as the war ended. Colonization efforts were renewed under Liu Mingchuan. In 1887, Taiwan's status was upgraded to a province. Taipei became the permanent capital in 1893. Liu's efforts to increase revenues on Taiwan's produce were hampered by foreign pressure not to increase levies. A land reform was implemented, increasing revenue which still fell short of expectation. Modern technologies such as electric lighting, a railway, telegraph lines, steamship service, and industrial machinery were introduced under Liu's governance, but several of these projects had mixed results. A campaign to formally subjugate the Indigenous peoples ended with the loss of a third of the army after fierce resistance from the Mkgogan and Msbtunux peoples. Liu resigned in 1891 due to criticism of these costly projects.

By the end of the Qing period, the western plains were fully developed as farmland with about 2.5 million Chinese settlers. The mountainous areas were still largely autonomous under the control of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous land loss under the Qing occurred at a relatively slow pace due to the absence of state-sponsored land deprivation for the majority of Qing rule.

Japanese rule (1895–1945)

Main article: Taiwan under Japanese rule

Following the Qing defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), Taiwan, its associated islands, and the Penghu archipelago were ceded to Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Inhabitants wishing to remain Qing subjects had to move to mainland China within a two-year grace period, which few saw as feasible. Estimates say around 4,000 to 6,000 departed before the expiration of the grace period, and 200,000 to 300,000 followed during the subsequent disorder. On 25 May 1895, a group of pro-Qing high officials proclaimed the Republic of Formosa to resist impending Japanese rule. Japanese forces entered the capital at Tainan and quelled this resistance on 21 October 1895. About 6,000 inhabitants died in the initial fighting and some 14,000 died in the first year of Japanese rule. Another 12,000 "bandit-rebels" were killed from 1898 to 1902. Subsequent rebellions against the Japanese (the Beipu uprising of 1907, the Tapani incident of 1915, and the Musha incident of 1930) were unsuccessful but demonstrated opposition to Japanese rule.

A sugarcane mill and its railways in Tainan in the 1930s

The colonial period was instrumental to the industrialization of the island, with its expansion of railways and other transport networks, the building of an extensive sanitation system, the establishment of a formal education system, and an end to the practice of headhunting. The resources of Taiwan were used to aid the development of Japan. The production of cash crops such as sugar greatly increased, and large areas were therefore diverted from the production of rice. By 1939, Taiwan was the seventh-greatest sugar producer in the world.

The Han and Indigenous populations were classified as second- and third-class citizens, and many prestigious government and business positions were closed to them. After suppressing Han guerrillas in the first decade of their rule, Japanese authorities engaged in bloody campaigns against the Indigenous people residing in mountainous regions, culminating in the Musha Incident of 1930. Intellectuals and laborers who participated in left-wing movements were also arrested and massacred (e.g. Chiang Wei-shui and Masanosuke Watanabe). Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide assimilation project. Chinese-language newspapers and curriculums were abolished. Taiwanese music and theater were outlawed. A national Shinto religion was promoted in parallel with the suppression of traditional Taiwanese beliefs. Starting from 1940, families were also required to adopt Japanese surnames, although only 2% had done so by 1943. By 1938, 309,000 Japanese were residing in Taiwan.

During the Second World War, the island was developed into a naval and air base while its agriculture, industry, and commerce suffered. Air attacks and the subsequent invasion of the Philippines were launched from Taiwan. The Imperial Japanese Navy operated heavily from Taiwanese ports, and its think tank "South Strike Group" was based at Taihoku Imperial University. Military bases and industrial centers, such as Kaohsiung and Keelung, became targets of heavy Allied bombings, which destroyed many of the factories, dams, and transport facilities built by the Japanese. In October 1944, the Formosa Air Battle was fought between American carriers and Japanese forces in Taiwan. Over 200,000 of Taiwanese served in the Japanese military, with over 30,000 casualties. Over 2,000 women, euphemistically called "comfort women", were forced into sexual slavery for Imperial Japanese troops.

After Japan's surrender, most Japanese residents were expelled.

Geography

A satellite image of Taiwan, showing it is mostly mountainous in the east, with gently sloping plains in the west. The Penghu Islands are west of the main island.

The land controlled by the ROC consists of 168 islands with a combined area of 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 sq mi). The main island, known historically as Formosa, makes up 99 percent of this area, measuring 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 sq mi) and lying some 180 kilometres (112 mi) across the Taiwan Strait from the southeastern coast of mainland China. The East China Sea lies to its north, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south and the South China Sea to its southwest. Smaller islands include the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait, the Kinmen, Matsu and Wuqiu islands near the Chinese coast, and some of the South China Sea islands.

The main island is a tilted fault block, characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of five rugged mountain ranges parallel to the east coast, and the flat to gently rolling plains of the western third, where the majority of Taiwan's population reside. There are several peaks over 3,500 metres, the highest being Yu Shan at 3,952 m (12,966 ft), making Taiwan the world's fourth-highest island. The tectonic boundary that formed these ranges is still active, and the island experiences many earthquakes. There are also many active submarine volcanoes in the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan contains four terrestrial ecoregions: Jian Nan subtropical evergreen forests, South China Sea Islands, South Taiwan monsoon rain forests, and Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests. The eastern mountains are heavily forested and home to a diverse range of wildlife, while land use in the western and northern lowlands is intensive. The country had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.38/10, ranking it 76th globally out of 172 countries.

Climate

See also: Climate change in Taiwan

Köppen climate classification of Taiwan

Taiwan lies on the Tropic of Cancer, and its general climate is marine tropical. The northern and central regions are subtropical, whereas the south is tropical and the mountainous regions are temperate. The average rainfall is 2,600 millimetres (100 inches) per year for the island proper; the rainy season is concurrent with the onset of the summer East Asian Monsoon in May and June. The entire island experiences hot, humid weather from June through September. Typhoons are most common in July, August and September. During the winter (November to March), the northeast experiences steady rain, while the central and southern parts of the island are mostly sunny.

Due to climate change, the average temperature in Taiwan has risen 1.4 °C (2.5 °F) in the last 100 years, twice the worldwide temperature rise. The goal of the Taiwanese government is to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent in 2030 and by 50 percent in 2050, compared to 2005 levels. Carbon emissions increased by 0.92 percent between 2005 and 2016.

Geology

Main article: Geology of Taiwan

Mount Dabajian was selected as one of the 100 Peaks of Taiwan.

The island of Taiwan lies in a complex tectonic area between the Yangtze Plate to the west and north, the Okinawa Plate on the north-east, and the Philippine Mobile Belt on the east and south. The upper part of the crust on the island is primarily made up of a series of terranes, mostly old island arcs which have been forced together by the collision of the forerunners of the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. These have been further uplifted as a result of the detachment of a portion of the Eurasian Plate as it was subducted beneath remnants of the Philippine Sea Plate, a process which left the crust under Taiwan more buoyant.

The east and south of Taiwan are a complex system of belts formed by, and part of the zone of, active collision between the North Luzon Trough portion of the Luzon Volcanic Arc and South China, where accreted portions of the Luzon Arc and Luzon forearc form the eastern Coastal Range and parallel inland Longitudinal Valley of Taiwan, respectively.

The major seismic faults in Taiwan correspond to the various suture zones between the various terranes. These have produced major quakes. On 21 September 1999, a 7.3 quake known as the "921 earthquake" killed more than 2,400 people. The seismic hazard map for Taiwan by the USGS shows 9/10 of the island at the most hazardous rating.

Political and legal status

Main article: Political status of Taiwan

See also: List of states with limited recognition; Foreign relations of China § International territorial disputes; and Taiwan, China

The political and legal statuses of Taiwan are contentious issues. The People's Republic of China (PRC) claims that Taiwan is Chinese territory and that the PRC replaced the ROC government in 1949, becoming the sole legal government of China. The ROC, however, has its own currency, widely accepted passport, postage stamps, internet TLD, armed forces and constitution with an independently elected president. It has not formally renounced its claim to the mainland, but ROC government publications have increasingly downplayed this historical claim.

