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Do not fill this in! ==Government and politics== {{Main|Government of the Republic of China|Politics of the Republic of China}} {{See also|Elections in Taiwan|Human rights in Taiwan|North–South divide in Taiwan}} === Government === [[File:世界最美總統府.jpg|thumb|Taiwan's popularly elected president resides in the [[Presidential Office Building (Republic of China)|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 Republic of China|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".<ref name="yb:government">{{cite book |title=The Republic of China Yearbook |url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/ |chapter=Chapter 4: Government |chapter-url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch04.pdf |pages=55–65 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) |year=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512091917/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/ |archive-date=12 May 2008}}</ref> 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). [[File:蔡英文官方元首肖像照.png|thumb|left|upright|[[Tsai Ing-wen]], [[President of the Republic of China]]]] The [[head of state]] and [[commander-in-chief]] of the armed forces is the [[President of the Republic of China|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 of the Republic of China|premier]], who is officially the President of the Executive Yuan; members are responsible for policy and administration.<ref name="yb:government" /> The main [[Legislature|legislative body]] is the [[Unicameralism|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 (political meeting)|constitutional convention]] and [[electoral college]], held some parliamentary functions, but the [[National Assembly (Republic of China)|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.<ref name="yb:government" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Taiwan assembly passes changes |date=7 June 2005 |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4616043.stm}}</ref> [[File:Vice President Chen Chien-jen.png|thumb|upright|right|[[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.<ref name="yb:government" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jayasuriya|first=Kanishka|title=Law, capitalism and power in Asia|publisher=Routledge|year=1999|page=217|url={{GBurl|id=OqGSrD9QhXcC|p=217}}|isbn=978-0-415-19743-4}}</ref> The Judicial Yuan is the highest [[judiciary|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.<ref>{{cite wikisource |title=Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (2005) |at=Article 5}}</ref> They are nominated and appointed by the president, with the consent of the Legislative Yuan. The highest court, the [[Supreme Court of the Republic of China|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 [[List of constitutional courts|constitutional court]] was established to resolve constitutional disputes, regulate the activities of political parties and accelerate the democratization process. There is no [[jury trial|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.<ref name="yb:government" /> The Control Yuan is a watchdog agency that monitors the actions of the executive. It can be considered a standing [[Government agency|commission]] for administrative inquiry, like the [[Court of Auditors]] of the [[European Union]] or the [[Government Accountability Office]] of the United States.<ref name="yb:government" /> It is also responsible for the [[National Human Rights Commission (Taiwan)|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.<ref name="yb:government" /> It was downsized in 2019, and there have been calls for its abolition.<ref name="2020amend">{{cite news|url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/201912100011|last1=Wang|first1=Yang-yu|last2=Kao|first2=Evelyn|title=Legislature passes revised law to shrink Examination Yuan|work=[[Central News Agency (Taiwan)|Central News Agency]]|date=10 December 2019|access-date=19 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Yang |first1=Mien-chieh |last2=Chung |first2=Jake |title=Examination Yuan at odds with self |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/08/07/2003741273 |access-date=10 March 2021 |work=[[Taipei Times]]}}</ref> === Constitution === The constitution was drafted by the KMT while the ROC still governed the Chinese mainland.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ginsburg|first=Tom|title=Judicial review in new democracies|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=111|year=2003|isbn=978-0-521-52039-3|url={{GBurl|id=qJrsouEjOZEC|p=111}}}}</ref> 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 of the Republic of China|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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yeh |first1=Jiunn-rong |title=The Constitution of Taiwan |date=2016 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-84946-512-0 |pages=3–4}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Ming-hsuan |last2=Mazzetta |first2=Matthew |title=DPP lawmakers seek removal of 'national unification' from Constitution |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202009300019 |access-date=8 March 2021 |work=[[Central News Agency (Taiwan)]] |issue=3 September 2020}}</ref> The 1947 Constitution included articles regarding representatives from former Qing dynasty territories including [[Tibet]] and [[Banners of Inner Mongolia|Mongol banner]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=蒙古不是中華民國固有之疆域 |url=https://features.ltn.com.tw/spring/article/2017/breakingnews/2228191 |website=自由時報 [[Liberty Times]] |access-date=6 February 2021 |archive-date=3 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203153813/https://features.ltn.com.tw/spring/article/2017/breakingnews/2228191}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |url=https://english.president.gov.tw/page/94 |access-date=14 February 2021 |archive-date=23 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023000233/https://english.president.gov.tw/Page/94 }}</ref><ref name="I Mongol">{{cite book|author=Yin-t'ang Chang|title=The Economic Development and Prospects of Inner Mongolia (Chahar, Suiyuan, and Ningsia)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zlklAAAAMAAJ&q=chahars+1919|year=1933|publisher=Commercial Press, Limited|page=62}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Clark |first1=Keith Allan II |title=Imagined Territory: The Republic of China's 1955 Veto of Mongolian Membership in the United Nations |journal=Journal of American-East Asian Relations |date=3 September 2018 |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=263–295 |doi=10.1163/18765610-02503003 |s2cid=240274376 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1842387.stm |title = Taiwan 'embassy' changes anger China |publisher = BBC News |date = 26 February 2002 |access-date = 14 February 2021}}</ref> In 2012 the Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement clarifying that Outer Mongolia was not part of the ROC's national territory in 1947.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mongolia not within national boundary under ROC Constitution: MAC |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/201205210043 |access-date=8 March 2021 |work=[[Central News Agency (Taiwan)]] |date=21 May 2012}}</ref> The [[Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission]] in the Executive Yuan was abolished in 2017. ===Major camps=== {{multiple image | width = 100 | footer = | image1 = | alt1 = A circular logo representing the island of Taiwan surrounded by the text "DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY" and "民主進步黨" | caption1 = The [[Democratic Progressive Party]], the main [[Pan-Green Coalition]] party | image2 = Emblem of the Kuomintang.svg | alt2 = A circular logo representing a white sun on a blue background. The sun is a circle surrounded by twelve triangles. | caption2 = 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.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lin|first1=Gang|last2=Wu|first2=Weixu|year=2017|title=The Transition of Party System in Taiwan: Divergence or Convergence?|journal=China Review|volume=17|issue=3|pages=141–166|jstor=44371801}}</ref> Moderates in both camps regard the Republic of China as a sovereign independent state, but the Pan-Green Coalition regard the ROC as [[Four-Stage Theory of the Republic of China|synonymous with Taiwan]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mo |first1=Yan-chih |last2=Chung |first2=Jake |title=Tsai affirms recognition of the ROC |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/10/10/2003515353 |work=Taipei Times |date=10 October 2011 |quotation=...{{nbsp}}Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen{{nbsp}}... said the ROC was Taiwan and Taiwan was the ROC{{nbsp}}...}}</ref> while moderates in the Pan-Blue Coalition view it as [[1992 Consensus|synonymous with China]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shih |first1=Hsiao-kuang |last2=Xie |first2=Dennis |title=KMT task force unveils four pillars for stable, peaceful cross-strait relations |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/06/20/2003738531 |access-date=20 June 2020 |work=Taipei Times |date=20 June 2020 |quotation=...{{nbsp}}the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP){{nbsp}}... acknowledge that there is 'one China,' with each side having its own interpretation of what 'China' means.}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shi |first1=Jiangtao |title=Beijing may use Anti-Secession Law to seek Taiwan reunification, Wang says |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3193182/beijing-may-use-anti-secession-law-seek-taiwan-reunification |work=South China Morning Post |date=20 September 2022 |language=en |quotation=The 2005 Anti-Secession Law provides a legal framework for Beijing to use non-peaceful means to guard against pro-independence forces in Taiwan.}}</ref> The ROC government has understood this to mean a military invasion of Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Official Position of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on the People's Republic of China's Anti-Secession (Anti-Separation) Law |url=https://www.mac.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=8A319E37A32E01EA&sms=2413CFE1BCE87E0E&s=D1B0D66D5788F2DE |publisher=[[Mainland Affairs Council]] |date=29 March 2005 |quotation=[The intention of the 'Anti-Secession Law' is] to establish a legal basis for the military invasion of Taiwan: Through the 'Anti-Secession Law', China has changed its Taiwan policy from a mere political statement to a legal basis, paving the way for an invasion of Taiwan.}}</ref> [[File:2012年臺灣519民進黨嗆馬踹共晚會 Democratic Progressive Party's Anti-Ma Ying-jeou Event in Taipei, TAIWAN.jpg|thumb|[[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 (Taiwan)|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 movement|Taiwan independence]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/independence_debate.stm |title=Taiwan Flashpoint: Independence Debate |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |access-date=6 March 2021}}</ref> 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".