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Do not fill this in! {{Short description|Country in East Asia}} {{Redirect|Republic of China|the People's Republic of China|China|other uses|Republic of China (disambiguation)|and|Taiwan (disambiguation)}} {{For|the mainland period|Republic of China (1912–1949)}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Use American English|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of China | common_name = Taiwan | native_name = {{unbulleted list|{{native name|zh-Hant-TW|中華民國|italic=no}}{{efn native lang|tw|name=word1|t=中華民國|p=Zhōnghuá Mínguó|m=Tiong-hûa Bîn-kok|s=Chûng-fà Mìn-koet}}|{{smaller|{{transliteration|zh|Zhōnghuá Mínguó}} ([[Pinyin]])}}}} | image_flag = Flag of the Republic of China.svg | alt_flag = A red flag, with a small blue rectangle in the top left hand corner on which sits a white sun composed of a circle surrounded by 12 rays. | flag_type = [[Flag of the Republic of China|Flag]] | image_coat = National Emblem of the Republic of China.svg | alt_coat = A blue circular emblem on which sits a white sun composed of a circle surrounded by 12 rays. | symbol_type = [[Blue Sky with a White Sun|Emblem]] | national_anthem = <br />{{lang|zh-Hant-TW|中華民國國歌}}<br />{{transliteration|zh|Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guógē}}<br />"[[National Anthem of the Republic of China]]"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:National anthem of the Republic of China (Taiwan) 中華民國國歌(演奏版).ogg]]}} | image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:ROC Taiwan (orthographic projection).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of [[Free area of the Republic of China|territories administered by the ROC (Free Area)]]|[[File:Republic of China (orthographic projection).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Taiwan (dark green) with historical ROC territorial claims (light green)|default=1}} | map_caption = | largest_city = [[New Taipei City]] | capital = [[Taipei]]{{efn|[[Taipei]] is the official seat of [[government of the Republic of China]] although the [[Constitution of the Republic of China]] does not specify the ''de jure'' capital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2013/12/04/2003578264/2 |title=Since the implementation of the Act Governing Principles for Editing Geographical Educational Texts (地理敎科書編審原則) in 1997, the guiding principle for all maps in geographical textbooks was that Taipei was to be marked as the capital with a label stating: "Location of the Central Government" |date=4 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101013333/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2013/12/04/2003578264/2 |archive-date=1 November 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}<ref name="capital">{{cite news |title=Interior minister reaffirms Taipei is ROC's capital |date=5 December 2013|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/12/05/2003578356 |newspaper=Taipei Times}}</ref> | coordinates = {{coord|25|04|N|121|31|E|type:city_region:TW}} | ethnic_groups_year = 2016 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref>{{cite book |year=2016 |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2016 |publisher=Executive Yuan, R.O.C.|url=https://issuu.com/eyroc/docs/the_republic_of_china_yearbook_2016|access-date=31 May 2020 |isbn=978-986-04-9949-0 |page=10|quote=Ethnicity: 70 percent Hoklo; 15 percent Hakka 10–15 percent [[Waishengren|mainlanders]]; 2 percent indigenous Austronesian peoples}}</ref> | ethnic_groups = {{vunblist |95–97% [[Han Taiwanese|Han]] |2.3% [[Taiwanese indigenous peoples|indigenous]]{{efn|Mixed indigenous-Han ancestry is included in the figure for Han.}} |0.7–2.7% [[Ethnic groups in Taiwan|other]]}} | official_languages = [[Standard Chinese]]{{efn|[[Taiwanese Mandarin|Mandarin]] as the standard [[variety of Chinese]]<ref name="推動雙語國家政策問題研析">{{cite web |title=推動雙語國家政策問題研析|url=https://www.ly.gov.tw/Pages/Detail.aspx?nodeid=6590&pid=173510 |website=ly.gov.tw | date=23 July 2013 |language=zh}}</ref><br />[[Vernacular Chinese]] (used in most occasions) <br />[[Classical Chinese]] (used in formal or ceremonial occasions, religious or cultural rites, official documents, legal and court rulings and judiciary documents)<ref>{{cite web|title=法律統一用語表-常見公文用語說明|url=http://oga.ncu.edu.tw/ncuoga/dispatch/doc/%E5%B8%B8%E8%A6%8B%E5%85%AC%E6%96%87%E7%94%A8%E8%AA%9E%E8%AA%AA%E6%98%8E1050106.pdf|access-date=2 June 2021|language=zh|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215646/http://oga.ncu.edu.tw/ncuoga/dispatch/doc/%E5%B8%B8%E8%A6%8B%E5%85%AC%E6%96%87%E7%94%A8%E8%AA%9E%E8%AA%AA%E6%98%8E1050106.pdf}}</ref> }}<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2012 |date=2012 |isbn=978-986-03-4590-2 |page=24 |language=en |chapter=Chapter 2: People and Language |publisher=Government Information Office |access-date=18 December 2013 |chapter-url=http://www.ey.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=F4FA171B7E10F12F |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014222446/http://www.ey.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=F4FA171B7E10F12F |archive-date=14 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Government Information Office |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2010 |date=2010 |isbn=978-986-02-5278-1 |page=42 |language=en |chapter=Chapter 2: People and Language |publisher=中華民國政府出版品 |chapter-url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/02People&Language.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805173731/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/02People%26Language.pdf |archive-date=5 August 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Liao |first=Silvie |url=http://naccl.osu.edu/files/21_liao-s.pdf |title=Proceedings of the 20th North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL-20) |date=2008 |publisher=The Ohio State University |isbn=978-0-9824715-0-0 |editor-last=Chan |editor-first=Marjorie K. M. |volume=1 |page=393 |language=en |chapter=A Perceptual Dialect Study of Taiwan Mandarin: Language Attitudes in the Era of Political Battle |editor-last2=Kang |editor-first2=Hana |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224110315/http://naccl.osu.edu/files/21_liao-s.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2013 }}</ref> | languages_type = [[Official script]] | languages = [[Traditional Chinese characters|Traditional Chinese]]<ref>{{cite web |title=行政院第3251次院會決議 |url=https://www.ey.gov.tw/Page/4EC2394BE4EE9DD0/51cc88a4-2066-44da-964d-18e10468f578|website=ey.gov.tw |date=December 2011 |access-date=25 May 2021 |language=zh}}</ref> | languages2_type = [[National language]]s{{efn|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]]".<ref name="natLangAct">{{cite web |script-title=zh:國家語言發展法 |url=https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=H0170143 |website=law.moj.gov.tw |access-date=22 May 2019 |language=zh}}</ref>}} | languages2 = {{plainlist| *[[Taiwanese Mandarin|Mandarin]]{{efn|name = nat-lang}} *[[Taiwanese Hokkien|Hokkien]]{{efn|name = nat-lang|Not designated but meets legal definition.}}{{efn|name = var-hok|Colloquially known as "Taiwanese", it is considered a variety of [[Hokkien]].}} *[[Taiwanese Hakka|Hakka]]<ref>{{cite web |title = Hakka Basic Act |url=https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0140005 |website=law.moj.gov.tw |access-date=22 May 2019}}</ref> *[[Formosan languages|Formosan]]<ref>{{cite web |title = Indigenous Languages Development Act |url=https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0130037 |website=law.moj.gov.tw |access-date = 22 May 2019}}</ref> *[[Matsu dialect|Matsu]]{{efn|name = nat-lang}} *[[Putian dialect|Wuqiu]]{{efn|name = nat-lang}} *[[Taiwan Sign Language]] }} | religion_year = 2020 | religion_ref = <ref name="Pew religion stats">{{cite web |title=Religious Composition by Country, 2010–2050 |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/percent/all/ |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |date=2 April 2015 |archive-date=21 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221014350/https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/percent/all/ }}</ref> | religion = {{vunblist |35.1% [[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhism]] |33.0% [[Taoism]] |26.7% [[Irreligion|no religion]] |3.9% [[Christianity in Taiwan|Christianity]] |1.3% [[Religion in Taiwan|other]]}} | demonym = [[Taiwanese people|Taiwanese]]<ref name="cia-factbook" /> | government_type =Unitary [[semi-presidential republic]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kucera |first1=Ondrej |title=Is Taiwan a Presidential System? |url=https://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/1036 |journal=China Perspectives |language=fr |doi=10.4000/chinaperspectives.1036 |date=1 July 2006|volume=2006 |issue=4 |s2cid=152497908 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Taiwan - Chiang Kai-shek's Government, Democratization, and Constitutional Reforms |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Taiwan/Government-and-society |website=Britannica|access-date=19 June 2023 }}</ref> | leader_title1 = [[President of the Republic of China|President]] | leader_name1 = [[Tsai Ing-wen]] | leader_title2 = [[Vice President of the Republic of China|Vice President]] | leader_name2 = [[Lai Ching-te]] | leader_title3 = [[Premier of the Republic of China|Executive Yuan President / Premier]] | leader_name3 = [[Chen Chien-jen]] | leader_title4 = [[President of the Legislative Yuan|Legislative Yuan President]] | leader_name4 = [[Han Kuo-yu]] | leader_title5 = [[List of presidents of the Judicial Yuan|Judicial Yuan President]] | leader_name5 = [[Hsu Tzong-li]] | legislature = [[Legislative Yuan]]{{efn|While the [[tricameralism|tricameral parliament]] continues to exist ''de jure'', the [[National Assembly (Republic of China)|National Assembly]] (electoral college) was ''de facto'' suspended in 2005 and the [[Control Yuan]] (upper house) ceased to be a parliamentary chamber ''de facto'' in 1993 leaving the Legislative Yuan (lower house) as the ''de facto'' unicameral chamber.}} | sovereignty_type = [[History of Taiwan|Establishment]] | sovereignty_note = | established_event1 = [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] established | established_date1 = 10 October 1911{{efn|The formal proclamation of the statehood for the Republic of China was on 1 January 1912.}} | established_event2 = [[History of Taiwan (1945–present)|Taiwan under ROC rule]]{{efn|Interpretations on whether this entails a complete transfer of the territory's sovereignty to the Republic of China vary. Japan renounced its claims to Taiwan and the Pescadores in the [[Treaty of San Francisco]] in 1952; see [[Retrocession Day]], [[Theory of the Undetermined Status of Taiwan]] and [[political status of Taiwan]].}} | established_date2 = 25 October 1945 | established_event3 = [[Retreat of the Republic of China to Taiwan|Retreat of ROC to Taiwan]] | established_date3 = 7 December 1949 | established_event4 = | established_date4 = | area_km2 = 36,197 | area_footnote = <ref name="taiwansnapshot">{{cite web|url=https://www.taiwan.gov.tw/images/content/ts.JPG|title=TAIWAN SNAPSHOT|access-date=15 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="cia-factbook" /> | area_rank = <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]]; should not be any here --> | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 23,894,394<ref>{{cite web | url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/taiwan-population | title=Population of Taiwan as of July 2022 }}</ref> | population_census = 23,123,866<ref>{{cite web|title=General Statistical analysis report, Population and Housing Census|url=http://eng.stat.gov.tw/public/Data/5428162113SIDMH93P.pdf|website=National Statistics, ROC (Taiwan)|access-date=26 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226090918/http://eng.stat.gov.tw/public/Data/5428162113SIDMH93P.pdf|archive-date=26 December 2016}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = 1 July 2022 | population_estimate_rank = 56th | population_census_year = 2010 | population_census_rank = | population_density_km2 = 650 | population_density_rank = 17th | GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $1.685 trillion <ref name="IMFWEO.TW">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=528,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Taiwan) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |date=10 October 2023}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2023 | GDP_PPP_rank = 20th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $72,485<ref name="IMFWEO.TW" /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 15th | GDP_nominal = {{decrease}} $751.930 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.TW" /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2023 | GDP_nominal_rank = 21st | GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{decrease}} $32,339<ref name="IMFWEO.TW" /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 30th | Gini = 34.1 | Gini_year = 2017 | Gini_change = increase | Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web |title=Percentage share of disposable income by quintile groups of income recipients and measures of income distribution |url=https://win.dgbas.gov.tw/fies/doc/result/106/a11/Year17.ods |website=stat.gov.tw |access-date=26 June 2019 |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714175850/https://win.dgbas.gov.tw/fies/doc/result/106/a11/Year17.ods }}</ref> | Gini_rank = | HDI = 0.926 | HDI_year = 2021 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = {{efn |name="HDI-1"}}<ref name="HDI 2021">{{cite web|url=https://ws.dgbas.gov.tw/Download.ashx?u=LzAwMS9VcGxvYWQvMC9yZWxmaWxlLzExMDIwLzIyOTU5MS9iNDdhNmYyYy1jNjY2LTRjZDAtYmQ2Ni03OGEyYjMwMmM4MzkucGRm&n=TjExMTEwMTQucGRm&icon=.pdf|title=國情統計通報（第 195 號）|publisher= [[Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics]], Executive Yuan, Taiwan (ROC)|date=14 October 2021}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 19th | currency = [[New Taiwan dollar]] (NT$) | currency_code = TWD | time_zone = [[Time in Taiwan|National Standard Time]] | utc_offset = +8 | cctld = [[.tw]], [[.台灣]], [[.台湾]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://brussels38.icann.org/meetings/brussels2010/transcript-board-25jun10-en.txt |title=ICANN Board Meeting Minutes |publisher=ICANN |date=25 June 2010}}</ref> }} '''Taiwan''',{{efn native lang|tw|name=word2|t=臺灣 or 台灣|p=Táiwān|m=Tâi-uân|s=Tǒi-vǎn|a=Taywan|pw=Taiwan}}{{efn|name = ROC territory|There are four contemporary geopolitical definitions of the extent of "Taiwan": {{ordered list |1= The common name referring to the state, also known as the "Republic of China" (ROC), including [[List of islands of Taiwan|all 168 islands administered by the ROC]], collectively known as [[Taiwan Area]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mac.gov.tw/en/News_Content.aspx?n=4F2E0C155DF44564&sms=2C46F5E37DC2E1D2&s=1403D3EA1BC2B0B9|publisher=[[Mainland Affairs Council]], [[Executive Yuan]]|title=Laws and Regulations Regarding Mainland Affairs|website=mac.gov.tw|date=17 September 2020|quote= Article 2: The following terms as used in this Act are defined below.<br />1. "Taiwan Area" refers to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and any other area under the effective control of the Government.|access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref> |2= The traditional Taiwan region ({{lang|zh-tw|本島地區}}), which consists of the main island of Taiwan and its surrounding islands, including the [[Penghu islands]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ait.org.tw/taiwan-relations-act-public-law-96-8-22-u-s-c-3301-et-seq/|publisher=[[American Institute in Taiwan]] |title=Taiwan Relations Act |website=ait.org.tw|date=30 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819023930/https://www.ait.org.tw/taiwan-relations-act-public-law-96-8-22-u-s-c-3301-et-seq/|archive-date=19 August 2022|access-date=14 December 2022|quote= ...Section. 15. For purposes of this Act- 2. the term "Taiwan" includes, as the context may require, the islands of Taiwan and the Pescadores (Penghu).|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.penghu.gov.tw/en/home.jsp?id=6|title=Geography|publisher=[[Penghu County Government]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209094056/https://www.penghu.gov.tw/en/home.jsp?id=6|archive-date=9 December 2022|quote=Penghu locates on the Taiwan Strait between China and Taiwan in Asia. It is the only island county of Taiwan... The utmost west isle (of Penghu) is also the utmost west boundary of Taiwan.|access-date= 14 December 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> but excludes [[Kinmen]], [[Matsu Islands|Matsu]], and [[Wuqiu, Kinmen|Wuqiu]], those are traditionally parts of [[Fuchien Province, Republic of China|Fujian Province]], and also excluding the ROC-controlled [[South China Sea Islands]]; |3= The traditional region without Penghu, which is sometimes regarded as a separate region; | 4= The main island of Taiwan (Formosa) alone, excluding all the offshore islands nearby.}}}} officially the '''Republic of China'''<!-- Consensus was reached on 14 August 2020 on the talk page to display "Republic of China" as official name. See [[Talk:Taiwan/Archive_32#RfC:_Taiwan's_official_name]]. Do not modify its official name. --> ('''ROC'''),{{efn native lang|tw|name=word1|t=中華民國|p=Zhōnghuá Mínguó|m=Tiong-hûa Bîn-kok|s=Chûng-fà Mìn-koet}}{{Efn|See [[#Etymology|etymology]] below.|name=|group=}} is a country<!-- Taiwan has been recognised as a country instead of a state (or other definition) by Wikipedia, see recent RfC [[Talk:Taiwan/Archive 30#RfC: Taiwan, "country" or "state"]]. Do not change its status as a country. --><ref>Multiple sources: * {{cite book |author=Kort |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofeastas0000kort/page/7 |title=The Handbook Of East Asia |publisher=Lerner Publishing Group |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7613-2672-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/handbookofeastas0000kort/page/7 7] |quote=South Korea is another emerging economic powerhouse, as is the Republic of China (ROC), a small country that occupies the island of Taiwan in the shadow of its enormous and hostile mainland neighbor, the PRC. |author-link=Michael Kort |access-date=26 June 2022}} * {{cite book |last1=Fell |first1=Dafydd |url={{GBurl|id=i8hHDwAAQBAJ}} |title=Government and Politics in Taiwan |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-28506-9 |page=305 |quote=Moreover, its status as a vibrant democratic state has earned it huge international sympathy and a generally positive image. |author1-link=Dafydd Fell}} * {{cite magazine |last1=Campbell |first1=Matthew |date=7 January 2020 |title=China's Next Crisis Brews in Taiwan's Upcoming Election |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-01-07/china-s-next-crisis-brews-in-taiwan-s-upcoming-election |magazine=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |pages=34–39 |issue=4642 |quote=Much has changed in Taiwan since Chiang's day, but this liminal quality has never really gone away. By almost any functional standard, it's a sovereign country}} * {{cite journal |last=Carolan |first=Christopher |date=May 2000 |title=The "Republic of Taiwan": Legal-Historical Justification for a Taiwanese Declaration of Independence |url=https://www.nyulawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/NYULawReview-75-2-Carolan.pdf |journal=New York University Law Review |volume=75 |issue=2 |pages=429–468 |access-date=17 March 2022 |quote=These six criteria demonstrate that under international law Taiwan merits recognition as an independent state and as such is already a de facto state.}} * {{cite book |author=Zagoria |first=Donald S. |url={{GBurl|id=J6lzCgAAQBAJ|p=68}} |title=Breaking the China-Taiwan Impasse |date=30 October 2003 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-05755-7 |pages=68– |oclc=1058389524 |quote=Taiwan possesses all of the elements of a sovereign state: a legitimate government, population, and a well-defined territory. The fact is that the People's Republic of China (PRC), while claiming sovereignty over Taiwan, has never ruled Taiwan since the PRC's establishment in 1949. Thus, Taiwan is in fact a sovereign country from our perspective. |author-link=Donald S. Zagoria}}</ref> in [[East Asia]].{{efn|name = Southeast Asia|Despite the conventional definition to include Taiwan as part of East Asia, there is some variability as to whether Taiwan is also included in the region of [[Maritime Southeast Asia]]. Some scholars, such as [[Peter Bellwood]] and [[Robert Blust]],<ref name="Bellwood 2017">{{cite book |last1=Bellwood |first1=Peter S. |title=First islanders: prehistory and human migration in Island Southeast Asia |date=2017 |publisher=Wiley Blackwell|isbn=9781119251552 |edition=First}}</ref>{{efn|Bellwood's definition: "Island Southeast Asia includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei and the Sarawak and Sabah provinces of East Malaysia (northern Borneo), and all of the islands of Indonesia to the west of New Guinea."