Though it was a founding member of United Nations, the ROC now has neither official membership nor observer status in the organization.

Relations with the PRC

Main article: Cross-Strait relations

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of Taiwan is responsible for relations with the PRC, while the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of the PRC is responsible for relations with Taiwan. Exchanges are conducted through private organizations both founded in 1991: the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) of Taiwan and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) of the PRC.

The PRC's One China principle states that Taiwan and mainland China are both part of China, and that the PRC is the only legitimate government of China. It seeks to prevent or reduce any formal recognition of the ROC as an independent sovereign state, meaning that Taiwan participates in many international forums as a non-state member under names such as "Chinese Taipei". The PRC suggested the "one country, two systems" employed in Hong Kong as a model for peaceful unification with Taiwan. While it aims for peaceful reunification, the PRC does not rule out the use of force. The political environment is complicated by the potential for military conflict should events outlined in the PRC's Anti-Secession Law occur, such as Taiwan declaring de jure independence. There is a substantial military presence on the Fujian coast as well as PRC sorties into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

Ma–Xi meeting was the first meeting between the leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait since 1949.

In November 1992, the ARATS and SEF held a meeting which would later become known as the 1992 Consensus. The SEF announced that both sides agreed that there was only one China, but disagreed on the definition of China (i.e. the ROC vs. PRC), while the ARATS announced that the two agreed on the One China principle, but did not mention differences regarding its definition made in the SEF statement. In 2019, Tsai Ing-wen rejected the 1992 Consensus. She stated that there is no need to talk about the 1992 Consensus anymore, because this term has already been defined by Beijing as "one country, two systems."

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Taiwan

  Republic of China (Taiwan)

  Countries that have formal relations with Taiwan

  Countries that have formal relations with the PRC and informal relations with Taiwan

Before 1928, the foreign policy of Republican China was complicated by a lack of internal unity—competing centers of power all claimed legitimacy. This situation changed after the defeat of the Peiyang Government by the Kuomintang (KMT), which led to widespread diplomatic recognition of the Republic of China.

After the KMT's retreat to Taiwan, most countries, notably the countries in the Western Bloc – with the exception of the United Kingdom, which recognized the peoples Republic already in 1950 – continued to maintain relations with the ROC, but recognition gradually eroded and many countries switched recognition to the People's Republic of China in the 1970s. On 25 October 1971, UN Resolution 2758 was adopted by 76 votes to 35 with 17 abstentions, recognizing the PRC as China's sole representative in the United Nations.

ROC embassy in Eswatini

The PRC refuses to have diplomatic relations with any nation that has diplomatic relations with the ROC, and requires all nations with which it has diplomatic relations to make a statement on its claims to Taiwan. As a result, only 11 UN member states and the Holy See maintain official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. The ROC maintains unofficial relations with other countries via de facto embassies and consulates mostly called Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Offices (TECRO), with branch offices called "Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices" (TECO). Both TECRO and TECO are "unofficial commercial entities" of the ROC in charge of maintaining diplomatic relations, providing consular services, and serving the national interests of the ROC.

From 1954 to 1979, the United States was a partner with Taiwan in a mutual defense treaty. The United States remains one of the main supporters of Taiwan and, through the Taiwan Relations Act passed in 1979, has continued selling arms and providing military training to the Armed Forces. The People's Republic of China considers US involvement disruptive to the stability of the region. The official position of the United States is that the PRC is expected to "use no force or threat[en] to use force against Taiwan" and the ROC is to "exercise prudence in managing all aspects of Cross-Strait relations." Both are to refrain from performing actions or espousing statements "that would unilaterally alter Taiwan's status". While not officially classified as a major non-NATO ally, it has been de facto treated this way by the United States since 2003.

Taiwan, since 2016 under the Tsai administration's New Southbound Policy, has pursued closer economic relations with South and Southeast Asian countries, increasing cooperation on investments and people-to-people exchanges despite the region's general lack of official diplomatic ties with Taipei. The policy has led to Taiwan receiving an increased number of migrants and students from the region. However, a few scandals of Southeast Asians, particularly Indonesians, experiencing exploitation in scholarship programs and in some labor industries have emerged as setbacks for the policy as well as for Indonesia-Taiwan relations.

Participation in international events and organizations

See also: Foreign relations of Taiwan § Relation with International organizations, and Chinese Taipei

The ROC was a founding member of the United Nations, and held the seat of China on the Security Council and other UN bodies until 1971, when it was expelled by Resolution 2758 and replaced with the PRC. Since 1993, the ROC has petitioned the UN for entry, but its applications have not made it past committee stage. Due to the One China policy, most UN member states, including the United States, do not wish to discuss the issue of the ROC's political status for fear of souring diplomatic ties with the PRC.

The ROC government shifted its focus to organizations affiliated with the UN, as well as organizations outside the UN system. The government sought to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1997, their efforts were rejected until 2009, when they participated as an observer under the name "Chinese Taipei" after reaching an agreement with Beijing. In 2017, Taiwan again began to be excluded from the WHO even in an observer capacity. This exclusion caused a number of scandals during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The flag used by Taiwan at the Olympic Games, where it competes as "Chinese Taipei" (中華台北)

The Nagoya Resolution in 1979 approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provided a compromise for the ROC to use the name "Chinese Taipei" in international events where the PRC is also a party, such as the Olympic Games. Under the IOC charter, ROC flags cannot be flown at any official Olympic venue or gathering. The ROC also participates in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (since 1991) and the World Trade Organization (since 2002) under the names "Chinese Taipei" and "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu", respectively. It was a founding member of the Asian Development Bank, but since China's ascension in 1986 has participated under the name "Taipei, China". The ROC is able to participate as "China" in organizations in which the PRC does not participate, such as the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

Due to its limited international recognition, the Republic of China has been a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) since the foundation of the organization in 1991, represented by a government-funded organization, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), under the name "Taiwan".

Domestic opinion

See also: Taiwan independence movement and Chinese unification

Domestic public opinion has preferred maintaining the status quo, though pro-independence sentiment has steadily risen since 1994. In June 2021, an annual poll found that 28.2 percent supported the status quo and postponing a decision, 27.5 percent supported maintaining the status quo indefinitely, 25.8 percent supported the status quo with a move toward independence, 5.9 percent supported the status quo with a move toward unification, 5.7 percent gave no response, 5.6 percent supported independence as soon as possible, and 1.5 percent supported unification as soon as possible. A referendum question in 2018 asked if Taiwan's athletes should compete under "Taiwan" in the 2020 Summer Olympics but did not pass; the New York Times attributed the failure to a campaign cautioning that a name change might lead to Taiwan being banned "under Chinese pressure".

The KMT, the largest Pan-Blue party, supports the status quo for the indefinite future with a stated ultimate goal of unification. However, it does not support unification in the short term with the PRC as such a prospect would be unacceptable to most of its members and the public. Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of the KMT and former president of the ROC, has set out democracy, economic development to a level near that of Taiwan, and equitable wealth distribution as the conditions that the PRC must fulfill for unification to occur. Ma stated that the cross-Strait relations are neither between two Chinas nor two states. It is a special relationship. Further, he stated that the sovereignty issues between the two cannot be resolved at present.

The Democratic Progressive Party, the largest Pan-Green party, officially seeks independence, but in practice also supports the status quo because neither independence nor unification seems likely in the short or even medium term. In 2017, Taiwanese premier William Lai said that he was a "political worker who advocates Taiwan independence", but that as Taiwan was already an independent country called the Republic of China, it had no need to declare independence.