<ref name="AP2007">{{cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/taiwan-party-asserts-separate-identity-1.258300|title=Taiwan party asserts separate identity from China |website=The Associated Press|date=30 September 2007|access-date=18 January 2023}}</ref> The name "Taiwan" has been used increasingly often after the emergence of the Taiwanese independence movement.<ref name="NYT2008"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=Crisis Group |url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1653&l=1 |title=Taiwan Strait I: What's Left of 'One China'?|publisher=International Crisis Group |date=6 June 2003 |access-date=29 May 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080709035143/http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1653&l=1 |archive-date = 9 July 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shirk|first=Susan L.|title=China: Fragile Superpower|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-19-530609-5|url=https://archive.org/details/chinafragilesupe00shir}}</ref> TSP and GPT<ref>{{Cite news |last=|first=|title= 讓全球綠黨的願景在台灣實現,守護公平正義的最佳第三勢力 |newspaper=The News Lens|date=27 December 2019|url= https://www.thenewslens.com/article/129238 |quote=台灣綠黨是最早表態支持蔡總統連任的小黨,護台抗中、反紅禦韓的立場鮮明,頻頻出戰,讓綠黨被對手批評是小綠、側翼,甚至還被柯文哲羞辱是比皇帝還著急的太監。}}</ref> 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 (Republic of China)|People First Party]] (PFP) and [[New Party (Republic of China)|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.<ref name="panblue-reunif-chineseid">{{Cite book|last=Pares|first=Susan |title=A political and economic dictionary of East Asia|publisher=Routledge|date=24 February 2005|page=267|isbn=978-1-85743-258-9|url={{GBurl|id=xJKePP5ATKUC}}|quote=The Pan-Blue coalition on the whole favours a Chinese nationalist identity and policies supporting reunification and increased economic links with the People's Republic of China.}}</ref> Regarding independence, the mainstream Pan-Blue position is to maintain the status quo, while refusing immediate unification.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Huang|first1=Chin-Hao|last2=James|first2=Patrick|date=2014|title=Blue, Green or Aquamarine? Taiwan and the Status Quo Preference in Cross-Strait Relations|journal=The China Quarterly|volume=219|issue=219 |pages=670–692|doi=10.1017/S0305741014000745|jstor=24740633|s2cid=40724777 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Cho|first1=Young Chul|last2=Ahn|first2=Mun Suk|year=2017|title=Taiwan's international visibility in the twenty-first century: A suggestive note|journal=International Journal|volume=72|issue=1|pages=79–90|doi=10.1177/0020702017692608|jstor=26414076|s2cid=151892075 }}</ref> President Ma Ying-jeou stated that there will be no unification nor declaration of independence during his presidency.<ref name="MasClaimtoMainland">{{Cite news |last=Ko |first=Shu-Ling |title=Ma refers to China as ROC territory in magazine interview|newspaper=Taipei Times|date=8 October 2008|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/10/08/2003425320}}</ref><ref name="chinapost.com.tw">{{Cite news|title=Taiwan and China in 'special relations': Ma|newspaper=China Post|date=4 September 2008|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan%20relations/2008/09/04/173082/Taiwan-and.htm|access-date=11 September 2008|archive-date=6 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906092524/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan%20relations/2008/09/04/173082/Taiwan-and.htm}}</ref> Some Pan-Blue members seek to improve relationships with PRC, with a focus on improving economic ties.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Courtney Donovan|date=21 June 2022|title= How pro-China is the KMT now?|url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4576006|work=Taiwan News|access-date=29 January 2023}}</ref> ===National identity=== {{Main|Taiwanese people#The current state of Taiwanese identity}} {{See also|Opinion polling on Taiwanese identity}} [[File:National Chengchi University identity survey.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Results from an identity survey conducted each year from 1992 to 2020 by the Election Study Center, [[National Chengchi University]].<ref name="nccu"/> 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.<ref name="power-shift">{{Cite book|last=Shambaugh|first=David L.|title=Power shift|publisher=University of California Press|year=2006|pages=179–183 |isbn=978-0-520-24570-9}}</ref> 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).<ref name="panblue-reunif-chineseid" /> The KMT has downplayed this stance in the recent years and now supports a Taiwanese identity as part of a Chinese identity.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20081230ho.html|title=No sign of a 'peace agreement'|last=Okazaki|first=Hisahiko|date=30 December 2008|newspaper=Japan Times|access-date=15 July 2009|quote=For one thing, I believe there is recognition that the awareness of Taiwanese identity is now irreversible. The KMT government did things like rename the "Taiwan Post" to "Chunghwa Post" as soon as it came in. But it did not take much time to perceive that it would cause a backlash among the Taiwan populace. The cross-strait exchanges have also brought about opposition demonstrations from time to time. This appears to be one of the reasons for the abrupt decline in the approval rating of the Ma administration.