}}{{efn|Robert Blust: "The major western island groups include the great Indonesian, or Malay Archipelago, to its north the smaller and more compact Philippine Archipelago, and still further north at 22 to 25 degrees north latitude and some 150 kilometres from the coast of China, the island of Taiwan (Formosa). Together these island groups constitute insular (or island) Southeast Asia."}} include Taiwan as part of [[Southeast Asia]] in their definition.}} It is located at the junction of the [[East China Sea|East]] and [[South China Sea]]s in the northwestern [[Pacific Ocean]], with the [[China|People's Republic of China]] (PRC) to the northwest, [[Japan]] to the northeast, and the [[Philippines]] to the south. The [[Free area of the Republic of China|territories controlled by the ROC]] consist of [[list of islands of Taiwan|168 islands]]{{efn|name = Taiwan Islands|According to official data from [[Executive Yuan]] and local governments of Taiwan, [[Taiwan Area]] consists of total 168 naturally occurring islands. {{ordered list |1= Taiwan (Formosa) and its offshore islands (22)<ref name="TWN-gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.ey.gov.tw/state/4447F4A951A1EC45/094b1d53-de8d-4393-bde6-ab092969cce4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304005302/https://www.ey.gov.tw/state/4447F4A951A1EC45/094b1d53-de8d-4393-bde6-ab092969cce4 |archive-date= 4 March 2022|url-status=live|title=國情簡介-土地 |trans-title=Country profile-Territories |publisher=[[Executive Yuan]]|language=zh-tw<!--,en-->|date=2022|quote=臺灣本島及其21個附屬島嶼面積共3萬5886.8623平方公里。|trans-quote=The main island of Taiwan and its 21 associated islands have a total area of 35,886.8623 square kilometers.}}</ref> |2= [[Penghu Islands]] (90)<ref name="Penghu1">{{cite web|title=Measure of the area |url=https://www.penghu.gov.tw/en/home.jsp?id=13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228213800/https://www.penghu.gov.tw/en/home.jsp?id=13 |archive-date=28 December 2021|url-status=live|date=2022|access-date=9 March 2022 |publisher=[[Penghu County Government]]}}</ref><ref name="Penghu2">{{cite web|url=http://phcsp.tmc.ksu.edu.tw/application/record/island|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701020851/http://phcsp.tmc.ksu.edu.tw/application/record/island |archive-date= 1 July 2020|url-status=live|title=澎湖縣各行政區域島嶼簡介|publisher=[[Kun Shan University]]|language=zh-tw<!--,en-->|date=2022|quote= 澎湖群島原為64個島嶼組成，經2005年澎湖縣政府重新進行澎湖群島島嶼數量清查，係由90座大小島嶼所組成。|trans-quote=The Penghu Archipelago was conventionally considered to comprise 64 islands. In 2005, the Penghu County Government re-scrutinized the total number of islands in the archipelago, which consists of 90 islands of varying sizes.}}</ref>|3= [[Kinmen]], including [[Wuqiu, Kinmen|Wuqiu]] (17)<ref name="Kinmen1">{{cite journal|url=https://ws.ndc.gov.tw/Download.ashx?u=LzAwMS9hZG1pbmlzdHJhdG9yLzEwL1JlbEZpbGUvNTU2Ni81MzQzLzAwMTU0ODlfNC5wZGY%3D&n=Mi7ph5HploDnuKPnrKzlm5vmnJ8oMTA0LTEwN%2BW5tCnpm6Lls7bntpzlkIjlu7roqK3lr6bmlr3mlrnmoYgo5qC45a6a5pysKS5wZGY%3D&icon=..pdf|title=自然環境|trans-title=Natural Environment |journal=金門縣第四期（104–107年）離島綜合建設實施方案 |publisher=[[National Development Council (Taiwan)|National Development Council]], [[Executive Yuan]]|language=zh-tw<!--,en-->|date=23 December 2014|page=44|quote=金門縣總面積151平方公里，除大金門本島外，尚包括小金門、大膽、二膽、東碇、北碇等17個島嶼。西距廈門外港約10海浬，東距臺灣約150海浬，為一典型大陸型島嶼。|trans-quote=The total area of Kinmen County is 151 square kilometers. In addition to the main island of Kinmen, the county also includes [[Lieyu|Xiaokinmen]], [[Dadan Island|Dadan]], [[Erdan Island|Erdan]], [[Dongding Island|Dongding]] and [[Beiding Island|Beiding]] for a total of 17 islands. It is about 10 nautical miles away from the Port of [[Xiamen]] to the west and 150 nautical miles away from Taiwan to the east. It is a typical continental island.}}</ref><ref name="Kinmen2">{{cite web|url=https://www.kinmen.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=22D15C7FFDA4350D#Section_2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302025937/https://www.kinmen.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=22D15C7FFDA4350D|archive-date=2 March 2022|url-status=live|date=8 December 2017|title=About Kinmen |publisher=[[Kinmen County Government]]}}</ref><ref name="Kinmen3">{{cite journal|url=http://rportal.lib.ntnu.edu.tw/bitstream/20.500.12235/85379/4/000904.pdf |title=金門的地理與歷史概說|trans-title=The overview of geography and history of Kinmen|journal=第四章 金門的地理、歷史與總體經濟分析|publisher=[[National Taiwan Normal University]]|language=zh-tw|date=20 February 2006|pages=131–134}}</ref>|4= [[Matsu Islands]] (36)<ref name="Matsu1">{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2017/02/taiwans-cold-war-fortresses/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416223933/https://thediplomat.com/2017/02/taiwans-cold-war-fortresses/|archive-date=16 April 2021|url-status=live|date=22 February 2017|access-date=9 March 2022|author=Guy Plopsky |title=Taiwan's Cold War Fortresses |publisher=[[The Diplomat]]}}</ref><ref name="Matsu2">{{cite web|url=http://board.matsu.idv.tw/board_view.php?board=138&pid=69202&link=69202&start=42|title=連江縣志 地理志 |publisher=馬祖資訊網|language=zh-tw<!--,en-->|date=12 May 2011|quote=馬祖列島所涵括的36座島嶼分屬四鄉，各鄉除了包括有聚落發展的較大島嶼外，還轄有數座無人島礁。|trans-quote=Matsu islands encompass 36 Islands which are divided into four townships. In addition to the larger islands with inhabitants, each township also has numerous uninhabited islands and reefs}}</ref>|5= [[Pratas Island]] (1) <ref name="lungtsunni">{{cite book|script-title=zh:東沙群島-東沙島紀事集錦|url=http://vm.nthu.edu.tw/np/vc/theme/pratas/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130022327/http://vm.nthu.edu.tw/np/vc/theme/pratas/|archive-date=30 January 2009|isbn=957-98189-0-8|publisher=[[:zh:臺灣綜合研究院|臺灣綜合研究院]]|language=zh-tw<!--,en-->|date=1998|author=Lung Tsun-Ni (龍村倪) |page=13 |quote=東沙島為東沙群島唯一島嶼 |trans-quote=Pratas Island is the only island in the Pratas Islands}}</ref><ref name="USStateDept">{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/57674.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715092100/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/57674.pdf|archive-date=15 July 2020|url-status=live|date= 15 November 2005|title=Limits in the Seas – No. 127 Taiwan's Maritime Claims|publisher=United States Department of State|quote=The Pratas Reef lies 230 miles to the southwest of the southern tip of Taiwan. It consists of an island in the mouth of a semicircular shoal open to the west.}}</ref>|6= [[Spratly Islands]] (2, [[Taiping Island|Taiping]] and [[Zhongzhou Reef|Zhongzhou]])}} Note: The [[Senkaku Islands]] (known as "Diaoyu" or "Diaoyutai" in standard Chinese), which are an archipelago of total 8 islands and islets in the East China Sea controlled by Japan, also [[Senkaku Islands dispute|disputed]] by the ROC and the PRC (People's Republic of China) as being a part of Taiwan. Japan administers the Senkaku Islands as a part of the [[Ryukyu Islands]].}} with a combined area of {{convert|36193|km2|abbr=off}}.<ref name="taiwansnapshot"/><ref name="NDC2021">{{cite report |title=Economic Development R.O.C (Taiwan)|publisher=[[National Development Council (Taiwan)]] |url=https://ws.ndc.gov.tw/Download.ashx?u=LzAwMS9hZG1pbmlzdHJhdG9yLzEwL3JlbGZpbGUvNTYwNy83MzEvMDAxOTgyMy5wZGY%3D&n=RWNvbm9taWMgRGV2ZWxvcG1lbnQgUi5PLkMgKFRhaXdhbikoMjAxMykucGRm&icon=..pdf.|page=4 |access-date=6 November 2021}}</ref> The main [[geography of Taiwan|island of Taiwan]], also known as ''Formosa'', has an area of {{convert|35,808|km2|abbr=off}}, with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its [[Urbanization by country|highly urbanized]] population is concentrated. The capital, [[Taipei]], forms along with [[New Taipei City]] and [[Keelung]] the [[Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area|largest metropolitan area]]. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the [[List of countries and dependencies by population density|most densely populated countries]]. Taiwan has been settled for at least 25,000 years. Ancestors of [[Taiwanese indigenous peoples]] settled the island around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, large-scale [[Han Chinese]] immigration began under a [[Dutch Formosa|Dutch colony]] and continued under the [[Kingdom of Tungning]], the first predominantly Han Chinese state in [[History of Taiwan|Taiwanese history]]. The island was [[Taiwan under Qing rule|annexed in 1683]] by the [[Qing dynasty]] of China and [[Treaty of Shimonoseki|ceded]] to the [[Empire of Japan]] in 1895. The [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]], which had [[1911 Revolution|overthrown the Qing in 1912]], took control following the [[surrender of Japan]] in 1945.{{efn|Interpretations on whether this entails a complete transfer of the territory's sovereignty to the Republic of China vary. ROC took control of Taiwan under [[General Order No. 1]], on behalf of the [[Allies of WWII]]. Taiwan was simultaneously established as a [[Taiwan Province|ROC province]]. Japan later renounced its claims to Taiwan and the Pescadores in the [[Treaty of San Francisco]] in 1952; see [[Retrocession Day]], [[Theory of the Undetermined Status of Taiwan]], [[political status of Taiwan]] and [[1943 Cairo Declaration]].}} Japan renounced sovereignty over Taiwan [[Treaty of San Francisco|in 1952]]. The immediate resumption of the [[Chinese Civil War]] resulted in the loss of the [[Chinese mainland]] to [[Communist Party of China|Communist forces]], who [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|established the People's Republic of China]], and [[Kuomintang's retreat to Taiwan|the flight of the ROC central government to Taiwan]] in 1949. The effective jurisdiction of the ROC has since been limited to Taiwan, [[Penghu]], and smaller islands. In the early 1960s, Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization called the "[[Taiwan Miracle]]".{{sfnb|Gold|1985}} 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 [[1996 Taiwanese presidential election|since 1996]]. Taiwan's [[export-oriented economy|export-oriented industrial economy]] is the [[list of countries by GDP (nominal)|21st-largest]] in the world by nominal GDP and the [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|20th-largest]] by PPP measures, with a focus on steel, machinery, electronics, and chemicals manufacturing. Taiwan is a [[developed country]].<ref name="wb">[https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519 World Bank Country and Lending Groups] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111190936/https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519 |date=11 January 2018 }}, [[World Bank]]. Retrieved 10 July 2018.</ref><ref name="qq">{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/01/pdf/text.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421023851/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/01/pdf/text.pdf|title=IMF Advanced Economies List. World Economic Outlook, April 2016, p. 148|archive-date=21 April 2016}}</ref> It is ranked highly in terms of [[civil liberties]],<ref>{{cite web |date=3 January 2019 |title=Democracy in Retreat |url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2019 |access-date=22 February 2019 |website=Freedom House}}</ref> [[Healthcare in Taiwan|healthcare]],<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Yao|first1=Grace|last2=Cheng|first2=Yen-Pi|last3=Cheng|first3=Chiao-Pi|date=5 November 2008|title=The Quality of Life in Taiwan|journal=Social Indicators Research|volume=92|issue=2|pages=377–404|doi=10.1007/s11205-008-9353-1|s2cid=144780750 |quote=a second place ranking in the 2000 Economist's world healthcare ranking}}</ref> and [[Human development (economics)|human development]].{{efn |name="HDI-1" |The [[Human Development Report|HDI annual report]] compiled by the [[UNDP]] does not include Taiwan because it is no longer a UN member state, and is neither included as part of the People's Republic of China by the UNDP when calculating data for China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-report-2020-readers-guide|title=Human Development Report 2020: Reader's Guide|publisher= United Nation Development Program|date=2020|access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref> [[Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics|Taiwan's Statistical Bureau]] calculated its HDI for 2021 to be 0.926 based on UNDP's 2010 methodology,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eng.stat.gov.tw/public/Data/1513164433IGBKG0IN.pdf|title=What is the human development index (HDI)? How are relevant data queried?|publisher= Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (ROC)|access-date=14 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://win.dgbas.gov.tw/eyimc/ebook/SB/statistcs-brief_opf_files/pdfs/statistcs-brief__.pdf|title=人類發展指數(Human Development Index, HDI)|publisher=Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (ROC)|date=6 January 2011|language=zh-tw|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414101606/https://win.dgbas.gov.tw/eyimc/ebook/SB/statistcs-brief_opf_files/pdfs/statistcs-brief__.pdf}}</ref> which would place Taiwan at 19th globally in 2021 within the 2022 UNDP report.<ref name="HDI 2021"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://eng.stat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=25280&ctNode=6032&mp=5|title=National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan)|publisher= Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (ROC)|date=14 October 2022}}</ref> |group="nb"}}<ref name="HDI 2021"/> The [[political status of Taiwan]] is contentious.<ref>{{cite news|title=The World Is Fed Up With China's Belligerence|first=Chris|last=Horton|date=9 November 2021|work=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/11/china-taiwan-democracy/620647/|url-access=limited|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109114720/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/11/china-taiwan-democracy/620647/|archive-date=9 November 2021}}</ref> The ROC no longer represents China as a member of the [[United Nations]] after UN members voted in 1971 to [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758|recognize the PRC]] instead.<ref name="woo21">{{cite news |title=What is behind the China-Taiwan dispute? |date=27 November 2021 |first=Richard |last=Wood |work=9News |publisher=Nine Entertainment Company |url=https://www.9news.com.au/world/china-taiwan-tensions-explainer-what-is-behind-long-running-dispute/04749e94-19c6-4dc2-9482-1061bde59e87 |quote=Experts agree a direct conflict is unlikely, but as the future of self-ruled Taiwan increasingly becomes a powder keg, a mishap or miscalculation could lead to confrontation while Chinese and American ambitions are at odds. }}</ref> The ROC maintained its claim of being the sole [[Two Chinas|legitimate representative of China]] and its territory until 1991, when it ceased to [[Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion|regard the CCP as a rebellious group]] and recognized its control over mainland China.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2021/04/25/2003756299| title= Taiwan in Time: The 'communist rebellion' finally ends |author= Han Cheung |work= [[Taipei Times]]|quote= ...Most importantly, with the repeal of the temporary provisions, the Chinese Communist Party would no longer be seen as a rebel group. "From now on, we will see the Chinese Communist Party as a political entity that controls the mainland region and we will call them the 'mainland authorities' or the 'Chinese Communist authorities'," President Lee said during the press conference |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211022130449/https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2021/04/25/2003756299|archive-date= 22 October 2021|date= 25 April 2021|url-status=live }}</ref> Taiwan is claimed by the PRC, which refuses to establish diplomatic relations with countries that recognise the ROC. Taiwan [[foreign relations of Taiwan|maintains official diplomatic relations]] with 11 out of 193 UN member states and the [[Holy See]].<ref name="ap2024">{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nauru-switches-diplomatic-recognition-taiwan-china-106372382|title=Nauru switches diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China|agency=Associated Press|work=ABC News|date=15 January 2024|access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref> Many others maintain unofficial diplomatic ties through [[Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office|representative offices]] and institutions that function as [[de facto embassy#Taiwan|''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 [[Taiwan independence movement|aspiring to formal international recognition]] and promoting a [[Taiwanese people#The current state of Taiwanese identity|Taiwanese identity]]; into the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal.<ref>{{cite book |title=Party Politics in Taiwan |given=Dafydd |surname=Fell |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-134-24021-0 |page=85 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |given1=Christopher H. |surname1=Achen |given2=T. Y. |surname2=Wang |chapter=The Taiwan Voter: An Introduction |pages=1–25 |editor-given1=Christopher H. |editor-surname1=Achen |editor-given2=T. Y. |editor-surname2=Wang |title=The Taiwan Voter |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2017 |doi=10.3998/mpub.9375036 |doi-access=free |isbn=978-0-472-07353-5 }} pp. 1–2.</ref> ==Etymology== ===Name of the island=== In his ''[[Daoyi Zhilüe]]'' (1349), [[Wang Dayuan]] used "[[Liuqiu (medieval)|Liuqiu]]" as a name for the island, or the part of it closest to [[Penghu]].{{sfnp|Thompson|1964|p=166}} Elsewhere, the name was used for the [[Ryukyu Islands]] in general or [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] specifically; the name ''Ryūkyū'' is the Japanese form of ''Liúqiú''. The name also appears in the ''[[Book of Sui]]'' (636) and other early works, but scholars cannot agree on whether these references are to the Ryukyus, Taiwan or even [[Luzon]].{{sfnp|Thompson|1964|p=163}} The name Formosa ({{lang|zh-hant|[[:wikt:福爾摩沙|福爾摩沙]]}}) dates from 1542, when [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] [[Portuguese Empire|sailors]] noted it on their [[Portolan chart|maps]] as ''Ilha Formosa'' ([[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] for "''beautiful island''").<ref name="yb:history">{{cite book |chapter=Chapter 3: History |chapter-url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch03.pdf |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2011 |year=2011 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514004941/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch03.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2012 |page=46}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ilha Formosa: the Emergence of Taiwan on the World Scene in the 17th Century |url=https://www.npm.gov.tw/exhbition/formosa/english/02.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414002106/http://www.npm.gov.tw/exhbition/formosa/english/02.htm |archive-date=14 April 2018 |access-date=12 April 2018 |website=[[National Palace Museum]]}}</ref> The name ''Formosa'' eventually "replaced all others in European literature"{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=10|ps=: "A Dutch navigating officer named [[Jan Huyghen van Linschoten|{{sic|Linsc|hotten|nolink=y}}]], employed by the Portuguese, so recorded the island in his charts, and eventually the name of Formosa, so euphonious and yet appropriate, replaced all others in European literature."}} and remained in common use among English speakers into the 20th century.<ref>see for example: * {{cite book |title=Sketches from Formosa |year=1915 |last=Campbell |first=William |author-link=William Campbell (missionary) |publisher=Marshall Brothers |url=https://archive.org/stream/sketchesfromtaiw00camprich#page/278/mode/2up |ol=7051071M }} * {{harvp|Campbell|1903}} * {{harvp|Davidson|1903}}</ref> In 1603, a Chinese expedition fleet anchored at a place in Taiwan called Dayuan, a variant of "Taiwan".{{sfn|Thompson|1964|p=178}}<ref name="chendi">{{cite journal|last=Jenco|first=Leigh K.|year=2020|title=Chen Di's Record of Formosa (1603) and an Alternative Chinese Imaginary of Otherness|journal=The Historical Journal|volume=64|pages=17–42|doi=10.1017/S0018246X1900061X|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tm.ncl.edu.tw/article?u=007_103_000069&lang=chn|title=閩海贈言|website=National Central Library|language=zh|pages=21–29|access-date=7 January 2023}}</ref> In the early 17th century, the [[Dutch East India Company]] established a commercial post at [[Fort Zeelandia (Taiwan)|Fort Zeelandia]] (modern-day [[Anping District|Anping]]) on a coastal sandbar called "Tayouan",{{sfnp|Valentijn|1903|p=52}} after their [[ethnonym]] for a nearby [[Taiwanese indigenous peoples|Taiwanese aboriginal]] tribe, possibly [[Taivoan people]].<ref name="Mair">{{cite web |last=Mair |first=Victor H. |author-link=Victor H. Mair |date=2003 |title=How to Forget Your Mother Tongue and Remember Your National Language |url=http://pinyin.info/readings/mair/taiwanese.html |website=Pīnyīn.info |quote=The true derivation of the name "Taiwan" is actually from the ethnonym of a tribe in the southwest part of the island in the area around Ping'an. As early as 1636, a Dutch missionary referred to this group as Taiouwang. From the name of the tribe, the Portuguese called the area around Ping'an as Tayowan, Taiyowan, Tyovon, Teijoan, Toyouan, and so forth. Indeed, already in his ship's log of 1622, the Dutchman Cornelis Reijersen referred to the area as Teijoan and Taiyowan.