Government and politics

Main articles: Government of the Republic of China and Politics of the Republic of China

See also: Elections in Taiwan, Human rights in Taiwan, and North–South divide in Taiwan

Government

Taiwan's popularly elected president resides in the Presidential Office Building, Taipei, originally built in the Japanese era for colonial governors

The government of the Republic of China was founded on the 1947 Constitution of the ROC and its Three Principles of the People, which states that the ROC "shall be a democratic republic of the people, to be governed by the people and for the people". It underwent significant revisions in the 1990s, known collectively as the Additional Articles. The government is divided into five branches (Yuan): the Executive Yuan (cabinet), the Legislative Yuan (Congress or Parliament), the Judicial Yuan, the Control Yuan (audit agency), and the Examination Yuan (civil service examination agency).

Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China

The head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the president, who is elected by popular vote for a maximum of 2 four-year terms on the same ticket as the vice-president. The president appoints the members of the Executive Yuan as their cabinet, including a premier, who is officially the President of the Executive Yuan; members are responsible for policy and administration.

The main legislative body is the unicameral Legislative Yuan with 113 seats. Seventy-three are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies; thirty-four are elected based on the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating political parties in a separate party list ballot; and six are elected from two three-member aboriginal constituencies. Members serve four-year terms. Originally the unicameral National Assembly, as a standing constitutional convention and electoral college, held some parliamentary functions, but the National Assembly was abolished in 2005 with the power of constitutional amendments handed over to the Legislative Yuan and all eligible voters of the Republic via referendums.

Chen Chien-jen, Premier of the Republic of China

The premier is selected by the president without the need for approval from the legislature, and neither the president nor the premier wields veto power. Historically, the ROC has been dominated by strongman single party politics. This legacy has resulted in executive powers currently being concentrated in the office of the president rather than the premier.

The Judicial Yuan is the highest judicial organ. It interprets the constitution and other laws and decrees, judges administrative suits, and disciplines public functionaries. The president and vice-president of the Judicial Yuan and additional thirteen justices form the Council of Grand Justices. They are nominated and appointed by the president, with the consent of the Legislative Yuan. The highest court, the Supreme Court, consists of a number of civil and criminal divisions, each of which is formed by a presiding judge and four associate judges, all appointed for life. In 1993, a separate constitutional court was established to resolve constitutional disputes, regulate the activities of political parties and accelerate the democratization process. There is no trial by jury but the right to a fair public trial is protected by law and respected in practice; many cases are presided over by multiple judges.

The Control Yuan is a watchdog agency that monitors the actions of the executive. It can be considered a standing commission for administrative inquiry, like the Court of Auditors of the European Union or the Government Accountability Office of the United States. It is also responsible for the National Human Rights Commission.

The Examination Yuan is in charge of validating the qualification of civil servants. It is based on the imperial examination system used in dynastic China. It can be compared to the European Personnel Selection Office of the European Union or the Office of Personnel Management of the United States. It was downsized in 2019, and there have been calls for its abolition.

Constitution

The constitution was drafted by the KMT while the ROC still governed the Chinese mainland. Political reforms beginning in the late 1970s resulted in the end of martial law in 1987, and Taiwan transformed into a multiparty democracy in the early 1990s. The constitutional basis for this transition to democracy was gradually laid in the Additional Articles of the Constitution. These articles suspended portions of the Constitution designed for the governance of mainland China and replacing them with articles adapted for the governance of and guaranteeing the political rights of residents of the Taiwan Area, as defined in the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.

National boundaries were not explicitly prescribed by the 1947 Constitution, and the Constitutional Court declined to define these boundaries in a 1993 interpretation, viewing the question as a political question to be resolved by the Executive and Legislative Yuans. The 1947 Constitution included articles regarding representatives from former Qing dynasty territories including Tibet and Mongol banners. The ROC recognized Mongolia as an independent country in 1946 after signing the 1945 Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance, but after retreating to Taiwan in 1949 it reneged to preserve its claim over mainland China. The Additional Articles of the 1990s did not alter national boundaries, but suspended articles regarding Mongolian and Tibetan representatives. The ROC began to accept the Mongolian passport and removed clauses referring to Outer Mongolia from the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area in 2002. In 2012 the Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement clarifying that Outer Mongolia was not part of the ROC's national territory in 1947. The Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission in the Executive Yuan was abolished in 2017.

Major camps

Emblem of the Kuomintang, the main Pan-Blue Coalition party

Taiwan's political scene is divided into two major camps in terms of cross-Strait relations, i.e. how Taiwan should relate to China or the PRC. The Pan-Green Coalition (e.g. the Democratic Progressive Party) leans pro-independence, and the Pan-Blue Coalition (e.g. the Kuomintang) leans pro-unification. Moderates in both camps regard the Republic of China as a sovereign independent state, but the Pan-Green Coalition regard the ROC as synonymous with Taiwan, while moderates in the Pan-Blue Coalition view it as synonymous with China. These positions formed against the backdrop of the PRC's Anti-Secession Law, which threatens the use of "non-peaceful means" to respond to formal Taiwanese independence. The ROC government has understood this to mean a military invasion of Taiwan.

Democratic Progressive Party's event in Taipei

The Pan-Green Coalition is mainly led by the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) and Green Party (GPT). They oppose the idea that Taiwan is part of China, and seek wide diplomatic recognition and an eventual declaration of formal Taiwan independence. In September 2007, the then ruling DPP approved a resolution asserting separate identity from China and called for the enactment of a new constitution for a "normal country". It called also for general use of "Taiwan" as the country's name, without abolishing its formal name, the "Republic of China". The name "Taiwan" has been used increasingly often after the emergence of the Taiwanese independence movement. Some members of the coalition, such as former President Chen Shui-bian, argue that it is unnecessary to proclaim independence because "Taiwan is already an independent, sovereign country" and the Republic of China is the same as Taiwan. Despite being a member of KMT prior to and during his presidency, Lee Teng-hui also held a similar view and was a supporter of the Taiwanization movement. TSP and GPT have adopted a line that aggressive route more than the DPP, in order to win over pro-independence voters who are dissatisfied with the DPP's conservative stance.

The Pan-Blue Coalition, composed of the pro-unification Kuomintang (KMT), People First Party (PFP) and New Party generally support the spirit of the 1992 Consensus, where the KMT claimed that there is one China, but that the ROC and PRC have different interpretations of what "China" means. They favor eventual unification with China. Regarding independence, the mainstream Pan-Blue position is to maintain the status quo, while refusing immediate unification. President Ma Ying-jeou stated that there will be no unification nor declaration of independence during his presidency. Some Pan-Blue members seek to improve relationships with PRC, with a focus on improving economic ties.

National identity

Main article: Taiwanese people § The current state of Taiwanese identity

See also: Opinion polling on Taiwanese identity

Results from an identity survey conducted each year from 1992 to 2020 by the Election Study Center, National Chengchi University. Responses are Taiwanese (green), Chinese (red) or Both Taiwanese and Chinese (hatched). No response is shown as gray.

Roughly 84 percent of Taiwan's population are descendants of Han Chinese immigrants between 1683 and 1895. Another significant fraction descends from Han Chinese who immigrated from mainland China in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The shared cultural origin as well as hostility between the rival ROC and PRC have resulted in national identity being a contentious issue with political overtones.

Since democratic reforms and the lifting of martial law, a distinct Taiwanese identity is often at the heart of political debates. Its acceptance makes the island distinct from mainland China, and therefore may be seen as a step towards forming a consensus for de jure Taiwan independence. The Pan-Green camp supports a predominantly Taiwanese identity (although "Chinese" may be viewed as cultural heritage), while the Pan-Blue camp supports a predominantly Chinese identity (with "Taiwanese" as a regional/diasporic Chinese identity). The KMT has downplayed this stance in the recent years and now supports a Taiwanese identity as part of a Chinese identity.