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1211639,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024135148/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1211639,00.html|archive-date=24 October 2007|title=10 Questions: Ma Ying-jeou|date=10 July 2006|newspaper=Time|access-date=15 July 2009|quote=I am Taiwanese as well as Chinese.}}</ref> 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.<ref name="nccu">{{cite web |title=Taiwanese / Chinese Identity(1992/06~2021/06) |url=https://esc.nccu.edu.tw/PageDoc/Detail?fid=7800&id=6961 |website=Election Study Center |publisher=[[National Chengchi University]] |access-date=27 October 2021}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429190528/http://www.gvm.com.tw/gvsrc/200907_GVSRC_others_E.pdf|url=http://www.gvm.com.tw/gvsrc/200907_GVSRC_others_E.pdf|archive-date=29 April 2011|title=Survey on President Ma's Approval Rating and Cross-Strait Relations After First Year of Direct Flights|date=24 July 2009|publisher=Global Views Survey Research Center|access-date=3 December 2014}}</ref> ===Administrative divisions=== {{Main|Administrative divisions of Taiwan}} {{See also|History of the administrative divisions of China (1912–1949)}} {| |[[Image:ROC Administrative and Claims.svg|thumb|250px|alt=A map showing the island of Taiwan, China and Mongolia. Taiwan and other nearby small islands are highlighted in dark blue and are identified as the "[[Free Area of the Republic of China|Free Area]]" of the ROC. China is highlighted in light blue and is identified as an area claimed by the ROC and controlled by the PRC. Mongolia is highlighted in red. Other minor areas are highlighted in different colors for having historically been claimed by the ROC but are now controlled by other countries including Russia, Japan or Pakistan among others.|A map showing the official divisions and territories historically claimed by the Republic of China, along with their status as of 2005.]] |[[File:ROC vs PRC.svg|thumb|270px|right|Political divisions as drawn by the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]] and the [[China|People's Republic of China]].]] |} According to the 1947 constitution, the territory of the ROC is according to its "existing national boundaries".<ref name=constitution>[http://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?PCode=A0000001 Article 4 of the constitution]</ref> The ROC is, ''de jure'' constitutionally, divided into {{Ill|#History|lt=provinces|zh|省 (中華民國)}}, [[special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipalities]] (which are further divided into districts for local administration), and the province-level [[Tibet Area (administrative division)|Tibet Area]]. Each province is subdivided into [[provincial city (Taiwan)|cities]] and [[county (Taiwan)|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tpg.gov.tw/|title=Taiwan Provincial Government Official Website|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=29 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129130923/http://www.tpg.gov.tw/}}</ref> Similarly, [[Banners of Inner Mongolia|Mongol banners]] in mainland China ([[Inner Mongolia]]) also existed,<ref name="I Mongol"/> 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.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/archives/2002/10/11/0000175237|date=11 October 2002|access-date=5 February 2008|work=Taipei Times|title=Mongolian office to ride into Taipei by end of the year|archive-date=10 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210192036/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/archives/2002/10/11/0000175237|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/archives/2002/10/11/0000175237 |title = Mongolian office to ride into Taipei by end of the year |work = [[Taipei Times]] |date = 11 October 2002 |access-date = 28 May 2009|quote=In October 1945, the people of Outer Mongolia voted for independence, gaining the recognition of many countries, including the Republic of China. (...) Due to a souring of relations with the Soviet Union in the early 1950s, however, the ROC revoked recognition of Outer Mongolia, reclaiming it as ROC territory. {...} Long a province of China, Mongolia declared its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. After the Ministry of the Interior's recent decision to exclude Mongolia from the official ROC map, on 3 Oct, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Taiwan recognizes Mongolia as an independent country – 81 years after Mongolia declared its independence.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210192036/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/archives/2002/10/11/0000175237|archive-date=10 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="Mongolia">{{cite news |title=有關外蒙古是否為中華民國領土問題說明新聞參考資料 |trans-title=Reference materials about the territory of the Republic of China excluding Outer Mongolia |url=http://www.mac.gov.tw/public/Attachment/252122204856.pdf |access-date=22 May 2012 |agency=[[Mainland Affairs Council]] |language=zh-tw}}</ref> 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, Republic of China|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.<ref>{{Cite news|title=World: Asia-Pacific Analysis: Flashpoint Spratly |date=14 February 1999 |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/279170.stm}}</ref> {{Administrative divisions of Taiwan|map=show}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page