}}</ref> This name was also adopted into the Chinese vernacular as the name of the sandbar and nearby area (Tainan). The modern word "Taiwan" is derived from this usage, which is written in different transliterations ({{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|大員}}，{{linktext|大圓}}，{{linktext|大灣}}，{{linktext|臺員}}，{{linktext|臺圓}}}} or {{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|臺窩灣}}}}) in Chinese historical records. The area occupied by modern-day Tainan was the first permanent settlement by both European colonists and Chinese immigrants. The settlement grew to be the island's most important trading center and served as its capital until 1887. Use of the current Chinese name ({{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|臺灣}} / {{linktext|台灣}}}}) became official as early as 1684 during the [[Qing dynasty]] with the establishment of [[Taiwan Prefecture]] centered in modern-day [[Tainan]]. Through its rapid development the entire Taiwanese mainland eventually became known as "Taiwan".<ref name="蔡玉仙等編">{{cite book |script-title=zh:府城文史 | editor=蔡玉仙 |display-editors=etal |year=2007 |publisher=[[Tainan City Government]] |language=zh |isbn=978-986-00-9434-3}}</ref><ref name="石守謙主編">{{cite book |editor=Shih Shou-chien |editor-link=Shih Shou-chien |year=2003 |trans-title = Ilha Formosa: the Emergence of Taiwan on the World Scene in the 17th Century |script-title=zh:福爾摩沙 : 十七世紀的臺灣、荷蘭與東亞 |language=zh |publisher = National Palace Museum |place=Taipei |isbn=978-957-562-441-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kato |first=Mitsutaka |orig-date=1940 |year=2007 |script-title =zh:昨日府城 明星台南: 發現日治下的老臺南 |language=zh |translator=黃秉珩 |publisher=臺南市文化資產保護協會 |isbn=978-957-28079-9-6}}</ref><ref name="Oosterhoff">{{cite book |title=Colonial Cities: Essays on Urbanism in a Colonial Context |editor1-first=Robert |editor1-last=Ross |editor2-first=Gerard J. |editor2-last=Telkamp |chapter=Zeelandia, a Dutch colonial city on Formosa (1624–1662) |first=J.L. |last=Oosterhoff |pages=51–62 |publisher=Springer |year=1985 |isbn=978-90-247-2635-6}}</ref> ===Name of the country=== {{See also|Chinese Taipei|Names of China|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" (''{{lang|zh-Latn-TW|Zhōngguó}}'', {{lang|zh-Hant-TW|{{linktext|中國}}}}) to refer to itself, derived from {{lang|zh-latn-pinyin|zhōng}} ("central" or "middle") and {{lang|zh-latn-pinyin|guó}} ("state, nation-state").{{efn|Although this is the present meaning of {{lang|zh-latn-pinyin|guó}}, in [[Old Chinese]] (when its pronunciation was something like {{nowrap|/*qʷˤək/}})<ref name=bs>[[Reconstructions of Old Chinese|Baxter-Sagart]].</ref> it meant the walled city of the Chinese and the areas they could control from them.<ref name=wilx/>}} The term developed under the [[Zhou dynasty]] in reference to its [[demesne|royal demesne]],{{efn|Its use is attested from the sixth-century [[Classic of History]], which states "[[Tian (god)|Huangtian]] bestowed the lands and the peoples of the central state to the ancestors" ({{lang|zh|皇天既付中國民越厥疆土于先王}}).<ref>{{lang|zh|[[:s:zh:尚書|《尚書》]], [[:s:zh:尚書/梓材|梓材]].}} {{in lang|zh}}</ref>}} and was then applied to the area around Luoyi (present-day [[Luoyang]]) during the [[Eastern Zhou]] and later to China's [[Central Plain (China)|Central Plain]], before being used as an occasional synonym for the state during the Qing era.<ref name=wilx>{{citation |last=Wilkinson |first=Endymion |title=Chinese History: A Manual |url={{GBurl|id=ERnrQq0bsPYC}} |year=2000|publisher=Harvard University Asia Center |series=Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph No. 52 |page=[{{GBurl|id=ERnrQq0bsPYC|p=132}} 132] |isbn=978-0-674-00249-4 }}</ref> 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 people|Manchu]] rulers, to revive [[Names of China#Zhongguo|''Chunghwa'']], to establish a Republic, and to distribute land equally among the people."{{efn native lang|tw|t=驅除韃虜, 恢復中華, 創立民國, 平均地權|p=Qūchú dálǔ, huīfù Zhōnghuá, chuànglì mínguó, píngjūn dì quán}} 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 area of the Republic of China|Free China]]") to differentiate it from "communist China" (or "[[China|Red China]]").<ref>{{Cite book|last=Garver|first=John W. |title=The Sino-American Alliance: Nationalist China and American Cold War Strategy in Asia|publisher=M.E. Sharp|date=April 1997|isbn=978-0-7656-0025-7}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=BBC 中文網 |date=29 August 2005 |title=論壇：台總統府網頁加注"台灣" |trans-title=Forum: Adding "Taiwan" to the website of Taiwan's Presidential Office |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_4730000/newsid_4730400/4730413.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612230950/http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_4730000/newsid_4730400/4730413.stm |archive-date=12 June 2018 |access-date=12 March 2007 |publisher=BBC 中文網 |language=zh-hant |quote=台總統府公共事務室陳文宗上周六（7月30日）表示，外界人士易把中華民國（Republic of China），誤認為對岸的中國，造成困擾和不便。公共事務室指出，為了明確區別，決定自周六起於中文繁體、简化字的總統府網站中，在「中華民國」之後，以括弧加注「臺灣」。[Chen Wen-tsong, Public Affairs Office of Taiwan's Presidential Office, stated last Saturday (30 July) that outsiders tend to mistake the Chung-hua Min-kuo (Republic of China) for China on the other side, causing trouble and inconvenience. The Public Affairs Office pointed out that in order to clarify the distinction, it was decided to add "Taiwan" in brackets after "Republic of China" on the website of the Presidential Palace in traditional and simplified Chinese starting from Saturday.]}}</ref> In ROC government publications, the name is written as "Republic of China (Taiwan)", "Republic of China/Taiwan", or sometimes "Taiwan (ROC)".<ref>{{cite web |title=Office of President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |url=http://english.president.gov.tw/ |access-date=15 July 2015 |website=Office of President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About Taiwan |url=https://www.taiwan.gov.tw/about.php |access-date=16 June 2020 |website=Taiwan.gov.tw}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=President Tsai interviewed by BBC |url=https://english.president.gov.tw/News/5962 |access-date=16 June 2020 |work=Office of the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |date=18 January 2020 |quote=Well, the idea is that we don't have a need to declare ourselves an independent state. We are an independent country already and we call ourselves the Republic of China (Taiwan)}}</ref> 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 [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation|APEC]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/no-need-avoid-xi-apec-taiwan-envoy-says-after-rare-encounter-2022-11-21/|title=No need to avoid Xi at APEC, Taiwan envoy says after rare encounter|work=Reuters|date=21 November 2022}}</ref> "Taiwan authorities" is sometimes used by the PRC to refer to the government in Taiwan.<ref name="PRCNorway"/> ==History== {{Main|History of Taiwan}} {{For timeline|Timeline of Taiwanese history}} [[File:卑南遺址人獸形玉玦.jpg|thumb|upright|2,300-year-old jade, unearthed at [[Beinan Cultural Park]]]] === Pre-colonial period === {{Main|Prehistory of Taiwan|Taiwanese indigenous peoples}} Taiwan was joined to the Asian mainland in the [[Late Pleistocene]], until sea levels rose about 10,000 years ago.<ref name="GillespieGillespie20092">{{cite book |author1=Rosemary Gillespie |url={{GBurl|id=g9ZogGs_fz8C|p=904}} |title=Encyclopedia of Islands |author2=Rosemary G. Gillespie |author3=D. A. Clague |publisher=University of California Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-520-25649-1 |page=904}}</ref> Human remains and [[Paleolithic]] artifacts dated 20,000 to 30,000 years ago have been found.<ref name="PrasetyoNastiti20212">{{cite book |author1=Bagyo Prasetyo |url={{GBurl|id=zFwXEAAAQBAJ|p=125}} |title=AUSTRONESIAN DIASPORA: A New Perspective |author2=Titi Surti Nastiti |author3=Truman Simanjuntak |publisher=UGM PRESS |year=2021 |isbn=978-602-386-202-3 |page=125}}</ref><ref name="palaeolithic2">{{cite journal |last1=Olsen |first1=John W. |last2=Miller-Antonio |first2=Sari |year=1992 |title=The Palaeolithic in Southern China |url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/17011 |journal=Asian Perspectives |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=129–160 |hdl=10125/17011}}</ref> These peoples were similar to the [[Negrito|Negrito peoples]] of the Philippines.<ref>{{cite book |surname=Bellwood |given=Peter |title=First Islanders: Prehistory and Human Migration in Island Southeast Asia |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-119-25154-5 |pages=232–240 |contribution=Neolithic Cultures in Southeast China, Taiwan, and Luzon |contributor-surname=Hung |contributor-given=Hsiao-chun}} pp. 234–235.</ref> Paleolithic Taiwanese likely settled the [[Ryukyu Islands]] 30,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite book |surname1=Kaifu |given1=Yousuke |title=Emergence and Diversity of Modern Human Behavior in Paleolithic Asia |surname2=Fujita |given2=Masaki |surname3=Yoneda |given3=Minoru |surname4=Yamasaki |given4=Shinji |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-62349-276-2 |editor1-surname=Kaifu |editor1-given=Yousuke |pages=345–361 |chapter=Pleistocene Seafaring and Colonization of the Ryukyu Islands, Southwestern Japan |editor2-surname=Izuho |editor2-given=Masami |editor3-surname=Goebel |editor3-given=Ted |editor4-surname=Sato |editor4-given=Hiroyuki |editor5-surname=Ono |editor5-given=Akira}}</ref> [[Slash-and-burn]] agriculture practices started at least 11,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite book |surname=Li |given=Paul Jen-kuei |publisher={{lang|zh-tw|前衛出版社}} [Avanguard Publishing House] |year=2011 |isbn=978-957-801-660-6 |edition=Revised |pages=46, 48 |script-title=zh:台灣南島民族的族群與遷徙 |trans-title=The Ethnic Groups and Dispersal of the Austronesian in Taiwan |author-link=Li Jen-kuei |script-quote=zh:根據張光直(1969)...9,000BC起...大量種植稻米的遺跡 |trans-quote=[[Kwang-chih Chang|Chang, Kwang-chih]] (1969): ...traces of slash-and-burn agriculture since 9,000 BC... remains of rice cultivation}}</ref> Stone tools of the [[Changbin culture]] have been found in [[Taitung County|Taitung]] and [[Eluanbi]]. Archaeological remains suggest they were initially hunter-gatherers that slowly shifted to intensive fishing.{{sfn|Jiao|2007|pp=89–90}}<ref>{{cite book |surname=Liu |given=Yichang |url=http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=1170 |title=Encyclopedia of Taiwan |year=2009 |chapter=Changbin Culture |chapter-url=http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=1170 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503154631/http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=1170 |archivedate=3 May 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The distinct [[Wangxing culture]], found in [[Miaoli County]], were initially gatherers who shifted to hunting.<ref>{{cite book |surname=Liu |given=Yichang |title=Encyclopedia of Taiwan |year=2009 |chapter=Wangxing Culture |accessdate=6 May 2012 |chapter-url=http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=1171 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130418214339/http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=1171 |archivedate=18 April 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Around 6,000 years ago, Taiwan was settled by farmers of the [[Dapenkeng culture]], most likely from what is now southeast China.{{sfnp|Jiao|2007|pp=91–94}} These cultures are the ancestors of modern [[Taiwanese indigenous peoples|Taiwanese Indigenous peoples]] and the [[Linguistic homeland|originators]] of the [[Austronesian language family]].<ref name="ref122">{{cite journal |last=Diamond |first=Jared M |author-link=Jared Diamond |year=2000 |title=Taiwan's gift to the world |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/plape/pacificarchwin06/readings/Diamond%20nature%202000.pdf |journal=Nature |volume=403 |issue=6771 |pages=709–710 |bibcode=2000Natur.403..709D |doi=10.1038/35001685 |pmid=10693781 |s2cid=4379227 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060916193454/http://faculty.washington.edu/plape/pacificarchwin06/readings/Diamond%20nature%202000.pdf |archive-date=16 September 2006 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |last=Fox |first=James J |year=2004 |title=Current Developments in Comparative Austronesian Studies |url=https://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/43158/2/Comparative_Austronesian_Studies.pdf |publisher=Universitas Udayana, Bali |book-title=Symposium Austronesia}}</ref> Trade with the [[Philippines]] persisted from the early 2nd millennium BCE, including the use of Taiwanese [[jade]] in the [[Philippine jade culture]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bellwood |first1=Peter |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1885/32545 |title=Paths of Origins: The Austronesian Heritage in the Collections of the National Museum of the Philippines,the Museum Nasional Indonesia,and the Netherlands Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde |last2=Hung |first2=Hsiao-chun |last3=Iizuka |first3=Yoshiyuki |date=2011 |publisher=ArtPostAsia |isbn=978-971-94292-0-3 |editor-last=Benitez-Johannot |editor-first=Purissima |pages=35–37, 41 |chapter=Taiwan Jade in the Philippines: 3,000 Years of Trade and Long-distance Interaction |hdl=1885/32545}}</ref><ref>Iizuka, Yoshiyuki, H. C. Hung, and Peter Bellwood. "A Noninvasive Mineralogical Study of Nephrite Artifacts from the Philippines and Surroundings: The Distribution of Taiwan Nephrite and the Implications for the Island Southeast Asian Archaeology." Scientific Research on the Sculptural Arts of Asia (2007): 12–19.</ref> The Dapenkeng culture was succeeded by a variety of cultures throughout the island, including the [[Tahu culture|Tahu]] and [[Yingpu culture|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]].{{sfnp|Jiao|2007|pp=94–103}}{{sfn|Li|2019|pp=26–27}} The [[Plains Indigenous peoples]] mainly lived in permanent walled villages, with a lifestyle based on [[agriculture]], [[fishing]], and [[hunting]].<ref name="InstEthno">{{cite web |date=2012 |script-title=zh:認識平埔族 |url=http://www.ianthro.tw/p/39 |access-date=15 September 2012 |publisher=Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica |language=zh}}</ref> They had traditionally [[Matriarchal society|matriarchal societies]].<ref name="InstEthno"/> === Early colonial period (to 1683) === {{Main|Early Chinese contact with Taiwan|Dutch Formosa|Spanish Formosa|Kingdom of Middag|Kingdom of Tungning|}} The [[Penghu|Penghu Islands]] were inhabited by [[Han Chinese]] fishermen by 1171 and in 1225, Penghu was attached to [[Jinjiang, Fujian|Jinjiang]].{{sfn|Liu|2012|p=170-171}}{{sfnp|Hsu|1980|p=6}}{{sfnp|Wills|2006|p=86}}<ref name="官網歷史沿革" /> The [[Yuan dynasty]] officially incorporated Penghu under the jurisdiction of [[Tong'an]] County in 1281.<ref name="官網歷史沿革">{{cite web |url = https://event.penghu.gov.tw/ch/home.jsp?id=10174 |title=歷史沿革 |date= 13 July 2017|website=澎湖縣政府全球資訊網 |publisher=[[Penghu County Government]]|archive-date=1 March 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210301101127/https://event.penghu.gov.tw/ch/home.jsp?id=10174 |url-status=live }}</ref> Penghu was evacuated in the 15th century by the [[Ming dynasty]] as part of their [[Haijin|maritime ban]], which lasted until the late 16th century.{{sfnp|Wills|2006|p=88}} In 1349, [[Wang Dayuan]] provided the first written account of a visit to Taiwan.{{sfn|Rubinstein|1999|p=86}}<ref name="shep">{{cite book |last=Shepherd |given=John R. |title=Statecraft and Political Economy on the Taiwan Frontier, 1600–1800 |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1993 |pages=7–8 |isbn=978-0-8047-2066-3}} Reprinted Taipei: SMC Publishing, 1995.</ref> By the 1590s, a small number of Chinese from [[Fujian]] had started cultivating land in southwestern Taiwan.{{sfn|Hsu|1980|p=10}} 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.{{sfnp|Andrade|2008|loc=Chapter 6 Note 5}}<ref name="shep" /> In 1603, [[Chen Di]] visited Taiwan on an anti-[[wokou]] expedition and recorded an account of the Taiwanese Indigenous people.<ref name="chendi"/> 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.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSPcAAAAQBAJ&dq=Harada+Magoshichiro+taiwan&pg=PA6 | title=Statecraft and Spectacle in East Asia: Studies in Taiwan-Japan Relations | isbn=9781317986256 | last1=Clulow | first1=Adam | date=13 September 2013 | publisher=Routledge }}</ref>{{sfn|Li|2019|p=50}} [[File:Tainan_Taiwan_Fort-Zeelandia-01.jpg|alt=Photograph of a European style fortification with stone walls and a white pointed tower.|thumb|[[Fort Zeelandia (Taiwan)|Fort Zeelandia]], built in 1634, was the [[Governor of Formosa|governor]]'s residence in [[Dutch Formosa]]]] In 1624 the [[Dutch East India Company]] (VOC) established [[Fort Zeelandia (Taiwan)|Fort Zeelandia]] on the coastal islet of Tayouan (in modern [[Tainan]]).{{sfnp|Wills|2006|p=89}}<ref name="Oosterhoff" /> The lowland areas were occupied by 11 Indigenous [[chiefdom]]s, some of which fell under Dutch control, including the [[Kingdom of Middag]].<ref name="Oosterhoff" /><ref>{{cite book |title=Formosa Under the Dutch: Described from Contemporary Records, with Explanatory Notes and a Bibliography of the Island |year=1903 |first=William |last=Campbell |author-link=William Campbell (missionary)|publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner |url=https://archive.org/details/formosaunderdut01campgoog |pages=[https://archive.org/details/formosaunderdut01campgoog/page/n185 6]–7 |isbn=978-957-638-083-9 }}</ref> When the Dutch arrived, southwestern Taiwan was already frequented by a mostly transient Chinese population numbering close to 1,500.{{sfnp|Andrade|2008|loc=Chapter 6 Note 5}} 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.{{sfn|Andrade|2008|loc=Chapter 6}}{{sfnp|Wills|2006|p=98}} Most of the farmers cultivated rice for local consumption and sugar for export while some immigrants engaged in deer hunting for export.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Koo|first=Hui-wen|year=2015|title=Weather, Harvests, and Taxes: A Chinese Revolt in Colonial Taiwan|journal=The Journal of Interdisciplinary History|volume=46|issue=1|pages=39–59|doi=10.1162/JINH_a_00795|jstor=43829712 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Andrade|first=Tonio|year=2006|title=The Rise and Fall of Dutch Taiwan, 1624–1662: Cooperative Colonization and the Statist Model of European Expansion|journal=Journal of World History|volume=17|issue=4|pages=429–450|doi=10.1353/jwh.2006.0052|jstor=20079399 |s2cid=162203720 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Koo|first=Hui-wen|year=2011|title=Deer Hunting and Preserving the Commons in Dutch Colonial Taiwan|journal=The Journal of Interdisciplinary History|volume=43|issue=2|pages=185–203|doi=10.1162/JINH_a_00211|jstor=41291189 |s2cid=145423135 }}</ref> In 1626 the [[Spanish Empire]] occupied northern Taiwan as a trading base, first at [[Keelung]] and in 1628 building [[Fort San Domingo]] at [[Tamsui]].<ref>{{cite web |date=3 July 2018 |title=Fort San Domingo |url=https://en.tshs.ntpc.gov.tw/xmdoc/cont?xsmsid=0G292396897604829770 |website=[[Tamsui Historical Museum]] |quote=Fort San Domingo, located at the hilltop overlooking Tamsui River estuary, was established by the Spanish in 1628.}}</ref><ref>[https://academic.oup.com/past/article/232/1/87/1752419 Convicts or Conquistadores? Spanish Soldiers in the Seventeenth-Century Pacific By Stephanie J. Mawson] AGI, México, leg. 25, núm. 62; AGI, Filipinas, leg. 8, ramo 3, núm. 50; leg. 10, ramo 1, núm. 6; leg. 22, ramo 1, núm. 1, fos. 408 r −428 v ; núm. 21; leg. 32, núm. 30; leg. 285, núm. 1, fos. 30 r −41 v .</ref> This colony lasted until 1642, when the last Spanish fortress fell to Dutch forces.{{sfnp|Wills|2006|p=91}} The Dutch then marched south, subduing hundreds of villages in the western plains.{{sfnp|Wills|2006|p=91}} [[File:Tainan_Taiwan_Confucius-Temple-06.jpg|alt=Photo of an elaborate Chinese temple with hedges in front.|thumb|[[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.<ref name="LuWangNMHTW">{{cite web |url=https://tainanstudy.nmth.gov.tw/article/detail/9/read? |script-title=zh:臺南與鄭成功 |trans-title=Tainan and Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) |author=Yan Xing |website=Tainan Literature and History Research Database |publisher=National Museum of Taiwan History |access-date=12 February 2021 |script-quote=zh:這時成功意志堅决，便單獨倡導拒滿復明運動，以金，厦兩島爲根據地地，不斷地向閩，浙東南一進攻，奉永明王永曆正朔{{nbsp}}... 于永曆十一年（清順治十四年公元一六五七年）受永水明王封為延平王 |trans-quote=Then Chenggong (Koxinga) resolutely and independently advocated for the movement to resist the Manchus and restore Ming, with bases in Kinmen and Xiamen continuously attacked southeastern Min (Fujian) and Zhejiang, pledged to serve the Youngli emperor of Ming{{nbsp}}... in 1657 was conferred the title King of Yanping by the Yong Ming emperor}}.