Taiwanese identification has increased substantially since the early 1990s, while Chinese identification has fallen to a low level, and identification as both has also seen a reduction. In 1992, 17.6 percent of respondents identified as Taiwanese, 25.5 percent as Chinese, 46.4 percent as both, and 10.5 percent non-response. In June 2021, 63.3 percent identified as Taiwanese, 2.6 percent as Chinese, 31.4 percent as both, and 2.7 percent non-response. A survey conducted in Taiwan by Global Views Survey Research Center in July 2009 showed that 82.8 percent of respondents consider the ROC and the PRC two separate countries with each developing on its own but 80.2 percent think they are members of the Chinese.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Taiwan

See also: History of the administrative divisions of China (1912–1949)

A map showing the official divisions and territories historically claimed by the Republic of China, along with their status as of 2005.

Political divisions as drawn by the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China.

According to the 1947 constitution, the territory of the ROC is according to its "existing national boundaries". The ROC is, de jure constitutionally, divided into provinces, special municipalities (which are further divided into districts for local administration), and the province-level Tibet Area. Each province is subdivided into cities and counties, which are further divided into townships and county-administered cities, each having elected mayors and city councilors who share duties with the county. Some divisions are indigenous divisions which have different degrees of autonomy to standard ones. In addition, districts, cities and townships are further divided into villages and neighborhoods. The provinces have been "streamlined" and are no longer functional. Similarly, Mongol banners in mainland China (Inner Mongolia) also existed, but they were abolished in 2006 and the ROC reaffirmed its recognition of Mongolia (formerly known as Outer Mongolia in Taiwan) in 2002, as stipulated in the 1946 constitution.

With provinces non-functional, Taiwan is in practice divided into 22 subnational divisions, each with a self-governing body led by an elected leader and a legislative body with elected members. Duties of local governments include social services, education, urban planning, public construction, water management, environmental protection, transport, public safety, and more.

When the ROC retreated to Taiwan in 1949, its claimed territory consisted of 35 provinces, 12 special municipalities, 1 special administrative region and 2 autonomous regions. However, since its retreat, the ROC has controlled only Taiwan Province and some islands of Fujian Province. The ROC also controls the Pratas Islands and Taiping Island in the Spratly Islands, which are part of the disputed South China Sea Islands. They were placed under Kaohsiung administration after the retreat to Taiwan.

Overview of administrative divisions of the Republic of China

Republic of China						Taipei New Taipei Keelung Taoyuan Hsinchu County Hsinchu Miaoli Taichung Changhua Penghu Nantou Yunlin Chiayi County Chiayi Tainan Kaohsiung Pingtung Yilan Hualien Taitung Taiwan Province Kinmen Lienchiang (Matsu) Fuchien Province Taiwan Strait South China Sea East China Sea Pescadores Channel Bashi Channel Philippine Sea (Pacific Ocean)
Free area					Mainland area
Special municipalities		Provinces			Not administered
		Counties		Autonomous municipalities
Districts	Mountain indigenous districts	County- administered cities	Townships	Districts
Villages
Neighborhoods

Notes

Military

Main article: Republic of China Armed Forces

See also: Republic of China Military Academy

The Han Kuang Exercise is an annual military exercise by the ROC Armed Forces in preparation for a possible attack from the PRC.

The Republic of China Armed Forces takes its roots in the National Revolutionary Army, which was established by Sun Yat-sen in 1924 in Guangdong with a goal of reunifying China under the Kuomintang. When the People's Liberation Army won the Chinese Civil War, much of the National Revolutionary Army retreated to Taiwan along with the government. The 1947 Constitution of the ROC reformed it into the Republic of China Armed Forces, making it the national army rather than the army of a political party. Units which surrendered and remained in mainland China were either disbanded or incorporated into the People's Liberation Army.

From 1949 to the 1970s, the primary mission of the Taiwanese military was to "retake mainland China" through Project National Glory. As this mission has transitioned away from attack because the relative strength of the PRC has massively increased, the ROC military has begun to shift emphasis from the traditionally dominant Army to the air force and navy. Control of the armed forces has also passed into the hands of the civilian government.

The ROC began a series of force reduction plans since the 1990s to scale down its military from a level of 450,000 in 1997 to 380,000 in 2001. As of 2021, the total strength of the Armed Forces is capped at 215,000 with 90 percent manning ratio for volunteer military. Conscription remains universal for qualified males reaching age eighteen, but as a part of the reduction effort many are given the opportunity to fulfill their draft requirement through alternative service. Taiwan cut compulsory military service to four months in 2013 but will extend military service to one year in 2024. The military's reservists is around 2.5 million including first-wave reservists numbered at 300,000 as of 2022. Taiwan's defense spending as a percentage of its GDP fell below three percent in 1999 and had been trending downwards over the first two decades of the twenty-first century. The ROC government spent approximately two percent of GDP on defense and failed to raise the spending as high as proposed three percent of GDP. In 2022, Taiwan proposed 2.4 percent of projected GDP in defense spending for the following year, continued to remain below three percent.

A Taiwanese F-16 fighter jet flies next to a Chinese H-6 bomber (top) in Taiwan's ADIZ

The ROC and the United States signed the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty in 1954, and established the United States Taiwan Defense Command. About 30,000 US troops were stationed in Taiwan, until the United States established diplomatic relations with the PRC in 1979. A significant amount of military hardware has been bought from the United States, and continues to be legally guaranteed by the Taiwan Relations Act. France and the Netherlands have also sold military weapons and hardware to the ROC, but they almost entirely stopped in the 1990s under pressure of the PRC.

There is no guarantee in the Taiwan Relations Act or any other treaty that the United States will defend Taiwan, even in the event of invasion. On several occasions in 2021 and 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that the United States will intervene if the PRC attempts to invade Taiwan. However, White House officials insisted that US policy on Taiwan has not changed. The joint declaration on security between the US and Japan signed in 1996 may imply that Japan would be involved in any response. However, Japan has refused to stipulate whether the "area surrounding Japan" mentioned in the pact includes Taiwan. The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS Treaty) may mean that other US allies, such as Australia, could be involved. While this would risk damaging economic ties with China, a conflict over Taiwan could lead to an economic blockade of China by a greater coalition.

Economy

Main articles: Economy of Taiwan and Economic history of Taiwan

Taipei 101 held the world record for the highest skyscraper from 2004 to 2010.

The quick industrialization and rapid growth of Taiwan during the latter half of the 20th century has been called the "Taiwan Miracle". Taiwan is one of the "Four Asian Tigers" alongside Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore. As of October 2022, Taiwan is the 21st largest economy in the world by nominal GDP.

Since 2001, agriculture constituted less than 2 percent of GDP, down from 32 percent in 1951. Unlike its neighbors, South Korea and Japan, the Taiwanese economy is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises, rather than the large business groups. Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being moved offshore and with more capital and technology-intensive industries replacing them. High-technology science parks have sprung up in Taiwan.

Today Taiwan has a dynamic, capitalist, export-driven economy with gradually decreasing state involvement in investment and foreign trade. In keeping with this trend, some large government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial, and Taiwan remained one of the world's largest forex reserve holders. Taiwan's total trade in 2022 reached US$907 billion. Both exports and imports for the year reached record levels, totaling US$479.52 billion and US$427.60 billion, respectively. China, United States and Japan are Taiwan's three largest trading partners, accounting for over 40 percent of total trade.

Since the beginning of the 1990s, economic ties between Taiwan and China have been extensive. In 2002, China surpassed the United States to become Taiwan's largest export market for the first time. China is also the most important target of outward foreign direct investment. From 1991 to 2022, more than US$200 billion have been invested in China by Taiwanese companies. China hosts around 4,200 Taiwanese enterprises and over 240,000 Taiwanese work in China. Although the economy of Taiwan benefits from this situation, some have expressed the view that the island has become increasingly dependent on the mainland Chinese economy. Others argue that close economic ties between Taiwan and mainland China would make any military intervention by the PLA against Taiwan very costly, and therefore less probable.

TSMC fab 5 located in Hsinchu Science Park

Since the 1980s, a number of Taiwan-based technology firms have expanded their reach around the world. Taiwan is a key player in the supply chain for advanced chips. Taiwan's rise in the key semiconductor industry was largely attributed to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and United Microelectronic Corporation (UMC). TSMC was founded 21 February 1987 and as of December 2021 its market capitalization equated to roughly 90% of Taiwan's GDP. The company is the 9th largest in the world by market capitalization as well as the world's biggest semiconductor manufacturing company, surpassing Intel and Samsung. UMC, another major company in Taiwan's high-tech exports and global semiconductors, competes with the American GlobalFoundries, and others, for less advanced semiconductor processes and for silicon wafers. Other well-known international technology companies headquartered in Taiwan include personal computer manufacturers Acer Inc. and Asus, as well as electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn.

Transport

Main article: Transportation in Taiwan

China Airlines aircraft lineup at Taoyuan International Airport

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China is the cabinet-level governing body of the transport network in Taiwan.

Civilian transport in Taiwan is characterized by extensive use of scooters. In March 2019, 13.86 million were registered, twice that of cars.

Both highways and railways are concentrated near the coasts, where the majority of the population resides, with 1,619 km (1,006 mi) of motorway.

Railways in Taiwan are primarily used for passenger services, with Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) operating a circular route around the island and Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) running high speed services on the west coast. Urban transit systems include Taipei Metro, Kaohsiung Metro, Taoyuan Metro, New Taipei Metro, and Taichung Metro.

Major airports include Taiwan Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, Taipei Songshan and Taichung. There are currently seven Taiwanese passenger airlines, with the largest two being China Airlines and EVA Air.

There are seven international seaports: Keelung, Taipei, Suao, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Anping, and Hualien. The Port of Kaohsiung handled the largest volume of cargo in Taiwan, with about 440 million shipping tonnes, which accounted for 58.6% of Taiwan's total throughput in 2021. The shipping tonnage followed by Taichung (18.6%), Taipei (12%) and Keelung (8.7%).

Education

Main articles: Education in Taiwan, Academia Sinica, and History of education in Taiwan

See also: Scholarships in Taiwan and Economy of Taiwan § Science

The gate of National Taiwan University, which is widely considered to be the most prestigious university in Taiwan.

Taiwan is well known for adhering to the Confucian paradigm of valuing education as a means to improve one's socioeconomic position in society. Heavy investment and a cultural valuing of education has catapulted the resource-poor nation consistently to the top of global education rankings. Taiwan is one of the top-performing countries in reading literacy, mathematics and sciences. In 2015, Taiwanese students achieved one of the world's best results in mathematics, science and literacy, as tested by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), with the average student scoring 519, compared with the OECD average of 493, placing it seventh in the world.

The Taiwanese education system has been praised for its comparatively high test results and its major role in promoting Taiwan's economic development while creating one of the world's most highly educated workforces. Taiwan has also been praised for its high university entrance rate where the university acceptance rate has increased from around 20 percent before the 1980s to 49 percent in 1996 and over 95 percent since 2008, among the highest in Asia. The nation's high university entrance rate has created a highly skilled workforce making Taiwan one of the most highly educated countries in the world with 68.5 percent of Taiwanese high school students going on to attend university. Taiwan has a high percentage of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree where 45 percent of Taiwanese aged 25–64 hold a bachelor's degree or higher compared with the average of 33 percent among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

On the other hand, the education system has been criticized for placing excessive pressure on students while eschewing creativity and producing an excess supply of overeducated university graduates. Many graduates consequently face unemployment or underemployment due to a lack of graduate-level jobs. Taiwan's universities have also been under criticism for not being able to fully meet the requirements and demands of Taiwan's 21st-century fast-moving labor market, citing a skills mismatch among a large number of self-assessed, overeducated graduates who do not fit the demands of the modern Taiwanese labor market. The Taiwanese government has been criticized for failing to adequately address this discrepancy in labor supply and demand.

As the Taiwanese economy is largely science and technology based, the labor market demands people who have achieved some form of higher education, particularly related to science and engineering to gain a competitive edge when searching for employment. Although current Taiwanese law mandates only nine years of schooling, 95 percent of junior high graduates go on to attend a senior vocational high school, university, junior college, trade school, or other higher education institution. Many Taiwanese students attend cram schools, or buxiban, to improve skills and knowledge on problem solving against exams.

Since Made in China 2025 was announced in 2015, aggressive campaigns to recruit Taiwanese chip industry talent to support its mandates resulted in the loss of more than 3,000 chip engineers to mainland China, and raised concerns of a "brain drain" in Taiwan.

As of 2020, the literacy rate in Taiwan was 99.03 percent.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Taiwan

Population density map of Taiwan (residents per square kilometer)

Taiwan has a population of about 23.4 million, most of whom are on the island of Taiwan. The remainder live on the outlying islands of Penghu (101,758), Kinmen (127,723), and Matsu (12,506).

Largest cities and counties

Main article: List of cities in Taiwan

The figures below are the March 2019 estimates for the twenty most populous administrative divisions; a different ranking exists when considering the total metropolitan area populations (in such rankings the Taipei-Keelung metro area is by far the largest agglomeration). The figures reflect the number of household registrations in each city, which may differ from the number of actual residents.

Largest cities and special municipalities in Taiwan source Rank Name Division Municipal pop. New Taipei Taichung 1 New Taipei New Taipei City 4,000,164 Kaohsiung Taipei 2 Taichung Taichung City 2,809,004 3 Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City 2,773,229 4 Taipei Taipei City 2,661,317 5 Taoyuan Taoyuan City 2,230,653 6 Tainan Tainan City 1,883,078 7 Hsinchu Hsinchu City 446,701 8 Keelung Keelung City 369,820 9 Chiayi Chiayi City 268,474 10 Changhua Changhua County 232,505

Ethnic groups

Main articles: Taiwanese people, Han Taiwanese, Han Chinese, Taiwanese indigenous peoples, and Plains indigenous peoples

The ROC government reports that 95 percent of the population is ethnically Han Chinese. There are also 2.4 percent indigenous Austronesian peoples and 2.6 percent new immigrants primarily from China and Southeast Asia.

Most Han Taiwanese are descended from the Hoklo people, native to the coastal regions of southern Fujian, and the Hakka people, native to eastern Guangdong. Hoklo and Hakka migrants arrived in large numbers during the 17th and 18th century. Descendants of Hoklo now compose approximately 70 percent of Taiwan's population. Descendants of Hakka make up about 15 percent of the population. Another minority group, called waishengren, comprises those who arrived from China during the 1940s or are descended from them. Genetic studies indicate that the Hoklo and Hakka people are a mixture between Austronesians and Han people.

Taiwanese Indigenous peoples number about 584,000, and the government recognises 16 groups. The Ami, Atayal, Bunun, Kanakanavu, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiyat, Saaroa, Sakizaya, Sediq, Thao, Truku and Tsou live mostly in the eastern half of the island, while the Yami inhabit Orchid Island.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Taiwan

Most commonly used home language in each area, darker in proportion to the lead over the next most common

  Mandarin Chinese

  Hokkien or Min Nan

  Hakka Chinese

  Austronesian languages

The Republic of China does not have any legally designated official language. Mandarin is the primary language used in business and education, and is spoken by the vast majority of the population. Traditional Chinese is used as the writing system.

Around 70% of Taiwan's population belong to the Hoklo ethnic group and are speakers of Taiwanese Hokkien as native language. The Hakka group, comprising some 14–18 percent of the population, speak Hakka. Although Mandarin is the language of instruction in schools and dominates television and radio, non-Mandarin Chinese varieties have undergone a revival in public life in Taiwan, particularly since restrictions on their use were lifted in the 1990s.