</ref> In 1661, under increasing Qing pressure, he moved his forces from his base in [[Xiamen]] to Taiwan, [[Siege of Fort Zeelandia|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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wills |first1=John E. |title=The Dutch Reoccupation of Chi-lung, 1664–1668 |year=2001 |publisher=University of California|isbn=978-0-936127-09-5}}</ref><ref>[{{GBurl|id=g3oWoSKVnVIC|dq=pescadores+dutch+defeat|p=95}} Shepherd 1993], p. 95.</ref> The Zheng regime, known as the [[Kingdom of Tungning]], proclaimed its loyalty to the overthrown Ming, but ruled independently.<ref name="TWG2020">{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=September 2020 |title=2020–2021 Taiwan at a Glance |url=https://multilingual.mofa.gov.tw/web/web_UTF-8/MOFA/glance2020-2021/2020-2021%20Taiwan%20at%20a%20Glance%20(English).pdf |publisher= Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) |page=14 |isbn=978-986-5447-15-1 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230409125337/https://multilingual.mofa.gov.tw/web/web_UTF-8/MOFA/glance2020-2021/2020-2021%20Taiwan%20at%20a%20Glance%20%28English%29.pdf |archive-date= 9 April 2023 }}</ref>{{sfnp|Andrade|2008|loc=Preface Note 1|ps=: "Second, this book is also about how Taiwan first came under Chinese political control, thanks to the Ming loyalist regime of Zheng Chenggong."}}{{sfnp|Wills|2006|pp=94–95}}<ref>{{cite book |surname=Struve |given=Lynn |year=1988 |chapter=The Southern Ming |title=Cambridge History of China, Volume 7, The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tyhT9SZRLS8C&pg=PA722 |editor1-given=Frederic W. |editor1-surname=Mote |editor2-given=Denis |editor2-surname=Twitchett |pages=641–725 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-24332-2 }} pp. 722–725.</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Hang|first=Xing|year=2010|title=Between Trade and Legitimacy, Maritime and Continent: The Zheng Organization in Seventeenth-Century East Asia|type=PhD|publisher=University of California, Berkeley|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/133829bz|access-date=24 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Hang|first=Xing|year=2016|title=Contradictory Contingencies: The Seventeenth-Century Zheng Family and Contested Cross-Strait Legacies|journal=American Journal of Chinese Studies|volume=23|pages=173–182|jstor=44289147}}</ref> ===Qing rule (1683–1895)=== {{Main|Taiwan under Qing rule}} [[File:Tainan Taiwan Fort-Provintia-01.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Provintia|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 [[Taiwan prefecture|prefecture]] of Fujian province while retaining its administrative seat (now Tainan) under Koxinga as the capital.{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=15}}{{sfn|Wong|2017|p=189-190}}{{sfn|Twitchett|2002|p=146}} 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.{{sfn|Wong|2017|pp=193–194}}{{sfn|Ye|2019|p=51}} By 1811 there were more than two million Han settlers in Taiwan, and profitable sugar and rice production industries provided exports to the mainland.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Stafford |first1=Charles |last2=Shepherd |first2=John Robert |date=September 1994 |title=Statecraft and Political Economy on the Taiwan Frontier 1600–1800. |journal=Man |volume=29 |issue=3 |page=750 |doi=10.2307/2804394 |jstor=2804394 }}</ref>{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=561}}{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=16}} In 1875, restrictions on entering Taiwan were repealed.{{sfn|Wong|2017|p=194}} [[File:Taiwanese aboriginese deerhunt1.png|thumb|[[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.{{sfn|Ye|2019|p=47-49}} 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 Emperor|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.{{sfn|Ye|2019|p=50-55}} 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.{{sfn|Ye|2019|p=106}}<ref name="van der Wees 2020" >{{cite web |last1=van der Wees |first1=Gerrit |title=Has Taiwan Always Been Part of China? |url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/12/has-taiwan-always-been-part-of-china/ |website=The Diplomat |access-date=1 December 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book | title = The Indigenous Dynamic in Taiwan's Postwar Development: The Religious and Historical Roots of Entrepreneurship | last = Skoggard | first = Ian A. | isbn =978-1-56324-846-7 | ol=979742M | year = 1996 | publisher = M.E. Sharpe}} p. 10</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= |script-title=zh:三年小反五年大亂 |url=https://www.taiwanus.net/history/3/12.htm |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413234816/https://www.taiwanus.net/history/3/12.htm |archive-date=13 April 2022 |website=台灣海外網 |language=zh-tw}}</ref><ref name="RebellionTWCulture">{{cite web |url=http://nrch.culture.tw/twpedia.aspx?id=3553 |trans-title=Civil Strife |script-title=zh:民變 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Encyclopedia of Taiwan (台灣大百科) |publisher=Taiwan Ministry of Culture |access-date=28 February 2021 |trans-quote=The rumor of "every three years a small uprising, five years a large rebellion" circulated around Taiwan. According to research, the repeated commotions described by this idiom occurred primarily during the 30-year period between 1820 and 1850. |script-quote=zh:臺灣有「三年一小反，五年一大反」之謠。但是根據研究，這句俗諺所形容民變迭起的現象，以道光朝（1820-1850）的三十多年間為主 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310194052/http://nrch.culture.tw/twpedia.aspx?id=3553 }}.</ref> 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.{{sfn|Ye|2019|p=56-57}} 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.{{sfn|Ye|2019|p=58-61}} [[File:TW 台灣 Taiwan TPE 台北市 Taipei City 中正區 Zhongzheng District 忠孝西路 Zhongxiao West Road 承恩門 臺北府城北門 morning August 2019 IX2 06.jpg|thumb|[[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 [[Mudan Incident|invaded Indigenous territory]] in southern Taiwan and the Qing government was forced to pay an indemnity for them to leave.{{sfn|Ye|2019|pp=61–62}} 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.{{sfn|Ye|2019|pp=63–64}} 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 [[Taiwan Province|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.{{sfn|Ye|2019|pp=64–65}}{{sfn|Gordon|2007|pp=161–162}}{{sfn|Rubinstein|1999|pp=187–190}} 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.{{sfn|Rubinstein|1999|p=191}}{{sfn|Ye|2019|p=65}}{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=15}}{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|pp=247, 620}} 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.{{sfn|Ye|2019|p=1, 10, 174}}{{sfn|Rubinstein|1999|p=177}} ===Japanese rule (1895–1945)=== {{Main|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 [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] by the [[Treaty of Shimonoseki]].<ref name="ShimonosekiROC">{{cite web |url=http://libdb1.npm.gov.tw/ttscgi/capimg2.exe?20:268540019:910000115001-0-0.pdf |title=Treaty of Peace between China and Japan (Treaty of Shimonoseki) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=17 April 1895 |website=Ch'ing Dynasty Treaties and Agreements Preserved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |publisher=National Palace Museum |script-quote=zh:中國將管理下開地方之權並將該地方所有堡壘軍器工廠及一切屬公物件永遠讓於日本{{nbsp}}... 台湾全岛及所有附属各岛屿{{nbsp}}... 澎湖列岛 |trans-quote=China shall yield to Japan in perpetuity the rights to administer the following regions as well as all fortresses, munition factories, and public properties thereof{{nbsp}}... the entire island of Taiwan and all appertaining islands{{nbsp}}... Penghu archipelago |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417212021/http://libdb1.npm.gov.tw/ttscgi/capimg2.exe?20:268540019:910000115001-0-0.pdf }}.</ref> Inhabitants wishing to remain Qing subjects had to move to mainland China within a two-year grace period, which few saw as feasible.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Ryōtarō|last1=Shiba|author-link=Ryōtarō Shiba|script-title=ja:台湾紀行: 街道をゆく〈40〉|language=ja |title=Taiwan kikō: kaidō o yuku yonjū |date=1995|publisher=Asahi Shinbunsha|isbn=978-4-02-256808-3}}</ref> 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.{{sfn|Wang|2006|p=95}}{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=561}}{{sfn|Rubinstein|1999|p=208}} 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.<ref>{{cite book | title=Memories of the future: national identity issues and the search for a new Taiwan | editor-first=Stéphane | editor-last=Corcuff | publisher=M.E. Sharpe | year=2002 | isbn=978-0-7656-0792-8 | chapter=The Taiwan Republic of 1895 and the failure of the Qing modernizing project | first=Andrew | last=Morris | pages=3–24 }}</ref> 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.{{sfn|Rubinstein|1999|p=207}}{{sfn|Chang|2003|p=56}}<ref name = msu>{{cite web | title = History of Taiwan | work = Windows on Asia | publisher = Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901122350/http://www.asia.msu.edu/eastasia/Taiwan/history.html| url = http://www.asia.msu.edu/eastasia/Taiwan/history.html |archive-date=1 September 2006| access-date = 3 December 2014 }}</ref> Subsequent rebellions against the Japanese (the [[Beipu uprising]] of 1907, the [[Tapani incident]] of 1915, and the [[Wushe incident|Musha incident]] of 1930) were unsuccessful but demonstrated opposition to Japanese rule. [[File:Taiwan Seito Wanli Factory 1930s.jpg|thumb|A sugarcane mill and [[Taiwan Sugar Railways|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 in Taiwan|education system]], and an end to the practice of [[headhunting]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Hsu|first=Mutsu|year=1991|title=Culture, Self and Adaptation: The Psychological Anthropology of Two Malayo-Polynesian Groups in Taiwan|publisher=Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica|isbn=978-957-9046-78-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title=Going to school in East Asia | editor1-first=Gerard A. | editor1-last=Postiglione | editor2-first=Jason | editor2-last=Tan | publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-313-33633-1 | chapter=Schooling in Taiwan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419122101/http://www3.nccu.edu.tw/~iaezcpc/Going%20to%20School%20in%20East%20Asia%20--%20SCHOOLING%20IN%20TAIWAN.htm| chapter-url=http://www3.nccu.edu.tw/~iaezcpc/Going%20to%20School%20in%20East%20Asia%20--%20SCHOOLING%20IN%20TAIWAN.htm|archive-date=19 April 2010 | first1=Chuing Prudence | last1=Chou | first2=Ai-Hsin | last2=Ho | pages=344–377 }}</ref> 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.{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=39}} By 1939, Taiwan was the seventh-greatest sugar producer in the world.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2001 |date=2001 |chapter=History |chapter-url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2001/chpt04-3.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031027032513/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2001/chpt04-3.htm |archive-date=27 October 2003 |publisher=Government Information Office}}</ref> The Han and Indigenous populations were classified as second- and third-class citizens, and many prestigious government and business positions were closed to them.{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=48}} 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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Tropics of Savagery: The Culture of Japanese Empire in Comparative Frame |first=Robert |last=Tierney |publisher=University of California Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-520-94766-5 |pages=8–9 }}</ref> Intellectuals and laborers who participated in left-wing movements were also arrested and massacred (e.g. [[Chiang Wei-shui]] and [[Masanosuke Watanabe]]).<ref>{{cite web |last=吕 |first=正惠 |date=18 November 2014 |title= |script-title=zh:吕正惠：战后台湾左翼思想状况漫谈一——日本剥削下的台湾社会 |url=http://www.guancha.cn/Lv-Zhenghui/2014_10_18_277323.shtml |website=观察者}}</ref> Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide [[Japanization|assimilation project]].<ref name="taiwanpedia">{{Cite web |last=Tsai |first=Chintang |date=2011 |title=Kominka Movement |url=http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=3803 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130731160817/http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=3803 |archive-date=31 July 2013 |access-date=25 August 2013 |website=Encyclopedia of Taiwan}}</ref> Chinese-language newspapers and curriculums were abolished. Taiwanese music and theater were outlawed. A national [[State Shinto|Shinto]] religion was promoted in parallel with the suppression of traditional Taiwanese beliefs. Starting from 1940, families were also required to adopt [[Japanese surname]]s, although only 2% had done so by 1943.<ref name="taiwanpedia" /> By 1938, 309,000 Japanese were residing in Taiwan.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Formosa (Taiwan) Under Japanese Rule|first=A. J.|last=Grajdanzev|journal=Pacific Affairs|volume=15|year=1942|pages=311–324|jstor=2752241|issue=3|doi=10.2307/2752241}}</ref> During the Second World War, the island was developed into a naval and air base while its agriculture, industry, and commerce suffered.{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=110}}{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=47}} 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 "[[Nanshin-ron#Theoretical development|South Strike Group]]" was based at [[Taihoku Imperial University]]. Military bases and industrial centers, such as [[Kaohsiung]] and [[Keelung]], became targets of heavy [[Raid on Taipei|Allied bombings]], which destroyed many of the factories, dams, and transport facilities built by the Japanese.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 October 2019 |title=Shu LinKou Air Station: World War II: U.S. Bombing Raids on Linkou and Taiwan |url=http://shulinkou.tripod.com/dawg2e.html |website=Shulinkou Air Station Taiwan}}</ref>{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=47}} In October 1944, the [[Formosa Air Battle]] was fought between American carriers and Japanese forces in Taiwan. Over 200,000 of [[Taiwanese Imperial Japan Serviceman|Taiwanese served in the Japanese military]], with over 30,000 casualties.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cheung|first=Han|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2018/09/16/2003700512|title=Taiwan in Time: Abandoned by the rising sun|work=Taipei Times|date=16 September 2018}}</ref> Over 2,000 women, euphemistically called "[[comfort women]]", were forced into sexual slavery for Imperial Japanese troops.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hou |first=Elaine |date=14 August 2013 |title=Protesters demand justice from Japan on 'comfort women' (update) |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201308140029.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625184315/https://focustaiwan.tw/society/201308140029 |archive-date=25 June 2020 |website=[[Focus Taiwan]]}}</ref> After [[Japan's surrender]], most Japanese residents were [[World War II evacuation and expulsion|expelled]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Morris|first=Andrew D.|url={{GBurl|id=jqwKCgAAQBAJ}}|title=Japanese Taiwan: Colonial Rule and its Contested Legacy|date=30 July 2015|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4725-7674-3|pages=115–118|language=en}}</ref> ===Republic of China (1945–present)=== {{Main|Republic of China (1912–1949)|History of Taiwan (1945–present)}} {{See also|History of the Republic of China|Chinese Civil War}} [[File:Ando Rikichi surrender.jpg|thumb|General [[Chen Yi (Kuomintang)|Chen Yi]] (right) accepting the receipt of [[General Order No. 1]] from [[Rikichi Andō]] (left), the last Japanese governor-general of Taiwan, in [[Zhongshan Hall|Taipei City Hall]]]] While Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] was founded on [[mainland China]] on 1 January 1912 following the [[Xinhai Revolution]] of 1911.<ref name="cuhk">{{cite book |url={{GBurl|id=z-fAxn_9f8wC|p=116}} |title=China: Five Thousand Years of History and Civilization |date=2007 |publisher=City University Of Hong Kong Press |isbn=978-962-937-140-1 |page=116 |access-date=9 September 2014}}</ref> Central authority waxed and waned in response to [[Warlord Era|warlordism]] (1915–28), [[Second Sino-Japanese War|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).<ref>{{cite book |last=Roy |first=Denny |title=Taiwan: A Political History |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=2003 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/taiwan00denn/page/55 55], 56 |url=https://archive.org/details/taiwan00denn|url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-8014-8805-4}}</ref> During [[World War II]], the 1943 [[1943 Cairo Declaration|Cairo Declaration]] specificed that Formosa and the Pescadores be returned by Japan to the ROC;<ref name="Cairo1943">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Cairo Communiqué, December 1, 1943 |url=https://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/shiryo/01/002_46shoshi.html |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=Birth of the Constitution of Japan |publisher=National Diet Library |quote=It is their purpose that Japan shall be stripped of all the islands in the Pacific which she has seized or occupied since the beginning of the first World War in 1914, and that all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa, and The Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China.}}</ref>{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=162: "United States Government replied on this point as follows:{{nbsp}}... Cairo Declaration provided that Manchuria, Formosa, and the Pescadores, shall be restored to the Republic of China"}} the terms were later repeated in the 1945 [[Potsdam Declaration]]<ref name="Potsdam1945">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Potsdam Declaration |url=https://www.atomicheritage.org/key-documents/potsdam-declaration |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=The Atomic Heritage Foundation |publisher=The Atomic Heritage Foundation and the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History |quote=The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine.}}</ref> that Japan agreed to carry out in [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender|its instrument of surrender]].<ref name="JapanSurrender">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Japanese Instrument of Surrender |url=https://www.archivesfoundation.org/documents/japanese-instrument-surrender-1945/ |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=The National Archives Foundation |publisher=The National Archives |quote=We hereby undertake for the Emperor, the Japanese Government and their successors to carry out the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration in good faith}}</ref>{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=58}} On [[Retrocession Day|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.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=4 May 1955 |title=Far East (Formosa and the Pescadores) |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1955/may/04/far-east-formosa-and-the-pescadores#S5CV0540P0_19550504_HOC_582 |url-status=live |journal=Hansard |volume=540 |issue=cc1870–4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018112311/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1955/may/04/far-east-formosa-and-the-pescadores#S5CV0540P0_19550504_HOC_582 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |access-date=1 September 2010 |quote=The sovereignty was Japanese until 1952. The Japanese Treaty came into force, and at that time Formosa was being administered by the Chinese Nationalists, to whom it was entrusted in 1945, as a military occupation.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Charney |first1=Jonathan I. |last2=Prescott |first2=J. R. V. |year=2000 |title=Resolving Cross-Strait Relations Between China and Taiwan |journal=American Journal of International Law |volume=94 |issue=3 |pages=453–477 |doi=10.2307/2555319 |jstor=2555319 |s2cid=144402230 |quote=After occupying Taiwan in 1945 as a result of Japan's surrender, the Nationalists were defeated on the mainland in 1949, abandoning it to retreat to Taiwan.}}</ref><ref name="SanFrancisco1951">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Treaty of Peace with Japan |url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20136/volume-136-I-1832-English.pdf |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=United Nations Treaties Collection |publisher=The United Nations}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Alagappa |first=Muthiah |url={{GBurl|id=2Zx7nPeGWgwC|p=265}} |title=Taiwan's presidential politics |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7656-0834-5 |page=265}}</ref> In the same year, Japan and the ROC signed [[Treaty of Taipei|a peace treaty]].<ref name="Taipei1952">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Treaty of Peace between the Repuiblic of China and Japan |url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20138/v138.pdf |access-date=29 November 2021 |website=United Nations Treaties Collection |publisher=The United Nations}}</ref> 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 [[ROC Constitution|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.{{sfnp|Makinen|Woodward|1989|ps=: "Yet, the Chinese Nationalist government attempted to isolate Taiwan from the mainland inflation by creating it as an independent currency area. And during the later stages of the civil war it was able to end the hyperinflation on Taiwan, something it was unable to do on the mainland despite two attempts."}}<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=1948 |title=Formosa in transition |magazine=The World Today |publisher=Royal Institute of International Affairs |volume=4 |issue=5 |page=213}}</ref>{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=59}}{{sfnp|United States|1949|p=923-925}} 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]].<ref>{{cite news |title=China: Snow Red & Moon Angel |date=7 April 1947 |newspaper=Time|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804090,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111074426/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804090,00.html|archive-date=11 January 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Shackleton |first1=Allan J. |year=1998 |title=Formosa Calling: An Eyewitness Account of Conditions in Taiwan during the February 28th, 1947 Incident |url=http://homepage.usask.ca/~llr130/taiwanlibrary/formosacalling/formosa-calling.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205010159/http://homepage.usask.ca/~llr130/taiwanlibrary/formosacalling/formosa-calling.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2011 |publisher=Taiwan Publishing Company |oclc=40888167 |access-date=18 December 2014 }}</ref> Mainstream estimates of the number killed range from 18,000 to 30,000.{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=63}}{{sfnp|United States|1949|p=932}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Taiwan takes first steps to explain 1947 massacre |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/02/28/Taiwan-takes-first-steps-to-explain-1947-massacre/4123667717200/ |work=United Press International |date=28 February 1991 |language=en}}</ref> 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.{{sfnp|Ballantine|1952|p=64-65}} [[File:ROC_Retreat_to_Taiwan.svg|thumb|left|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 [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|founded the People's Republic of China]] on 1 October.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kubek|first=Anthony |title=How the Far East was lost: American policy and the creation of Communist China|year=1963|publisher=Intercontex Publishers (England) Limited |isbn=978-0-85622-000-5}}</ref> On 7 December 1949, [[Chiang Kai-Shek]] [[Retreat of the Republic of China to Taiwan|evacuated his Nationalist government to Taiwan]] and made Taipei the [[temporary capital]] of the ROC.<ref name="wartime-capital">{{cite web|author-link=Huang Fu-san |last=Huang |first=Fu-san |year=2010 |url=http://info.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=27358&CtNode=2527&mp=21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429070335/http://info.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=27358&CtNode=2527&mp=21 |archive-date=29 April 2011 |script-title=zh:臺灣簡史－麻雀變鳳凰的故事 |language=zh |trans-title=A Brief History of Taiwan: A Sparrow Transformed into a Phoenix |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China|access-date=13 September 2009|quote={{lang|zh-hant|1949年，國民政府退守臺灣後，以臺北為戰時首都}}}}</ref> 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]]" ({{lang|zh|外省人}}). The ROC government took to Taipei many national treasures and much of China's [[gold reserves|gold]] and foreign currency reserves.<ref name="bbctimeline-retreat">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1949_1955.stm|title=Taiwan Timeline – Retreat to Taiwan|year=2000|work=BBC News|access-date=21 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Dunbabin |first=J.P.D. |title=The Cold War |publisher=Pearson Education |year=2008 |page=187 |isbn=978-0-582-42398-5 |url={{GBurl|id=IVriqPvx7iwC|p=187}} |quote=In 1949 Chiang Kai-shek had transferred to Taiwan the government, gold reserve, and some of the army of his Republic of China.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ng|first=Franklin|title=The Taiwanese Americans|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1998|page=10|url={{GBurl|id=lPzsB_wJQW0C|p=10}}|isbn=978-0-313-29762-5}}</ref> Most of the gold was used to pay soldiers' salaries,<ref>{{cite web|last=Yang|first=Lavai|translator-last=Williams|translator-first=Scott|date=July 2011|url=https://www.taiwanpanorama.com.tw/Articles/Details?Guid=b4b88183-6665-4724-ba38-cb641433113d&langId=3&CatId=7|title=Taiwan's Love Affair with Gold|website=Taiwan Panorama|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> with some used to issue the [[New Taiwan dollar]], part of a price stabilization program to slow inflation in Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=8&post=13804&unitname=Economics-Taiwan-Review&postname=Money-Value-of-the-New-Taiwan-Currency|title=Money Value of the New Taiwan Currency|website=Taiwan Today|date=1 June 1954}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Li|first=Shih-hui|year=2005|title=The Currency Conversion in Postwar Taiwan: Gold Standard from 1949 to 1950|journal=The Kyoto Economic Review|volume=74|issue=2|pages=191–203|doi=10.11179/KER.74.191}}</ref> After losing control of mainland China in 1949, the ROC retained control of Taiwan and Penghu ([[Taiwan Province|Taiwan, ROC]]), parts of Fujian ([[Fujian Province, Republic of China|Fujian, ROC]])—specifically Kinmen, [[Wuqiu, Kinmen|Wuqiu]] (now part of Kinmen) and the Matsu Islands and two major [[South China Sea Islands|islands in the South China Sea]]. The ROC also briefly retained control of the entirety of [[Hainan]], parts of [[Zhejiang]] ([[Chekiang Province, Republic of China|Chekiang]])—specifically the [[Dachen Islands]] and [[Yijiangshan Islands]]—and portions of [[Tibet (1912–1951)|Tibet]], [[Qinghai]], [[Xinjiang Province, Republic of China|Xinjiang]] and [[Yunnan]]. The Communists [[battle of Hainan Island|captured Hainan]] in 1950, captured the Dachen Islands and Yijiangshan Islands during the [[First Taiwan Strait Crisis]] in 1955 and defeated the [[Kuomintang Islamic insurgency|ROC revolts in Northwest China]] in 1958. ROC forces entered Burma and Thailand in the 1950s and [[1960–61 campaign at the China–Burma border|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 [[administrative divisions of Taiwan|other minor territories]]. ====Martial law era (1949–1987)==== {{See also|Martial law in Taiwan|Taiwan Miracle}} [[File:Chiang Kai-shek in full uniform.jpeg|thumb|upright|[[Chiang Kai-shek]], leader of the [[Kuomintang]] from 1925 until his death in 1975|alt=A Chinese man in military uniform, smiling and looking towards the left. He holds a sword in his left hand and has a medal in shape of a sun on his chest.]] [[Martial law]], declared on Taiwan in May 1949,<ref name="martial">{{cite web |publisher=National Archives Administration, National Development Council |url=https://www.archives.gov.tw/Publish.aspx?cnid=1014&p=857 |script-title=zh:三、 台灣戒嚴令 |language=zh |trans-title=III. Decree to establish martial law in Taiwan |date=2 October 2009}}</ref> continued to be in effect until 1987,<ref name="martial" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm|title=28 February 1947 – Taiwan's Holocaust Remembered – 60th Commemoration|year=2007|publisher=New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa|access-date=2 July 2009}}</ref> and was used to suppress political opposition. During the [[White Terror (Taiwan)|White Terror]], as the period is known, 140,000 people were imprisoned or executed for being perceived as anti-KMT or pro-Communist.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20080716-77050.html|title=Taiwan president apologises for 'white terror' era|agency=Reuters|access-date=2 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401191615/http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20080716-77050.html|archive-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref name=1950-US-DoD>{{Cite web |author=US Department of Defense |title=Classified Teletype Conference, dated 27 June 1950, between the Pentagon and General Douglas MacArthur regarding authorization to use naval and air forces in support of South Korea. Papers of Harry S. Truman: Naval Aide Files |publisher=Truman Presidential Library and Museum |year=1950 |url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/korea/large/week1/kw_22_1.htm |page=1 and 4 |quote=Page 1: In addition 7th Fleet will take station so as to prevent invasion of Formosa and to insure that Formosa not be used as base of operations against Chinese mainland." Page 4: "Seventh Fleet is hereby assigned to operational control CINCFE for employment in following task hereby assigned CINCFE: By naval and air action prevent any attack on Formosa, or any air or sea offensive from Formosa against mainland of China. |journal= |access-date=9 March 2006 |archive-date=19 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060419074919/http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/korea/large/week1/kw_22_1.htm }}</ref> The United States also passed the [[Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty]] and the [[Formosa Resolution of 1955]], granting substantial [[United States foreign aid|foreign aid]] to the KMT regime between 1951 and 1965.<ref>{{Cite journal|first=Neil H.|last=Jacoby|url=https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAK054.pdf |title=An Evaluation of U.S. Economic Aid to Free China, 1951–1965|journal=A.I.D. Discussion Paper|date=January 1966 |publisher=[[United States Agency for International Development]] |access-date=15 May 2022}}</ref> The US foreign aid stabilized prices in Taiwan by 1952.<ref>{{harvnb|Makinen|Woodward|1989}}: "It was the fiscal regime change on Taiwan, as in the European episodes, that finally brought price stability. It was the aid policy that brought the budget to near balance, and when the aid programme reached its full proportions in 1952, prices stabilized."</ref> The KMT government instituted many laws and [[Land reform in Taiwan|land reforms]] that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=4&post=6666|title=The Land Reform Movement in China|website=Taiwan Today|date=1 June 1951}}</ref> Economic development was encouraged by American aid and programs such as the [[Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction|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.<ref>Ralph Clough, "Taiwan under Nationalist Rule, 1949–1982," in Roderick MacFarquar et al., ed., ''Cambridge History of China'', Vol 15, The People's Republic Pt 2 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991), p. 837</ref> The government also implemented a policy of [[import substitution industrialization]], attempting to produce imported goods domestically.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Liu|first1=Da-Nien|last2=Shih|first2=Hui-Tzu|date=4 December 2013|title=The Transformation of Taiwan's Status Within the Production and Supply Chain in Asia|url=https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/the-transformation-of-taiwans-status-within-the-production-and-supply-chain-in-asia/|access-date=6 January 2021|website=Brookings}}</ref> The policy promoted the development of textile, food, and other labor-intensive industries.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Zhu|first=Tianbiao|year=2006|title=Rethinking Import-substituting Industrialization: Development Strategies and Institutions in Taiwan and China|journal=Research Paper 2006/076|publisher=UNU-WIDER|url=https://www.wider.unu.edu/publication/rethinking-import-substituting-industrialization}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Smura|first=Tomasz|date=17 October 2016|url=https://pulaski.pl/en/in-the-shadow-of-communistic-missiles-air-and-missile-defence-in-taiwan/|title=In the shadow of Communistic missiles – Air and Missile Defence in Taiwan|website=Casimir Pulaski Foundation|access-date=10 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Halperin|first=M.H.|year=1966|url=https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_memoranda/2006/RM4900.pdf|title=Memorandum RM-4900-ISA (Abridged), The 1958 Taiwan Straits Crisis: A Documented History (U)|website=RAND Corporation|access-date=10 January 2023}}</ref> [[File:U.S. President Eisenhower visited TAIWAN 美國總統艾森豪於1960年6月訪問臺灣台北時與蔣中正總統-2.jpg|thumb|left|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.<ref name="bbctimeline-coldwar">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1955_1972.stm |title=Taiwan Timeline – Cold war fortress |year=2002 |work=BBC News |access-date=2 July 2009}}</ref> This rapid economic growth, known as the [[Taiwan Miracle]], occurred following a strategy of prioritizing agriculture, light industries, and heavy industries, in that order.{{sfnp|Hsü|1982|p=173}} [[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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wu|first=Tsong-Min|year=2016|title=From Economic Controls to Export Expansion in Postwar Taiwan: 1946–1960|url=https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/publications/summary/16030030.html|website=RIETI|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> [[Ten Major Construction Projects|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.{{sfnp|Hsü|1982|p=174}} In the 1970s, Taiwan became the second fastest growing economy in Asia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917286-3,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220041321/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917286-3,00.html |archive-date=20 December 2009 |title=China: Chiang Kai-shek: Death of the Casualty |date=14 April 1975 |newspaper=Time |page=3 }}</ref> Real growth in [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] averaged over 10 percent.<ref name="Wu&Cheng2002">{{cite web|last1=Wu|first1=Rong-i|last2=Cheng|first2=Cheng-mount|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=8&post=12649&unitname=Economics-Taiwan-Review&postname=Going-Up|title=Going Up|website=Taiwan Today|date=1 June 2002|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> 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.{{sfnp|Hsü|1982|pp=175, 176}} By 1980, foreign trade reached $39 billion per year and generated a surplus of $46.5 million.{{sfnp|Hsü|1982|p=173}} 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 [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758|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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sun |first=Yat-sen |author2=Julie Lee Wei |author3=Ramon Hawley Myers |author4=Donald G. Gillin |title=Prescriptions for saving China: selected writings of Sun Yat-sen|editor=Julie Lee Wei |editor2=Ramon Hawley Myers |editor3=Donald G. Gillin |publisher=Hoover Press |year=1994 |page=36 |isbn=978-0-8179-9281-1 |url={{GBurl|id=YA3TzmnYRpYC}} |quote=The party first applied Sun's concept of political tutelage by governing through martial law, not tolerating opposition parties, controlling the public media, and using the 1947 constitution drawn up on the China mainland to govern. Thus, much of the world in those years gave the government low scores for democracy and human rights but admitted it had accomplished an economic miracle.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Chao |first=Linda |author2=Ramon Hawley Myers |title=Democracy's new leaders in the Republic of China on Taiwan |publisher=Hoover Press |year=1997 |page=3 |isbn=978-0-8179-3802-4 |url={{GBurl|id=tIiAd4MABAIC}} |quote=Although this party [the KMT] had initiated a democratic breakthrough and guided the democratic transition, it had also upheld martial law for thirty-six years and severely repressed political dissent and any efforts to establish an opposition party.{{nbsp}}... How was it possible that this party, so hated by opposition politicians and long regarded by Western critics as a dictatorial, Leninist-type party, still remained in power?}}</ref>{{sfnp|Fung|2000|p=67|ps=: "Nanjing was not only undemocratic and repressive but also inefficient and corrupt.{{nbsp}}... Furthermore, like other authoritarian regimes, the GMD sought to control people's mind."}}{{sfnp|Fung|2000|p=85|ps=: "The response to national emergency, critics argued, was not merely military, it was, even more important, political, requiring the termination of one-party dictatorship and the development of democratic institutions."}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Copper|first=John Franklin |title=Consolidating Taiwan's democracy |publisher=University Press of America |year=2005|page=8|isbn=978-0-7618-2977-5|url={{GBurl|id=761bWuEtEfEC}} |quote=Also, the "Temporary Provisions" (of the Constitution) did not permit forming new political parties, and those that existed at this time did not seriously compete with the Nationalist Party. Thus, at the national level the KMT did not permit competitive democratic elections.}}</ref> From the late 1970s to the 1990s, Taiwan underwent political and social reforms that transformed it into a democracy.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chou|first1=Yangsun|last2=Nathan|first2=Andrew J.|year=1987|title=Democratizing Transition in Taiwan|journal=Maryland Series in Contemporary Asian Studies|volume=1987|issue=3|url=https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/mscas/vol1987/iss3/}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ko|first1=Jim W.|year=2004|title=Cold War Triumph – Taiwan Democratized in Spite of U.S. Efforts|journal=Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law|volume=36|issue=1|pages=137–181|url=https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1389&context=jil}}</ref> [[Chiang Ching-kuo]], Chiang Kai-shek's son, served as [[Premier of the Republic of China|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).<ref name="Kagan">Richard Kagan. ''Taiwan's Statesman: Lee Teng-hui and Democracy in Asia.'' Naval Institute Press, 2014. p. 91-93. {{ISBN|978-1-61251-755-1}}</ref> Pro-democracy activists ''[[Tangwai movement|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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/asia_pacific/2000/taiwan_elections2000/1972_1986.stm|title=Out with the old|year=2002|work=BBC News|access-date=30 October 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/10/08/taiwan-president-to-propose-end-to-islands-martial-law/363c7248-ccc9-4173-8599-419a587b5800/|title=Taiwan President to Propose End to Island's Martial Law|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=8 October 1986}}</ref> On 15 July 1987, Chiang lifted martial law on the main island of Taiwan.<ref>{{cite news|last=Southerl|first=Daniel|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/07/15/after-38-years-taiwan-lifts-martial-law/6ba420e6-f061-467a-9647-63858e4956b3/|title=After 38 Years, Taiwan Lifts Martial Law|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=15 July 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=F0120018|title=Compensation Act for Wrongful Trials on Charges of Sedition and Espionage during the Martial Law Period|website=Laws and Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan)|access-date=10 December 2022|quote=if the case took place in Kinmen, Matsu, Dongsha and Nansha, the term "martial law period" refers to the period of time from December 10, 1948 to November 6, 1992.}}</ref> ====Transition to democracy==== {{See also|Politics of the Republic of China}} [[File:President Lee teng hui.png|thumb|upright|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.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 January 1988 |title=Taiwan Leader Chiang Dies; Pushed Reform |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-14-mn-36123-story.html}}</ref> 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 of the Republic of China|Additional Articles of the Constitution]] were introduced.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chiou |first=C.L. |year=1993 |title=The 1990 National Affairs Conference and the future of democracy in Taiwan |journal=Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=17–33 |doi=10.1080/14672715.1993.10408343|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Tang1999">{{cite conference |last=Tang |first=Dennis Te-chung |year=1999 |title=Constitutional Reforms in Taiwan in the 1990s |url=https://idv.sinica.edu.tw/dennis/19990712.pdf |conference=5th World Congress of the International Association of Constitutional Law |publisher=Erasmus University}}</ref> Congressional representation was allocated to only the [[Free area of the Republic of China|Taiwan Area]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Leng |first1=Shao-chuan |last2=Lin |first2=Cheng-yi |year=1993 |title=Political Change on Taiwan: Transition to Democracy? |journal=The China Quarterly |volume=136 |issue=136 |pages=805–839 |doi=10.1017/S0305741000032343 |jstor=655592 |s2cid=154907110}}</ref> and Taiwan underwent a process of [[Taiwanese nationalism|localization]] in which Taiwanese culture and history were promoted over a [[Chinese nationalism#In Taiwan|pan-China viewpoint]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chang |first=Bi-yu |year=2004 |title=From Taiwanisation to De-sinification |journal=China Perspectives |volume=56 |issue=6 |doi=10.4000/chinaperspectives.438|doi-access=free }}</ref> while [[Cultural assimilation|assimilationist]] policies were replaced with support for [[multiculturalism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Klöter |first=Henning |year=2004 |title=Language Policy in the KMT and DPP eras |journal=China Perspectives |volume=56 |issue=6 |doi=10.4000/chinaperspectives.442|doi-access=free }}</ref> In 1996, Lee was re-elected in [[1996 Taiwanese presidential election|the first direct presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Richburg |first=Keith B. |date=24 March 1996 |title=China Fails to Sway Election in Taiwan |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/03/24/china-fails-to-sway-election-in-taiwan/224dd1fa-3b95-40b1-ad92-d25f99f4a9fb/}}</ref> During Lee's administration, both he and his party were involved in corruption controversies that came to be known as "[[black gold (politics)|black gold]]" politics.