Formosan languages are spoken primarily by the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. They do not belong to the Chinese or Sino-Tibetan language family, but to the Austronesian language family, and are written in the Latin alphabet. Their use among aboriginal minority groups has been in decline as usage of Mandarin has risen. Of the 14 extant languages, five are considered moribund.

Since the May Fourth Movement, written vernacular Chinese had replaced Classical Chinese and emerged as the mainstream written Chinese in the Republic of China. Classical Chinese continued to be widely used in government documents until reforms in the 1970s to shift the written style to a more integrated vernacular Chinese and Classical Chinese style (文白合一行文). On 1 January 2005, the Executive Yuan also changed its long-standing convention on the direction of writing in official documents from vertical to horizontal. Standalone Classical Chinese is occasionally used in formal or ceremonial occasions, such as religious or cultural rites. The National Anthem of the Republic of China (中華民國國歌), for example, is in Classical Chinese. Most official government, legal, and judiciary documents, as well as courts rulings use a combined vernacular Chinese and Classical Chinese style. As many legal documents are still written in Classical Chinese, which is not easily understood by the general public, a group of Taiwanese have launched the Legal Vernacular Movement, hoping to bring more vernacular Chinese into the legal writings of the Republic of China.

Taiwan is officially multilingual. A national language in Taiwan is legally defined as "a natural language used by an original people group of Taiwan and the Taiwan Sign Language". As of 2019, policies on national languages are in early stages of implementation, with Hakka and indigenous languages designated as such.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Taiwan

Estimated religious composition in 2020

  Chinese folk religion (including Confucianism) (43.8%)

  Buddhists (21.2%)

  Others (including Taoists) (15.5%)

  Unaffiliated (13.7%)

  Christians (5.8%)

  Muslims (1%)

The Constitution of the Republic of China protects people's freedom of religion and the practices of belief. The government respects freedom of religion, and Taiwan scores highly on the International IDEA's Global State of Democracy Indices for religious freedom.

In 2005, the census reported that the five largest religions were: Buddhism, Taoism, Yiguandao, Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism. According to Pew Research, the religious composition of Taiwan in 2020 is estimated to be 43.8 percent Folk religions, 21.2 percent Buddhist, 15.5 Others (including Taoism), 13.7 percent Unaffiliated, 5.8 percent Christian and 1% Muslim. Taiwanese aborigines comprise a notable subgroup among professing Christians. There has been a small Muslim community of Hui people in Taiwan since the 17th century.

Confucianism serves as the foundation of both Chinese and Taiwanese culture. The majority of Taiwanese people usually combine the secular moral teachings of Confucianism with whatever religions they are affiliated with.

As of 2019, there were 15,175 religious buildings in Taiwan, approximately one place of worship per 1,572 residents. 12,279 temples were dedicated to Taoism and Buddhism. There were 9,684 Taoist Temples and 2,317 Buddhist Temples. For Christianity, there are 2,845 Churches. On average, there is one temple or church (church) or religious building for every square kilometer. The high density of places of worship is rare globally. Taiwan is also the most religious region in the Chinese-speaking world.

A significant percentage of the population is non-religious. Taiwan's lack of state-sanctioned discrimination, and generally high regard for freedom of religion or belief earned it a joint #1 ranking in the 2018 Freedom of Thought Report. On the other hand, the Indonesian migrant worker community in Taiwan (estimated to total 258,084 people) has experienced religious restrictions by local employers or the government.

LGBT rights

Main articles: LGBT rights in Taiwan and Same-sex marriage in Taiwan

On 24 May 2017, the Constitutional Court ruled that then-current marriage laws had been violating the Constitution by denying same-sex couples the right to marry. The Court ruled that if the Legislative Yuan did not pass adequate amendments to Taiwanese marriage laws within two years, same-sex marriages would automatically become lawful in Taiwan. In a referendum question in 2018, however, voters expressed overwhelming opposition to same-sex marriage and supported the removal of content about homosexuality from primary school textbooks. According to the New York Times, the referendum questions were subject to a "well-funded and highly organized campaign led by conservative Christians and other groups" involving the use of misinformation. Nevertheless, the vote against same-sex marriage does not affect the court ruling, and on 17 May 2019, Taiwan's parliament approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making it the first country in Asia to do so.

Taiwan has an annual pride event, Taiwan Pride. It currently holds the record for the largest LGBT gathering in East-Asia, rivaling Tel Aviv Pride in Israel. The event draws more than 200,000 people.

Health

Main article: Healthcare in Taiwan

National Taiwan University Hospital

The current healthcare system, known as National Health Insurance (NHI), was instituted in 1995. NHI is a single-payer compulsory social insurance plan that centralizes the disbursement of healthcare funds. The system promises equal access to healthcare for all citizens, and the population coverage had reached 99 percent by the end of 2004. NHI is mainly financed through premiums, which are based on the payroll tax, and is supplemented with out-of-pocket co-payments and direct government funding. Low-income families, veterans, centenarians, children under three, and catastrophic diseases are exempt from co-payments. Co-pays are reduced for disabled and low-income households maintain 100 percent premium coverage.

Early in the program, the payment system was predominantly fee-for-service. Most health providers operate in the private sector and form a competitive market on the health delivery side. However, many healthcare providers took advantage of the system by offering unnecessary services. In the face of increasing loss and the need for cost containment, NHI changed the payment system from fee-for-service to a global budget, a kind of prospective payment system, in 2002.

The implementation of universal healthcare created fewer health disparities for lower-income citizens in Taiwan. According to a recently published survey, out of 3,360 patients surveyed at a randomly chosen hospital, 75.1 percent of the patients said they are "very satisfied" with the hospital service; 20.5 percent said they are "okay" with the service. Only 4.4 percent of the patients said they are either "not satisfied" or "very not satisfied" with the service or care provided.

The Taiwanese disease control authority is the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC). During the SARS outbreak in March 2003 there were 347 confirmed cases. During the outbreak the CDC and local governments set up monitoring stations throughout public transportation, recreational sites and other public areas. With full containment in July 2003, there has not been a case of SARS since. Owing to the lessons from SARS, a National Health Command Center was established in 2004, which includes the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC). The CECC has played a central role in Taiwan's approach to epidemics, including COVID-19.

In 2019, the infant mortality rate was 4.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, with 20 physicians and 71 hospital beds per 10,000 people. Life expectancy at birth in 2020 is 77.5 years and 83.9 years for males and females, respectively.

Culture

Main articles: Culture of Taiwan, Cultural history of Taiwan, and Chinese Cultural Renaissance

See also: Taiwanese wave

Amis people of Taiwan performing a traditional dance

The National Palace Museum is an institute dedicated to the organization, care, and display of ancient Chinese artifacts and works of art.

The cultures of Taiwan are a hybrid blend from various sources, incorporating elements of the majority traditional Chinese culture, aboriginal cultures, Japanese cultural influence, traditional Confucianist beliefs, and increasingly, Western values.

During the martial law period, the Kuomintang promoted an official traditional Chinese culture over Taiwan in order to emphasize that the Republic of China represents the true orthodoxy to Chinese Culture as opposed to Communist China. The government launched what's known as the Chinese Cultural Renaissance movement in Taiwan in opposition to the cultural destructions caused by the Chinese Communist Party during the Cultural Revolution. The General Assembly of Chinese Culture was established to help promote Chinese culture in Taiwan and overseas. It was Kuomintang's first structured plan for cultural development on Taiwan. The Chinese Cultural Renaissance movement in Taiwan had led to some aspects of Chinese Culture being better preserved there than in mainland China, for example the continued use of Traditional Chinese. The influence of Confucianism can be found in the behavior of Taiwanese people, known for their friendliness and politeness.