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ching|first=Heng-wei|date=22 May 2000|title=Lee Teng-hui and the workings of the political machine|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2000/05/22/0000037016|work=Taipei Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Fell|first=Dafydd|year=2005|title=Political and Media Liberalization and Political Corruption in Taiwan|journal=The China Quarterly|volume=184|issue=184 |pages=875–893|doi=10.1017/S0305741005000548 |jstor=20192543 |s2cid=153762560 |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/3536/1/fell_political_corruption_in_taiwan.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Chung|first=Lawrence|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3095139/lee-teng-hui-controversial-figure-hailed-taiwans-father|title=Lee Teng-hui, a controversial figure hailed as Taiwan's "father of democracy"|work=South China Morning Post|date=30 July 2020}}</ref> [[Chen Shui-bian]] of the DPP was [[2000 Taiwanese presidential election|elected as the first non-KMT president in 2000]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/elect/archives/2000/03/19/0000028457|title=39% – A-bian wins – just|work=Taipei Times|date=19 March 2000}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Huang|first=Tong-yi|year=2002|title=Taiwan's 2001 Elections and Its Ongoing Democratic Consolidation|journal=American Journal of Chinese Studies|volume=9|issue=1|pages=43–57|jstor=44288689}}</ref> Polarized politics emerged in Taiwan with the Pan-Blue preference for eventual [[Chinese unification]], while the Pan-Green prefers [[Taiwan independence movement|Taiwanese independence]]. Chen's reference to "[[One Country on Each Side]]" of the Taiwan Strait undercut [[cross-Strait relations]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rigger|first=Shelley|author1-link=Shelley Rigger|year=2003|title=Taiwan in 2002: Another Year of Political Droughts and Typhoons|journal=Asian Survey|volume=43|issue=1|pages=41–48|doi=10.1525/as.2003.43.1.41}}</ref> He pushed for the [[2004 Taiwanese cross-Strait relations referendum|first national referendum]] on cross-Strait relations,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2004/03/21/2003107136|title=Controversial victory for Chen|work=Taipei Times|date=21 March 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.president.gov.tw/NEWS/1705|title=President Chen's Interview by the Washington Post|website=The Office of the President|date=30 March 2004}}</ref> and called for an end to the [[National Unification Council]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4753974.stm|work=BBC News|title=Taiwan scraps unification council|date=27 February 2006}}</ref> State-run companies began dropping "China" references in their names and including "Taiwan".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2007/02/10/2003348385|title=State-run firms begin name change|work=Taipei Times|date=10 February 2007}}</ref> In 2008, [[2008 Taiwanese United Nations membership referendums|referendums]] asked whether Taiwan should join the UN.<ref name="lam200803">{{cite journal | last = Lam | first = Willy | title = Ma Ying-jeou and the Future of Cross-Strait Relations | journal = China Brief | volume = 8 | issue = 7 | date = 28 March 2008 | url = http://jamestown.org/china_brief/article.php?articleid=2374064 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080413105956/http://www.jamestown.org/china_brief/article.php?articleid=2374064 |archive-date = 13 April 2008 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="NYT2008">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/world/asia/12taiwan.html|title=Taiwan's Independence Movement Likely to Wane|last=Wong|first=Edward |date=12 March 2008|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Chen's administration was also dogged by public concerns over reduced economic growth, legislative gridlock, and [[Chen Shui-bian corruption charges|corruption investigations]].<ref name="economist20080323">{{cite news|title=The Nationalists are back in Taiwan|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2008/03/23/the-nationalists-are-back-in-taiwan|newspaper=The Economist|date=23 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116201415/https://www.economist.com/asia/2008/03/23/the-nationalists-are-back-in-taiwan|archive-date=16 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="ft20080325">{{Cite news | title = Straitened times: Taiwan looks to China | newspaper = Financial Times | date= 25 March 2008 | url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/07d43e18-fa9a-11dc-aa46-000077b07658.html}}</ref><ref name="NYT2008" /> [[File:太陽花學運 IMG 5932 (13822412824).jpg|thumb|Students occupied the Legislative Yuan [[Sunflower Student Movement|in protest against]] a controversial [[Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement|trade agreement with China]] in March 2014.]] The KMT's nominee [[Ma Ying-jeou]] won the [[2008 Republic of China presidential election|2008 presidential election]] on a platform of increased economic growth and better ties with the PRC under a policy of "[[Special non-state-to-state relations|mutual non-denial]]".<ref name="lam200803" /> Under Ma, Taiwan and China opened up direct flights and cargo shipments.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=4&post=4430|title=Going Straight Ahead|website=Taiway Today|date=1 December 2009}}</ref> The PRC government even made the atypical decision to not demand that Taiwan be barred from the annual [[World Health Assembly]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/04/30/2003442391|title=WHO invites "Chinese Taipei" to WHA|work=Taipei Times|date=30 April 2009}}</ref> Ma also made an official apology for the White Terror.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7509805.stm |title=Taiwan sorry for white terror era |first=Caroline |last=Gluck |date=16 July 2008 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Stolojan|first1=Vladimir|last2=Guill|first2=Elizabeth|title=Transitional Justice and Collective Memory in Taiwan: How Taiwanese Society is Coming to Terms with Its Authoritarian Past|year=2017|journal=China Perspectives|volume=2017/2|issue=2 (110) |pages=27–35|doi=10.4000/chinaperspectives.7327|jstor=26380503|doi-access=free}}</ref> However, closer economic ties with China raised concerns about its political consequences.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mearsheimer|first=John J.|title=Say Goodbye to Taiwan|url=https://nationalinterest.org/article/say-goodbye-taiwan-9931|website=The National Interest|date=25 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Ho|first=Ming-sho|year=2015|title=Occupy Congress in Taiwan: Political Opportunity, Threat, and the Sunflower Movement|journal=Journal of East Asian Studies|volume=15|issue=1|pages=69–97|doi=10.1017/S1598240800004173|doi-access=free}}</ref> 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 Taiwanese presidential election|2016 presidential]] and [[2016 Taiwanese legislative election|legislative elections]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ho |first1=Ming-sho |title=The Activist Legacy of Taiwan's Sunflower Movement |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2018/08/02/activist-legacy-of-taiwan-s-sunflower-movement-pub-76966 |website=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]] |access-date=4 March 2021}}</ref> the latter of which resulted in the first DPP legislative majority in Taiwanese history.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chow|first=Jermyn|title=Historic change as KMT loses long-held Parliament majority|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/historic-change-as-kmt-loses-long-held-parliament-majority|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=17 January 2016}}</ref> In January 2024, [[Lai Ching-te|William Lai Ching-te]] of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party won Taiwan's [[2024 Taiwanese presidential election|presidential elections]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Photos: Taiwan holds closely watched presidential and parliamentary polls |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/1/13/taiwan-votes-in-closely-watched-presidential-and-parliamentary-elections |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> However, no party won a majority in the simultanious Taiwan's [[2024 Taiwanese legislative election|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=No party gets majority in Legislature; KMT wins most seats – Focus Taiwan |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202401130014 |work=Focus Taiwan – CNA English News |date=13 January 2024}}</ref> ==Geography== {{Main|Geography of Taiwan}} [[File:Taiwan NASA Terra MODIS 2022-07-21.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A satellite image of Taiwan, showing it is mostly mountainous in the east, with gently sloping plains in the west. The [[Penghu|Penghu Islands]] are west of the main island.]] The land controlled by the ROC consists of [[list of islands of Taiwan|168 islands]]{{efn|name = Taiwan Islands}} with a combined area of {{convert|36193|km2}}.<ref name="taiwansnapshot"/><ref name="NDC2021"/>{{efn|name = ROC territory}} The main island, known historically as ''Formosa'', makes up 99 percent of this area, measuring {{convert|35,808|km2|sqmi|0}} and lying some {{convert|180|km|mi|0}} 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|Penghu Islands]] in the Taiwan Strait, the [[Kinmen]], [[Matsu Islands|Matsu]] and [[Wuqiu, Kinmen|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 {{cvt|3,952|m|ft}}, making Taiwan the world's [[list of islands by highest point|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 volcano]]es 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]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> 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.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref> ===Climate=== {{See also| Climate change in Taiwan}} [[File:Koppen-Geiger Map TWN present.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|Köppen climate classification of Taiwan]] Taiwan lies on the [[Tropic of Cancer]], and its general [[climate]] is marine [[tropical climate|tropical]].<ref name="cia-factbook">{{cite web |title=Taiwan |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/taiwan/ |work=The World Factbook |publisher=United States Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=6 May 2019}}</ref> The northern and central regions are subtropical, whereas the south is tropical and the mountainous regions are temperate.{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=44}} The average rainfall is {{convert|2600|mm|abbr=off}} per year for the island proper; the [[East Asian rainy season|rainy season]] is concurrent with the onset of the summer [[East Asian Monsoon]] in May and June.{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=45}} The entire island experiences hot, humid weather from June through September. [[Typhoon]]s are most common in July, August and September.{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=45}} 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 in Taiwan|climate change]], the average temperature in Taiwan has risen {{Convert|1.4|C-change|abbr=}} in the last 100 years, twice the worldwide temperature rise.<ref>{{cite web|title=Climate of Taiwan|url=https://traveltips.usatoday.com/climate-taiwan-62832.html|access-date=18 September 2020|website=USA Today|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Is Taiwan Doing Enough to Address Climate Change in The Hottest Summer Ever?｜Politics & Society｜2020-08-19｜web only|url=https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=2780|access-date=18 September 2020|website=CommonWealth Magazine}}</ref> ===Geology=== {{Main|Geology of Taiwan}} [[File:大霸尖山.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mount Dabajian]] was selected as one of the [[100 Peaks of Taiwan]].]] The island of Taiwan lies in a complex [[tectonics|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 [[terrane]]s, mostly old [[island arc]]s 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 [[subduction|subducted]] beneath remnants of the Philippine Sea Plate, a process which left the crust under Taiwan more buoyant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geo.arizona.edu/~anderson/taiwan/tai_index.html |title=Geology of Taiwan |publisher=University of Arizona |access-date=1 August 2010}}</ref> 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 [[Haian Range|eastern Coastal Range]] and parallel inland [[Huatung Valley|Longitudinal Valley]] of Taiwan, respectively.<ref>Clift, Schouten and Draut (2003) in ''Intra-Oceanic Subduction Systems: Tectonic and Magmatic Processes'', {{ISBN|1-86239-147-5}} p84–86</ref> 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 "[[1999 Jiji (Chichi) earthquake|921 earthquake]]" killed more than 2,400 people. The [[seismic hazard map]] for Taiwan by the [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] shows 9/10 of the island at the most hazardous rating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/GSHAP/eastasia/asiafin.gif |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000303055258/http://seismo.ethz.ch/gshap/eastasia/asiafin.gif |archive-date=3 March 2000 |title=USGS seismic hazard map of Eastern Asia |publisher=Seismo.ethz.ch |access-date=30 May 2011 }}</ref> =={{anchor|status}}Political and legal status== {{Main|Political status of Taiwan}} {{See also|List of states with limited recognition|Foreign relations of China#International territorial disputes|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.<ref name="PRCNorway">{{cite web |url=https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/ceno/eng/ztxw/twwt/t110655.htm |title=White Paper—The One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=21 February 2000 |website=Embassy of the PRC in the Kingdom of Norway |publisher=The Taiwan Affairs Office and The Information Office of the State Council |access-date=27 November 2021 |quote=As we have already said, Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and, after replacing the government of the Republic of China in 1949, the government of the PRC has become the sole legal government of China, enjoying and exercising sovereignty over the whole of China, including Taiwan.}}</ref> The ROC, however, has its [[New Taiwan dollar|own currency]], [[Taiwan passport|widely accepted passport]], [[Postage stamps and postal history of Taiwan|postage stamps]], internet [[Top-level domain|TLD]], armed forces and constitution with an independently elected president.<ref name="tfp09">{{cite web |title=Taiwan flashpoint: Introduction – Present status |website=BBC News |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) |date=2009 |access-date=6 December 2020 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/present_status.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205164959/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/present_status.stm |archive-date=5 December 2020 |quote=But Taiwan's leaders say it is clearly much more than a province, arguing that it is a sovereign state. It has its own constitution, democratically-elected leaders, and 400,000 troops in its armed forces. }}</ref> It has not formally renounced its claim to the mainland, but ROC government publications have increasingly downplayed this historical claim.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chang |first=Bi-yu |date=2015 |title=Place, Identity, and National Imagination in Post-war Taiwan |url={{GBurl|id=hgaUBwAAQBAJ|q=9781317658122|p=58}} |publisher=Routledge |pages=35–40, 46–60 |isbn=978-1-317-65812-2 }}</ref> Though it was a [[Member states of the United Nations#Original members|founding member of United Nations]], the ROC now has neither official membership nor observer status in the organization. ===Relations with the PRC=== {{Main|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.<ref name="woo21" /> It seeks to prevent or reduce any formal recognition of the ROC as an independent sovereign state,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Huang |first1=Jing |editor-last1=Dittmer |editor-first1=Lowell |year=2017 |chapter=Xi Jinping's Taiwan Policy: Boxing Taiwan In with the One-China Framework |chapter-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1w76wpm.16 |title=Taiwan and China: Fitful Embrace |edition=1st |publisher=University of California Press |pages=239–248 |jstor=10.1525/j.ctt1w76wpm}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Shattuck|first=Thomas J.|year=2020|title=The Race to Zero?: China's Poaching of Taiwan's Diplomatic Allies|journal=Orbis|volume=64|issue=2|pages=334–352|doi=10.1016/j.orbis.2020.02.003|pmid=32292214 |pmc=7102519 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Chao|first=Chien-Min|year=1987|title="One Country, Two Systems": A Theoretical Analysis|journal=Asian Affairs: An American Review|volume=14|issue=2|pages=107–124|doi=10.1080/00927678.1987.10553643|jstor=30172037}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Lin|first=Gang|year=2016|title=Beijing's New Strategies toward a Changing Taiwan|journal=Journal of Contemporary China|volume=25|issue=99|pages=321–335|doi=10.1080/10670564.2015.1104863 |s2cid=155357074 |url=https://taiwan.sjtu.edu.cn/Beijing%E2%80%99s%20New%20Strategies%20toward%20a%20Changing%20Taiwan.pdf}}</ref> While it aims for peaceful reunification, the PRC does not rule out the use of force.<ref name="PRCNorway"/><ref name="scmp2014sep27">{{cite news|last1=Chung|first1=Lawrence|title='One country, two systems' right formula for Taiwan, Xi Jinping reiterates|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1601307/one-country-two-systems-right-formula-taiwan-xi-jinping-reiterates?page=all|access-date=14 April 2015|work=South China Morning Post|date=27 September 2014}}</ref><ref name="bbc21">{{cite news |title=China-Taiwan tensions: We will not bow to Beijing pressure, says leader |date=10 October 2021 |work= BBC News |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58860365 |access-date=10 October 2021 }}</ref> The political environment is complicated by the potential for military conflict<ref name="mol21">{{cite news |title=Proof China has been practising for years for a war that would spark mass global conflict |first=Shannon |last=Molloy |date=13 October 2021 |work=news.com.au |publisher=Nationwide News |url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/proof-china-has-been-practising-for-years-for-a-war-that-would-spark-mass-global-conflict/news-story/efe55679a42171268224ba89b084e386 |access-date=13 October 2021 }}</ref><ref name="mar21">{{cite news |title=U.S. Lawmakers' Visit to Taiwan Tests Detente With China |first=Peter |last=Martin |date=10 November 2021 |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-09/u-s-lawmakers-visit-to-taiwan-inflames-tensions-with-china |url-access=limited |access-date=13 November 2021 }}</ref><ref name="yn21">{{cite news |title='Inconceivable': Peter Dutton warns of major China move |author=Yahoo News Staff |date=13 November 2021 |work=Yahoo News |publisher=Yahoo |url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/inconceivable-australia-must-prepare-major-china-move-002430696.html |access-date=13 November 2021 }}</ref><ref name="cha21">{{cite news |title=China's media mouthpiece issues thinly-veiled warning to Australia amid tension over Taiwan |first=Alex |last=Chapman |date=14 November 2021 |work=7News |url=https://7news.com.au/travel/china/chinas-media-mouthpiece-issues-thinly-veiled-warning-to-australia-amid-tension-over-taiwan-c-4551154 |access-date=14 November 2021 |quote=Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend itself if China attacks. }}</ref> 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).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/china/facility/liancheng.htm|title=Liancheng / Lianfeng Airbase – Chinese Military Forces|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|access-date=7 June 2009|quote=In March 2000 it was reported that the PLA Air Force was deploying new air-defense missiles [possibly batteries of Russian-made S-300 missiles] opposite Taiwan at the coastal cities of Xiamen and Shantou, and at Longtian, near Fuzhou.}}</ref><ref name=2004NatDefRpt>{{cite web|year=2004 |title=2004 National Defense Report |work=ROC Ministry of National Defense |url=https://china.usc.edu/sites/default/files/article/attachments/taiwan-2004-national-defense-report.pdf |access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref><ref name="srf21">{{cite news |title=Luftraumverletzungen in Taiwan: Es geht um Einschüchterung |trans-title=Airspace intrusion in Taiwan: It's about intimidation |language=DE-ch |date=5 October 2021 |work=SRF 4 News |publisher=SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen |url=https://www.srf.ch/news/international/militaerjets-aus-china-luftraumverletzungen-in-taiwan-es-geht-um-einschuechterung |access-date=10 October 2021 }}</ref> [[File:2015 Ma–Xi Meeting 08.jpg|thumb|[[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.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL30341.html|title=China/Taiwan: Evolution of the "One China" Policy—Key Statements from Washington, Beijing, and Taipei|website=www.everycrsreport.com}}</ref> In 2019, [[Tsai Ing-wen]] rejected the 1992 Consensus.<ref>{{cite web|title= President Tsai issues statement on China's President Xi's "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan"|url=https://english.president.gov.tw/News/5621|website=Office of the President, ROC (Taiwan) |date=2 January 2019|access-date=4 July 2023}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite news|title=Taiwan's President, Defying Xi Jinping, Calls Unification Offer "Impossible"|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/05/world/asia/taiwan-xi-jinping-tsai-ing-wen.html|work=The New York Times|date=5 January 2019|access-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105130541/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/05/world/asia/taiwan-xi-jinping-tsai-ing-wen.html|archive-date=5 January 2019}}</ref> ===Foreign relations=== {{Main|Foreign relations of Taiwan}} [[File:Countries recognizing the Republic of China (Taiwan).svg|thumb|upright=1.2| {{Legend|black|Republic of China (Taiwan)}} {{Legend|#007f00|Countries that have formal relations with Taiwan}} {{Legend|#8fbc8f|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 [[Beiyang Government|Peiyang Government]] by the Kuomintang (KMT), which led to widespread diplomatic recognition of the Republic of China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/countries/china |title=Countries – China|publisher=US Department of State, Office of the Historian|access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref> 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<ref>Wolf, David C. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/260389 'To Secure a Convenience': Britain Recognizes China – 1950]. Journal of Contemporary History, vol. 18, no. 2, 1983, pp. 299–326. JSTOR.</ref> – 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.<ref>Eyal Propper. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120325191248/http://israelcfr.com/documents/issue5_china.pdf "How China Views its National Security,"] [[Israel Council on Foreign Relations|The Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs]], May 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=United Nations Digital Library|url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/735611?ln=en|page=41| title=General Assembly, 26th session: 1976th plenary meeting, Monday, 25 October 1971, New York (A/PV.1976)|year = 1974}}</ref> [[File:Taiwanese Embassy in Mbabane.JPG|thumb|[[Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Kingdom of Eswatini|ROC embassy]] in [[Eswatini]]]] The PRC refuses to have [[diplomacy|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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Henckaerts|first=Jean-Marie|title=The international status of Taiwan in the new world order|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|year=1996|pages=96–97|isbn=978-90-411-0929-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_9kuVIayxDoC&pg=PA96}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Lee|first=Tzu-wen|year=1996|title=The International Legal Status of the Republic of China on Taiwan|journal=UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs|volume=1|issue=2|pages=351–392|jstor=45302055}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Drun|first=Jessica|date=28 December 2017|title=One China, Multiple Interpretations|url=https://www.ccpwatch.org/single-post/2017/12/29/one-china-multiple-interpretations|website=Center for Advanced China Research|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref> As a result, only {{Numrec|ROC||UN member states}} and the [[Holy See]] maintain official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China.<ref name="ap2024"/> The ROC maintains unofficial relations with other countries via ''de facto'' [[embassy|embassies]] and [[consul (representative)|consulates]] mostly called [[Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office]]s (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.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pajtinka|first=Erik|year=2017|title=Between Diplomacy and Paradiplomacy: Taiwan's Foreign Relations in Current Practice|journal=Journal of Nationalism, Memory & Language Politics|volume=11|issue=1|pages=39–57|doi=10.1515/jnmlp-2017-0003 |s2cid=158957023 |doi-access=free}}</ref> From 1954 to 1979, the United States was a partner with Taiwan in a mutual defense treaty. The United States remains one of the [[Republic of China-United States relations|main supporters]] of Taiwan and, through the [[Taiwan Relations Act]] passed in 1979, has continued selling arms and providing military training to the [[Republic of China Armed Forces|Armed Forces]].<ref name="TRA-review">{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/research/asiaandthepacific/bg1272.cfm|title=The Taiwan Relations Act After 20 Years: Keys to Past and Future Success|first=Stephen J.|last=Yates|author-link=Stephen J. Yates|date=16 April 1999|publisher=The Heritage Foundation|access-date=19 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722095740/http://www.heritage.org/research/asiaandthepacific/bg1272.cfm|archive-date=22 July 2009}}</ref> The People's Republic of China considers US involvement disruptive to the stability of the region.<ref name="SanctionsAFP">{{cite news|title=China: US spat over Taiwan could hit co-operation |date=2 February 2010 |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jDzKLVZ7X2dz8yrsshklcJZh38Cg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206214100/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jDzKLVZ7X2dz8yrsshklcJZh38Cg |archive-date=6 February 2010 |access-date=17 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Obama to push ahead on Taiwan frigate sales despite Chinese anger|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/14/obama-to-push-ahead-on-taiwan-frigate-sales-despite-chinese-anger.html|publisher=[[CNBC]]|agency=[[Reuters]]|date=14 December 2015}}</ref> 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".<ref name="UsPolicyToTaiwan">{{cite press release |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |date=21 April 2004|title=Overview of US Policy Towards Taiwan |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2004/31649.htm |access-date=17 July 2014 |last=Kelly |first=James A.}}</ref> While not officially classified as a [[major non-NATO ally]], it has been ''de facto'' treated this way by the [[United States]] since 2003.<ref name="Kan20092">{{cite book |last=Kan |first=Shirley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJSHhOZo_j8C&pg=PA52 |title=Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990 |date=December 2009 |publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=978-1-4379-2041-3 |pages=52}}</ref> Taiwan, since 2016 under the Tsai administration's [[New Southbound Policy]], has pursued closer economic relations with South and [[Southeast Asia]]n countries, increasing cooperation on investments and people-to-people exchanges despite the region's general lack of official diplomatic ties with Taipei.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sana Hashmi |date=5 February 2021 |title=Perfecting Taiwan's New Southbound Policy |url=https://thediplomat.com/2021/02/perfecting-taiwans-new-southbound-policy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230125053859/https://thediplomat.com/2021/02/perfecting-taiwans-new-southbound-policy/ |archive-date=25 January 2023 |website=[[The Diplomat]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=30 August 2021 |title=Southbound Policy options discussed |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/08/30/2003763471 |access-date=25 January 2023 |website=[[Taipei Times]]}}</ref> The policy has led to Taiwan receiving an increased number of migrants and students from the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ralph Jennings |date=28 February 2019 |title=Illegal immigration disrupt Taiwan's economic shift away from China and towards Southeast Asia |url=https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2187922/illegal-immigration-disrupts-taiwans-economic-shift-away-china |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210504063103/https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2187922/illegal-immigration-disrupts-taiwans-economic-shift-away-china |archive-date=4 May 2021 |access-date=25 January 2023 |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |language=en}}</ref> However, a few scandals of Southeast Asians, particularly Indonesians, experiencing exploitation in scholarship programs<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mimi Leung |date=7 January 2019 |title=Indonesia suspends student internships to Taiwan |url=https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20190107175952304 |access-date=25 January 2023 |website=[[University World News]]}}</ref> and in some labor industries have emerged as setbacks for the policy<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ja Ian Chong |date=10 April 2019 |title=Taiwan's New Southbound Policy: Accomplishments and Perceptions |url=https://www.eastwestcenter.org/publications/taiwan%E2%80%99s-new-southbound-policy-accomplishments-and-perceptions |website=[[East-West Center]] |place=[[National University of Singapore]] |language=en}}</ref> as well as for [[Indonesia-Taiwan relations]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chou |first=Bryan |date=5 November 2020 |title=Taiwan, Indonesia Spar Over Migrant Worker Fees |url=https://international.thenewslens.com/article/142835 |access-date=25 January 2023 |website=[[The News Lens]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 February 2017 |title=Perbudakan ABK di Taiwan Mendapat Perhatian Khusus Dewan |trans-title=ABK slavery in Taiwan Receives Special Attention from the Council |url=http://www.dpr.go.id/berita/detail/id/15447 |access-date=25 January 2023 |website=[[People's Representative Council]] |language=id |archive-date=25 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125092729/https://www.dpr.go.id/berita/detail/id/15447 }}</ref> ===Participation in international events and organizations=== {{See also|Foreign relations of Taiwan#Relation with International organizations|Chinese Taipei}} The ROC was a founding member of the United Nations, and held the [[China and the United Nations|seat of China]] on the [[United Nations Security Council|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.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hickey|first1=Dennis V.|date=1997|title=U.S. Policy and Taiwan's Bid to Rejoin the United Nations|journal=Asian Survey|volume=37|issue=11|pages=1031–1043|doi=10.2307/2645739|jstor=2645739 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/taiwans-un-dilemma-to-be-or-not-to-be/|title=Taiwan's UN Dilemma: To Be or Not To Be|last1=Winkler|first1=Sigrid|website=The Brookings Institution|date=20 June 2012|access-date=16 November 2022}}</ref> Due to the [[One China]] policy, most [[Member states of the United Nations|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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tkacik |first=John |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2009/05/13/2003443455 |title=John Tkacik on Taiwan: Taiwan's 'undetermined' status|newspaper=Taipei Times |date=13 May 2009 |access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref> The ROC government shifted its focus to organizations affiliated with the UN, as well as organizations outside the UN system.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Li|first1=Chien-pin|date=2006|title=Taiwan's Participation in Inter-Governmental Organizations: An Overview of Its Initiatives|journal=Asian Survey|volume=46|issue=4|pages=597–614|doi=10.1525/as.2006.46.4.597|jstor=10.1525/as.2006.46.4.597 |url=https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/facpubs/34 }}</ref> The government sought to participate in the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) since 1997,<ref>{{cite news|title=Minister Chiu leads our WHA delegation to actively hold bilateral talks with delegations from other nations. This event has been the most successful medical-related diplomatic record over the past years.|url=http://www.mohw.gov.tw/EN/CommonPages/DocPrint.aspx?doc_no=45250|access-date=27 January 2015|publisher=Ministry of Health and Welfare|date=18 June 2014|archive-date=10 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210005025/http://www.mohw.gov.tw/EN/CommonPages/DocPrint.aspx?doc_no=45250}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=ROC urges world public to support WHO bid|url=http://taiwaninfo.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=19343&CtNode=103&htx_TRCategory=&mp=4|access-date=27 January 2015|work=Taiwan Info|date=3 May 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210015656/http://taiwaninfo.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=19343&CtNode=103&htx_TRCategory=&mp=4|archive-date=10 February 2015}}</ref> their efforts were rejected until 2009, when they participated as an observer under the name "Chinese Taipei" after reaching an agreement with Beijing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLI62888|title=Taiwan hopes WHO assembly will help boost its profile|last=Reid|first=Katie|work=Reuters|date=18 May 2009|access-date=11 June 2013|archive-date=15 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015040228/http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/05/18/idUSLI62888|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xitem=103148&ctnode=427&mp=9|title=Taiwan delegation to participate in WHA|newspaper=Taiwan Today|date=14 May 2010|access-date=2 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119091612/http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xitem=103148&ctnode=427&mp=9|archive-date=19 January 2012}}</ref> In 2017, Taiwan again began to be excluded from the WHO even in an observer capacity.<ref>{{cite web|title=WHO Bows to China Pressure, Contravenes Human Rights in Refusing Taiwan Media|url=https://international.thenewslens.com/article/95982|website=international.thenewslens.com|access-date=31 March 2020|date=18 May 2018}}</ref> This exclusion caused a number of scandals during the [[COVID-19]] outbreak.<ref>{{cite web |last=Davidson|first=Helen|date=30 March 2020|title=Senior WHO adviser appears to dodge question on Taiwan's Covid-19 response|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/30/senior-who-adviser-appears-to-dodge-question-on-taiwans-covid-19-response |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Blanchard |first1=Ben |title=Parties unite over Taiwan's exclusion from WHO anti-virus planning |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-taiwan/parties-unite-over-taiwans-exclusion-from-who-anti-virus-planning-idUSKBN1ZN0QG |work=Reuters |access-date=31 March 2020|date=24 January 2020 }}</ref> [[File:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg|thumb|The flag used by Taiwan at the Olympic Games, where it competes as "[[Chinese Taipei]]" ({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|中華台北}})|alt=A white symbol in shape of a five petal flower ringed by a blue and a red line. In its center stands a circular symbol depicting a white sun on a blue background. The five Olympic circles (blue, yellow, black, green and red) stand below it.]] The [[Republic of China at the Olympics#Nagoya Resolution|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]].<ref name="Brownell2007">{{cite web|last=Brownell|first=Susan|url=http://hnn.us/article/51398#sthash.04ZCBpL4.dpuf|title=Could China stop Taiwan from coming to the Olympic Games?|website=History News Network|date=14 June 2008|access-date=26 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="Lin">{{cite news |title=How 'Chinese Taipei' came about |author=Catherine K. Lin |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/08/05/2003419446 |newspaper=Taipei Times |date=5 August 2008}}</ref><ref name="chinese-taipei">{{cite news |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan%20relations/2008/07/25/167036/Taiwan-insists.htm |title=Taiwan insists on 'Chinese Taipei' |newspaper=China Post |date=25 July 2008 |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-date=29 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629085958/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan%20relations/2008/07/25/167036/Taiwan-insists.htm }}</ref> Under the IOC charter, [[Flag of the Republic of China|ROC flags]] cannot be flown at any official Olympic venue or gathering.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Taiwan flags in Salt Lake ruffle a few feelings |date=10 February 2002 |newspaper=The Deseret News |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/894748/Taiwan-flags-in-SL-ruffle-a-few-feelings.html |access-date=19 January 2012 |archive-date=8 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008024953/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/894748/Taiwan-flags-in-SL-ruffle-a-few-feelings.html }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Chu|first=Ming-chin Monique|year=2016|title=No Need to Beg China? Taiwan's Membership of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation as a Contested State|journal=The China Quarterly|volume=225|issue=225 |pages=169–189|doi=10.1017/S030574101500171X|jstor=24743040 |s2cid=155769358 |url=https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/381497/1/TW%2520membership%2520of%2520APEC%2520as%2520a%2520contested%2520state-Monique%2520Chu-author%2520manuscript.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wto.org/english/theWTO_e/countries_e/chinese_taipei_e.htm|title=Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei) and the WTO|publisher=World Trade Organization|access-date=7 June 2009}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unpo.org/content/view/7908/146/ |title=Taiwan |publisher=UNPO |access-date=7 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfd.org.tw/english/about.php|title=About TFD|publisher=TFD|archive-date=18 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080318204700/http://www.tfd.org.tw/english/about.php}}</ref> ===Domestic opinion=== {{See also|Taiwan independence movement|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.<ref name="chengchiIndepUnif">{{cite web |title=Taiwan Independence vs. Unification with the Mainland |url=https://esc.nccu.edu.tw/PageDoc/Detail?fid=7801&id=6963 |publisher=Election Study Center, [[National Chengchi University]] |access-date=27 October 2021}}</ref> A [[2018 Taiwanese referendum|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".<ref name="HortonNYT2018">{{Cite news|last=Horton|first=Chris|date=26 November 2018|title=Taiwan Asked Voters 10 Questions. It Got Some Unexpected Answers. (Published 2018)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/26/world/asia/taiwan-election.html}}</ref> The KMT, the largest [[Pan-Blue Coalition|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Devlin |first1=Kat |last2=Huang |first2=Christine |date=12 May 2020 |title=In Taiwan, Views of Mainland China Mostly Negative |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/05/12/in-taiwan-views-of-mainland-china-mostly-negative/ |access-date=5 August 2022 |website=Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project |language=en-US}}</ref> [[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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national%20news/2008/05/16/156644/Unification-with.htm|title=Unification with China unlikely 'in our lifetimes': president-elect|last=Enav|first=Peter |date=16 May 2008|newspaper=China Post|access-date=13 June 2009|quote='It is very difficult for us to see any unification talks even in our lifetimes,' Ma said. 'Taiwanese people would like to have economic interactions with the mainland, but obviously they don't believe their political system is suitable for Taiwan.'}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.oem.com.mx/oem/notas/n836891.htm|title=Impulsa Taiwan la reconciliación|date=2 September 2008|newspaper=El Sol de México|language=es|access-date=9 June 2009|quote=Esencialmente, no definiríamos la relación a través del estrecho de Taiwan como una relación de dos países o dos Chinas, porque nuestra Constitución no lo permite. Nosotros definiríamos está relación como una relación muy especial, ya que la Constitución nuestra, igual que la Constitución de China continental, no permite la existencia de otro país dentro del territorio.