The lifting of martial law ushered a period of democratization whereby Freedom of Speech and Expression led to a flourishing Taiwanese literature and mass media in Taiwan. The Taiwanese Constitution protects "speech, teaching, writing and publication." In 2022, the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index ranked Taiwan as having the second highest democracy score in Asia and Australasia. Freedom House has ranked Taiwan the second freest place in Asia while CIVICUS rated Taiwan and New Zealand as the only "open" countries in the Asia-Pacific. In the aftermath of China gaining control of Hong Kong and restricting freedom of speech and protest, 36,789 Hong Kong residents moved to Taiwan from 2019 to 2022, an average of about 9,000 immigrants per year. In 2018, Taiwan only had 4,000 Hong Kong immigrants.

Reflecting the continuing controversy surrounding the political status of Taiwan, politics continues to play a role in the conception and development of a Taiwanese cultural identity, especially in its relationship to Chinese culture. In recent years, the concept of Taiwanese multiculturalism has been proposed as a relatively apolitical alternative view, which has allowed for the inclusion of mainlanders and other minority groups into the continuing re-definition of Taiwanese culture as collectively held systems of meaning and customary patterns of thought and behavior shared by the people of Taiwan. Identity politics, along with the over one hundred years of political separation from mainland China, has led to distinct traditions in many areas, including cuisine and music.

Arts

Main articles: Music of Taiwan and Taiwanese art

Acclaimed classical musicians include violinist Cho-Liang Lin, pianist Ching-Yun Hu, and the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society artist director Wu Han. Other musicians include Teresa Teng, Jay Chou and groups such as Mayday and heavy metal band Chthonic, led by singer Freddy Lim, which has been referred to as the "Black Sabbath of Asia".

Taiwanese films have won various international awards at film festivals around the world. Ang Lee, a Taiwanese director, has directed critically acclaimed films such as: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Eat Drink Man Woman; Sense and Sensibility; Brokeback Mountain; Life of Pi; and Lust, Caution. Other famous Taiwanese directors include Tsai Ming-liang, Edward Yang, and Hou Hsiao-hsien. Taiwan has hosted the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards since 1962.

The National Palace Museum houses more than 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting, and porcelain and is considered one of the greatest collections of Chinese art and objects in the world.

Cuisine

Main article: Taiwanese cuisine

Taiwanese culinary history is murky and is intricately tied to patterns of migration and colonization. Local and international Taiwanese cuisine, including its history, is a politically contentious topic. Famous Taiwanese dishes include Taiwanese beef noodle soup, Gua bao, Zongzi, Khong bah png, Taiwanese fried chicken, oyster vermicelli, Sanbeiji, and Aiyu jelly.

The Michelin Guide began reviewing restaurants in Taiwan in 2018. In 2014 The Guardian called Taiwanese night markets the "best street food markets in the world".

Bubble tea, created in Taiwan in the 1980s, has now become popular globally.

Popular culture

Karaoke is extremely popular in Taiwan, where it is known as KTV. KTV businesses operate in a hotel-like style, renting out small rooms and ballrooms according to the number of guests. Many KTV establishments partner with restaurants and buffets to form all-encompassing and elaborate evening affairs. Tour busses that travel around Taiwan have several TVs, primarily for singing karaoke.

Taiwan has a high density of 24-hour convenience stores, which provide services on behalf of financial institutions or government agencies, such as collection of parking fees, utility bills, traffic fines, and credit card payments. Chains such as FamilyMart provide clothing laundry services, and tickets for TRA and THSR are available at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Taiwan

See also: List of sporting events in Taiwan

The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan.

Baseball is commonly considered as Taiwan's national sport and is a popular spectator sport. The men's team won top three medals across all levels of baseball in 2022, including the U-12, U-15, U-18, U-23, and Baseball5 competitions, the only team to do so in baseball history. Taiwan's men's baseball team and women's baseball team are world No.4 and world No.3 in the WBSC Rankings as of March 2023. Taiwan's Baseball5 team reached world No.1 in August 2023. Professional baseball in Taiwan started with the founding of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in 1989. As of 2021, the CPBL has five teams, with average attendance around 4,000 per game. Some elite players signed with overseas professional teams in the Major League Baseball (MLB) or the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). There have been sixteen Taiwanese MLB players as of the 2022 MLB Season, including former pitchers Chien-Ming Wang and Wei-Yin Chen. As for variations of baseball, Taiwan also has a strong women's softball team. The Chinese Taipei women's national softball team is currently ranked no.3 in the world based on the WBSC Rankings. The team won bronze medal at the 2022 World Games.

Basketball is Taiwan's other major sport. The P. League+ and T1 League are two Taiwan's professional basketball leagues. A semi-professional Super Basketball League (SBL) has also been in play since 2003. Other team sports include volleyball and football. Taiwan is also a major competitor in korfball.

Taiwan participates in international sporting organizations and events under the name of "Chinese Taipei". Taiwan has hosted several multi-sport events in the past, including the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung and the 2009 Summer Deaflympics and 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei. Taipei and New Taipei City will hold the 2025 Summer World Masters Games. Other major sporting events held by Taiwan on an annual basis include:

• Taipei Marathon (marathon)
• New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon (marathon)
• Taipei Open (badminton)
• U-12 Baseball World Cup (baseball)
• William Jones Cup (basketball)
• Tour de Taiwan (road bicycle racing)

Tai Tzu-ying spent the most weeks as the world number 1 women's singles player in BWF World Ranking.

Taekwondo was introduced to Taiwan in 1966 for military training and has become a mature and successful combat sport in Taiwan. The first two Olympic gold medals won by Taiwanese athletes belong to the sport. In the 2004 Olympics, Chen Shih-hsin and Chu Mu-yen won gold medals in the women's flyweight event and the men's flyweight event, respectively. Subsequent taekwondo competitors have strengthened Taiwan's taekwondo culture.

There are many outstanding Taiwanese players at other individual sports, such as badminton, tennis, table tennis, and golf. Taiwan's strength in badminton is demonstrated by Tai Tzu-ying, who spent most weeks as world No. 1 women's singles player in BWF World Ranking, and her compatriots in the BWF World Tour. Taiwan also has a long history of strong international presence in table tennis. Five-time Olympian Chuang Chih-yuan made the most appearances at the Olympic Games among Taiwanese athletes. Yani Tseng is the youngest golf player ever, male or female, to win five major championships and was ranked number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings for 109 consecutive weeks from 2011 to 2013. In tennis, Hsieh Su-wei is the country's most successful female tennis player.

Calendar

Main article: Republic of China calendar

See also: Chinese calendar and Public holidays in Taiwan

The standard Gregorian calendar is used for most purposes. The year is often denoted by the Minguo era system which starts in 1912, the year the ROC was founded. 2023 is year 112 Minguo (民國112年). The East Asian date format is used in Chinese.

Prior to standardization in 1929, the Chinese calendar was officially used. It is a Lunisolar calendar system which remains in use for traditional festivals such as the Lunar New Year, the Lantern Festival, and the Dragon Boat Festival.

See also

• Index of Taiwan-related articles
• Outline of Taiwan

References

Works cited

• Andrade, Tonio (2008). How Taiwan Became Chinese. Gutenberg-e E-book. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-50368-6.
• Bird, Michael I; Hope, Geoffrey; Taylor, David (2004). "Populating PEP II: the dispersal of humans and agriculture through Austral-Asia and Oceania" (PDF). Quaternary International. 118–119: 145–163. Bibcode:2004QuInt.118..145B. doi:10.1016/s1040-6182(03)00135-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2014.
• Chang, Mau-kuei (2003), On the Origins and Transformation of Taiwanese National Identity
• Chang, Maukuei (2005). "The Movement to Indigenize to Social Sciences in Taiwan: Origin and Predicaments". In Makeham, John; Hsiau, A-chin (eds.). Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-7020-6.
• Davidson, James W. (1903). The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects: tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions. Macmillan. OL 6931635M.
• DoIT (2008). "2008 White Paper on Taiwan Industrial Technology" (PDF). Department of Industrial Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2011.
• Exec. Yuan (2014). The Republic of China Yearbook 2014 (PDF). Executive Yuan, R.O.C. ISBN 978-986-04-2302-0.
• Fenby, Jonathan (2009). The Penguin History of Modern China: The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850–2009. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-7139-9832-0.
• Fung, Edmund S. K. (2000). In search of Chinese democracy: civil opposition in Nationalist China, 1929–1949. Cambridge modern China series. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-77124-5.
• Gold, Thomas B. (1985). State and Society in the Taiwan Miracle. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-1-317-45940-8.
• Gordon, Leonard H.D. (2007), Confrontation Over Taiwan, Lexington Books
• Hill, Catherine; Soares, Pedro; Mormina, Maru; Macaulay, Vincent; Clarke, Dougie; Blumbach, Petya B.; Vizuete-Forster, Matthieu; Forster, Peter; Bulbeck, David; Oppenheimer, Stephen; Richards, Martin (January 2007). "A Mitochondrial Stratigraphy for Island Southeast Asia". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 80 (1): 29–43. doi:10.1086/510412. PMC 1876738. PMID 17160892.
• Hsiau, A-Chin (2005). "The Indigenization of Taiwanese Literature: Historical Narrative, Strategic Essentialism, and State Violence". In Makeham, John; Hsiau, A-chin (eds.). Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-7020-6.
• Hsu, Wen-hsiung (1980). "From Aboriginal Island to Chinese Frontier: The Development of Taiwan before 1683". In Knapp, Ronald G. (ed.). China's Island Frontier: Studies in the Historical Geography of Taiwan. The University of Hawaii. pp. 3–28. hdl:10125/62865. ISBN 978-0-8248-8005-7.
• Jiao, Tianlong (2007). The Neolithic of southeast China: cultural transformation and regional interaction on the coast. Cambria Press. ISBN 978-1-934043-16-5.
• Li, Xiaobing (2019). The history of Taiwan. Greenwood.
• Liu, Yingsheng (2012), The Taiwan Strait between the Twelfth and Sixteenth Centuries and the Maritime Route to Luzon, Harrassowitz Verlag
• Makeham, John (2005). "Indigenization Discourse in Taiwanese Confucian Revivalism". In Makeham, John; Hsiau, A-chin (eds.). Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-7020-6.
• Makinen, Gail E.; Woodward, G. Thomas (1989). "The Taiwanese hyperinflation and stabilization of 1945–1952". Journal of Money, Credit and Banking. 21 (1): 90–105. doi:10.2307/1992580. JSTOR 1992580.
• Rubinstein, Murray A. (1999), Taiwan: A New History, East Gate Books
• Thompson, Lawrence G. (1964). "The earliest eyewitness accounts of the Formosan aborigines". Monumenta Serica. 23: 163–204. doi:10.1080/02549948.1964.11731044. JSTOR 40726116.
• Twitchett, Denis (2002), The Cambridge History of China 9 Volume 1
• Valentijn, François (1903) [First published 1724 in Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën]. "History of the Dutch Trade". In Campbell, William (ed.). Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island. Kegan Paul. pp. 25–75. ISBN 978-957-638-083-9. OCLC 644323041.
• Wang, Gabe T. (2006), China and the Taiwan Issue: Impending War at Taiwan Strait, University Press of America
• Wills, John E. Jr. (2006). "The Seventeenth-century Transformation: Taiwan under the Dutch and the Cheng Regime". In Rubinstein, Murray A. (ed.). Taiwan: A New History (expanded ed.). M.E. Sharpe. pp. 84–106. ISBN 978-0-7656-1495-7.
• Winckler, Edwin (1994). Harrell, Stevan; Huang, Chun-chieh (eds.). Cultural Policy in Postwar Taiwan. Cultural Change in Postwar Taiwan ( 10–14 April 1991; Seattle). Westview Press. ISBN 978-0-8133-8632-4.
• Wong, Young-tsu (2017), China's Conquest of Taiwan in the Seventeenth Century: Victory at Full Moon, Springer
• Wong, Tin (2022), Approaching Sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, Springer
• Ye, Ruiping (2019), The Colonisation and Settlement of Taiwan, Routledge
• Yip, June (2004). Envisioning Taiwan: Fiction, Cinema and the Nation in the Cultural Imaginary. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-3357-9.
• Ballantine, Joseph (1952). Formosa: A Problem for United States Foreign Policy. The Brookings Institution.
• United States (1949). United States relations with China, with special reference to the period 1944–1949, based on the files of the Department of State. U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Hsü, Immanuel Chung-yueh (1982). China Without Mao: The Search for a New Order. Oxford University Press.
• Zhang, Yufa (1998), Zhonghua Minguo shigao 中華民國史稿, Lian jing (聯經), ISBN 957-08-1826-3.

Further reading

• "Taiwan Flashpoint". BBC News. 2005.
• Bush, R.; O'Hanlon, M. (2007). A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-98677-5.
• Bush, R. (2006). Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8157-1290-9.
• Carpenter, T. (2006). America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-6841-8.
• Clark, Cal; Tan, Alexander C. (2012). Taiwan's Political Economy: Meeting Challenges, Pursuing Progress. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 978-1-58826-806-8.
• Cole, B. (2006). Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-36581-9.
• Copper, John Franklin (2019). Taiwan: Nation-state or province?. Routledge.
• Copper, J. (2006). Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan. Praeger Security International General Interest. ISBN 978-0-275-98888-3.
• Copper, John F, ed. (1993). Historical dictionary of Taiwan.
• Federation of American Scientists; et al. (2006). "Chinese Nuclear Forces and US Nuclear War Planning" (PDF).
• Feuerwerker, Albert (1968). The Chinese Economy, 1912–1949. University of Michigan Press.
• Fravel, M. Taylor (2002). "Towards Civilian Supremacy: Civil-military Relations in Taiwan's Democratization". Armed Forces & Society. 29 (1): 57–84. doi:10.1177/0095327x0202900104. S2CID 146212666.
• Kuo, Shirley W.Y.; Ranis, Gustav (2020). The Taiwan Success Story: Rapid Growith With Improved Distribution In The Republic Of China, 1952–1979. Routledge.
• Lasater, Martin L. (2019). The Taiwan Issue in Sino-American Strategic Relations. Routledge.
• Selby, Burnard (March 1955). "Formosa: The Historical Background". History Today. 5 (3): 186–194.
• Shirk, S. (2007). China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-530609-5.
• Tsang, S. (2006). If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy, Politics and Economics. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-40785-4.
• Tucker, N.B. (2005). Dangerous Strait: the US-Taiwan-China Crisis. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-13564-1.

External links

Overviews and data

• Taiwan. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
• Taiwan from UCB Libraries GovPubs (archived)
• Taiwan country profile – BBC News
• Background Note: Taiwan – US Department of State
• Taiwan's 400 years of history New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa
• Key Development Forecasts for Taiwan from International Futures
• Chinese Taipei OECD
• Wikimedia Atlas of Taiwan

Government agencies

• Office of the Government
• Office of the President
• Executive Yuan
• Judicial Yuan
• Control Yuan
• Examination Yuan
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassies and Missions Abroad
• Taiwan, The Heart of Asia. Archived 23 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Tourism Bureau. Republic of China (Taiwan).

Category:1912 establishments in China Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Countries and territories where Chinese is an official language Category:East Asian countries Category:Former Japanese colonies Category:Island countries Category:Northeast Asian countries Category:Republics Category:States and territories established in 1912 Category:States with limited recognition Category:Taiwan placenames originating from Formosan languages