|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092648/http://www.oem.com.mx/oem/notas/n836891.htm}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |work=BBC News |title=Taiwan Flashpoint: Independence debate |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/independence_debate.stm |year=2009 |quote=Since neither outcome looks likely in the short or even medium term, it is perhaps not surprising that opinion polls suggest most Taiwanese people want things to stay as they are, with the island's ambiguous status unresolved.}}</ref> 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,<ref name="cha21" /><ref name="bbc21" /><ref name="srf21" /><ref name="gra21">{{cite news |title=For China's Xi Jinping, attacking Taiwan is about identity – that's what makes it so dangerous |first=Stan |last=Grant |author-link=Stan Grant (journalist) |date=10 October 2021 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-10/china-xi-jinping-attacking-taiwan-about-identity-so-dangerous/100524868 |access-date=10 October 2021 }}</ref><ref name="dpa21-10">{{cite news |title=China: Manöver sollen Druck auf Taiwan und USA verstärken |trans-title=China: Maneuvers intended to increase pressure on Taiwan and the USA |author=dpa |author-link=Deutsche Presse-Agentur |date=13 October 2021 |language=de |work=Süddeutsche Zeitung |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/konflikte-china-manoever-sollen-druck-auf-taiwan-und-usa-verstaerken-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-211013-99-578083 |quote=Ohnehin versteht sich Taiwan längst selbst als unabhängig. |trans-quote=In any case, Taiwan has long seen itself as independent. }}</ref> it had no need to declare independence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.todayonline.com/chinaindia/china/taiwanese-premiers-independence-stance-incurs-beijings-wrath |title=Taiwanese premier's independence stance incurs Beijing's wrath |publisher=TODAYonline |date=28 September 2017 |access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref> ==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}} ==Military== {{Main|Republic of China Armed Forces}} {{See also|Republic of China Military Academy}} [[File:05.25 總統視導漢光33號演習 (34750802021).jpg|thumb|The [[Han Kuang Exercise]] is an annual military exercise by the [[Republic of China Armed Forces|ROC Armed Forces]] in preparation for a possible attack from the PRC.]] The [[Republic of China Army]] takes its roots in the [[National Revolutionary Army]], which was established by [[Sun Yat-sen]] in 1925 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. It was later reformed into the Republic of China Army. 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 [[Republic of China Air Force|air force]] and [[Republic of China Navy|navy]]. Control of the armed forces has also passed into the hands of the civilian government.<ref name=towards>{{cite journal|last=Fravel|first=M. Taylor|title=Towards Civilian Supremacy: Civil-Military Relations in Taiwans's Democratization|journal=Armed Forces & Society|year=2002|volume=29|issue=1|pages=57–84|doi=10.1177/0095327X0202900104|s2cid=146212666 |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/510e/42aa20fb53c1a69b45b48b0b55b34117b361.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212081044/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/510e/42aa20fb53c1a69b45b48b0b55b34117b361.pdf|archive-date=12 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB988242686540854310?mod=googlewsj |title=Committed to Taiwan |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date= 26 April 2001|access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2004/P101.htm |title=Taiwan Yearbook 2004 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106230514/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/2004/P101.htm |archive-date=6 January 2012}}</ref> {{As of|2021}}, the total strength of the Armed Forces is capped at 215,000 with 90 percent manning ratio for volunteer military.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mnd.gov.tw/NewUpload/%E6%AD%B7%E5%B9%B4%E5%9C%8B%E9%98%B2%E5%A0%B1%E5%91%8A%E6%9B%B8%E7%B6%B2%E9%A0%81%E5%B0%88%E5%8D%80/%E6%AD%B7%E5%B9%B4%E5%9C%8B%E9%98%B2%E5%A0%B1%E5%91%8A%E6%9B%B8%E5%B0%88%E5%8D%80.files/%E5%9C%8B%E9%98%B2%E5%A0%B1%E5%91%8A%E6%9B%B8-110/110%E5%B9%B4%E5%9C%8B%E9%98%B2%E5%A0%B1%E5%91%8A%E6%9B%B8-%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E7%89%88.pdf|title=ROC National Defense Report 2021|pages=64, 116|website=Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C.|date=October 2021|access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/729500.stm |title=Asia-Pacific {{pipe}} Military alternative in Taiwan |work=BBC News |date=1 May 2000 |access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref> Taiwan cut compulsory military service to four months in 2013 but will extend military service to one year in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=2137|title=Taiwan cuts compulsory military service to 4 months|website=taiwantoday.tw|date=2 January 2012|access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-extend-compulsory-military-service-official-media-2022-12-27/|title=Taiwan to extend conscription to one year, citing rising China threat|work=Reuters|date=27 December 2022|access-date=28 December 2022}}</ref> The military's reservists is around 2.5 million including first-wave reservists numbered at 300,000 {{As of|2022|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2022/02/27/2003773863|title=Relax rules to boost reservist numbers: lawmakers|work=Taipei Times|date=27 February 2022|access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref> Taiwan's [[Military budget|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://milex.sipri.org/sipri|title=SIPRI Military Expenditure Database|work=SIPRI|access-date=28 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis|type=PhD|last=Li|first=Steven X.|date=2020|title=Why So Little? The Curious Case of Taiwan's Defense Spending|publisher=University of Washington|url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/1773/46343|access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2013/05/08/2003561727|title=US report critical of Taiwan's defenses|work=Taipei Times|date=8 May 2013|access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2018/07/16/2003696762|title=Defense budget fails to meet Tsai campaign pledge|work=Taipei Times|date=16 July 2018|access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://international.thenewslens.com/article/84504|title=Opinion: Taiwan Must Come to its Own Defense|website=The News Lens|date=1 December 2017|access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref> In 2022, Taiwan proposed 2.4 percent of projected GDP in defense spending for the following year, continued to remain below three percent.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4637283|title=Taiwan increases defense budget by 13.9% for 2023, rising to 2.4% of GDP|work=Taiwan News|date=25 August 2022|access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref> [[File:20200210 F16vsH6K Taiwan.jpg|thumb|A Taiwanese [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]] fighter jet flies next to a Chinese [[Xian H-6|H-6]] bomber (top) in Taiwan's [[Air defense identification zone|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.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shortall|first1=Dominick|last2=Johnson|first2=Jesse|date=28 October 2020|title=Once unimaginable, some now debating return of U.S. forces to Taiwan|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/10/28/asia-pacific/us-forces-taiwan-china/|access-date=6 January 2021|website=The Japan Times|language=en-US}}</ref> A significant amount of military hardware has been bought from the United States, and continues to be legally guaranteed by the [[Taiwan Relations Act]].<ref name="TRA-review" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ceri-sciencespo.com/archive/july01/jpcabest.pdf|title=France's Taiwan Policy: A Case of Shopkeeper Diplomacy|last=Cabestan|first=Jean-Pierre|year=2001|publisher=CERI|access-date=5 June 2009|quote=By excluding the French companies from the bidding lists of many contract, Peking wanted above all to stop a growing trend{{nbsp}}... to disregard its objections and interests in the Taiwan issue.{{nbsp}}... In spite of the ban of arms sales to Taiwan approved by the French government in January 1994, discreet and small-sized deals have continued to be concluded since then. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-09-24-taiwan_x.htm |title=Taiwan trying to shore up weapons support |newspaper=USA Today |date=24 September 2004 |access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|title=China Threat to Attack Taiwan Alarms Asia |date=14 March 2005 |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050411032736/http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2005%2F03%2F14%2Finternational%2Fi003051S91.DTL |url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/03/14/international/i003051S91.DTL |archive-date=11 April 2005 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="biden_interview_2022_08_29_abcnews">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/full-transcript-abc-news-george-stephanopoulos-interview-president/story?id=79535643|title=Full transcript of ABC News' George Stephanopoulos' interview with President Joe Biden|website=ABC News|date=19 August 2021|access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="biden_town_hall_2021_10_21_cnn">{{cite web|url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/se/date/2021-10-21/segment/01|title=CNN Presidential Town Hall With President Joe Biden|website=CNN|date=21 October 2021|access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="biden_kishida_remarks_2022_05_23_whitehouse_gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/05/23/remarks-by-president-biden-and-prime-minister-fumio-kishida-of-japan-in-joint-press-conference/|title=Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan in Joint Press Conference|website=The White House|date=23 May 2022|access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/president-joe-biden-60-minutes-interview-transcript-2022-09-18/|title=President Joe Biden: The 2022 60 Minutes Interview|work=CBS News|date=18 September 2022|access-date=28 December 2022}}</ref> However, White House officials insisted that US policy on Taiwan has not changed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 May 2022 |title=White House walks back Biden Taiwan defense claim for third time in 9 months |url=https://nypost.com/2022/05/23/white-house-walks-back-biden-taiwan-defense-claim-again/ |access-date=24 May 2022 |website=New York Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-s-taiwan-comments-raise-questions-about-us-stance-/6754684.html|title=Biden's Taiwan Comments Raise Questions About US Stance|work=VOA|date=19 September 2022|access-date=28 December 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kapstein|first=Ethan B. |author2=Michael Mastanduno |title=Unipolar politics|publisher=Columbia University Press|page=194|isbn=978-0-231-11309-0|url={{GBurl|id=68s2k0ztkCMC|p=194}}|year=1999|quote=The Japanese leadership openly split on whether a crisis in Taiwan was included in the geographic expression "area surrounding Japan." In the event, Japan refused to stipulate the contingencies under which it would provide rear area support for U.S. forces or even the geographic scope of the "area surrounding Japan".{{nbsp}}... The two sides have not articulated clearly what the alliance stands ''for'', nor who it is defined to protect ''against''.}}</ref> The [[Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty]] (ANZUS Treaty) may mean that other US allies, such as Australia, could be involved.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tow |first=William |year=2005 |title=ANZUS: Regional versus Global Security in Asia? |journal=International Relations of the Asia-Pacific |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=197–216 |doi= 10.1093/irap/lci113 }}</ref><ref name="sei21">{{cite news |title=China reacts to Peter Duttons 'jaw-dropping' promise to defend Taiwan |first=Jamie |last=Seidel |date=31 October 2021 |work=news.com.au |publisher=Nationwide News |url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/china-reacts-to-peter-duttons-jawdropping-promise-to-defend-taiwan/news-story/3644a042edd36c1b141a38017acf61e3 |access-date=13 November 2021 |quote=The Republic of China autocracy-turned-democracy didn't surrender to the Communist Party uprising during the 1949 civil war. It has no intention of doing so now. Now Taipei's own defence minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng, says his country is prepared to defend itself alone, if necessary. "The country must rely on itself," he told media Thursday. "If any friends or other groups can help us, then we're happy to have it. But we cannot completely depend on it." }}</ref> While this would risk damaging economic ties with China,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/13/1089694360063.html|title=China and Taiwan: flashpoint for a war|date=14 July 2004|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=13 June 2009}}</ref> a conflict over Taiwan could lead to an economic blockade of China by a greater coalition.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mirski |first1=Sean |title=Stranglehold: The Context, Conduct and Consequences of an American Naval Blockade of China |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2013/02/12/stranglehold-context-conduct-and-consequences-of-american-naval-blockade-of-china-pub-51135 |website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |publisher=Journal Of Strategic Studies |access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="chinas_fear_2019_04_30_reuters">{{cite news |last1=Lague |first1=David |last2=Kang Lim |first2=Benjamin |title=China's fear of an American blockade |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-army-blockade/chinas-fear-of-an-american-blockade-idUSKCN1S6140 |website=Reuters |date=30 April 2019 |agency=Reuters |access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Axe |first1=David |title=To Defeat China In War, Strangle Its Economy: Expert |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2020/08/24/to-defeat-china-in-war-strangle-its-economy/ |website=Forbes |access-date=15 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Williams |title=After "the War that Never Was"—The Real Beginning |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/september/after-war-never-was-real-beginning |website=U.S. Naval Institute |access-date=15 January 2021 |language=en |date=29 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mehra |first1=Jyotsna |title=The Australia-India-Japan-US Quadrilateral: Dissecting the China Factor |url=https://www.orfonline.org/research/the-australia-india-japan-us-quadrilateral/ |website=ORF |publisher=Observer Research Foundation |access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref> ==Economy== {{Main|Economy of Taiwan|Economic history of Taiwan}} [[File:Sun Down (250260941).jpeg|thumb|upright|[[Taipei 101]] held the world record for the highest skyscraper from 2004 to 2010.|alt=Photo of Taipei 101 tower against a blue sky.]] 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 [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|economy in the world by nominal GDP]].<ref name="IMFWEOTW">{{cite web |date=April 2023 |title=World Economic Outlook Database |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/April/weo-report?c=156,&s=NGDP_RPCH,NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPRPPPPC,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2015&ey=2026&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |access-date=11 April 2023 |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]}}</ref> Since 2001, agriculture constituted less than 2 percent of GDP, down from 32 percent in 1951.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=242|title=US-Taiwan FTA would have limited impact |publisher=bilaterals.org|access-date=28 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510102658/http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=242|archive-date=10 May 2006}}</ref> Unlike its neighbors, South Korea and Japan, the Taiwanese economy is dominated by [[small and medium-sized enterprises]], rather than the large business groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moea.gov.tw/MNS/english/news/News.aspx?kind=6&menu_id=176&news_id=103826|title=SMEs Serve as the Backbone of Taiwan's Stable Economic Development|website=Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C.|date=28 October 2022|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being moved offshore and with more capital and technology-intensive industries replacing them. [[Economy of Taiwan#Science and industrial parks|High-technology science parks]] have sprung up in Taiwan. Today Taiwan has a dynamic, [[capitalism|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]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1153&CtNode=128|title=Privatization Set in Motion|last=Her|first=Kelly|date=12 January 2005|work=Taiwan Review|access-date=5 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430041754/http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1153&CtNode=128|archive-date=30 April 2011}}</ref> Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial, and Taiwan remained one of the [[List of countries by foreign-exchange reserves|world's largest forex reserve holders]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2188rank.html | title=Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | work=[[World Fact Book]] | publisher=[[CIA]] | date=4 September 2008 | access-date=3 January 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613005020/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2188rank.html | archive-date=13 June 2007 | quote=Rank 5 Taiwan $274,700,000,000 31 December 2007}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202301070020|title=Taiwan exports hit high in 2022 despite weakness in 2nd half|work=Focus Taiwan|date=7 January 2023|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> China, United States and Japan are Taiwan's three largest trading partners, accounting for over 40 percent of total trade.<ref name="BoFT">{{cite web|url=https://cuswebo.trade.gov.tw/FSCE040F/FSCE040F|title=Trade Statistices|website=The Bureau of Foreign Trade, MOEA|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tung|first=Chen-yuan|year=2005|chapter=Trade Relations between Taiwan and China|editor-last=Luo|editor-first=Jing|title=China Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the People's Republic|publisher=Greenwood Press|pages=625–628|chapter-url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=bec896d05679fdd36eea200f63ad93ab09b1b9b6}}</ref> China is also the most important target of outward [[foreign direct investment]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kuo|first1=Anthony|last2=Kao|first2=Ming-Sung|date=23 April 2018|title=Taiwan's FDI: Why Outflows are Greater than Inflows|url=https://taiwaninsight.org/2018/04/23/taiwans-fdi-why-outflows-are-greater-than-inflows/|website=taiwaninsight.org|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> From 1991 to 2022, more than US$200 billion have been invested in China by Taiwanese companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moeaic.gov.tw/english/news_bsAn.jsp|title=Statistics|website=Investment Commission, Ministry of Economic Affairs|access-date=5 February 2023|archive-date=5 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205043423/https://www.moeaic.gov.tw/english/news_bsAn.jsp|url-status=dead}}</ref> China hosts around 4,200 Taiwanese enterprises and over 240,000 Taiwanese work in China.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chang|first=Hannah |date=8 July 2021|title=Taiwan businesses: Exiting China not an option amid struggle for survival|url=https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=3030|website=CommonWealth Magazine|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Chase|first=Steven|date=29 September 2022|title=Fraying ties? More Taiwanese people are leaving successful careers in China to return home|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-china-taiwanese-population/|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Harvnb|DoIT|2008|p=5}} "Although used-to-be-hostile tension between Taiwan and China has been eased to a certain degree, Taiwan should seek to maintain stable relation with China while continuing to protect national security, and avoiding excessive "Sinicization" of Taiwanese economy. Strategies to avoid excessive "Sinicization" of the Taiwanese economy could include efforts to increase geographic diversity of overseas Taiwanese employment, diversifying Taiwan's export markets and investment. "</ref> Others argue that close economic ties between Taiwan and mainland China would make any military intervention by the [[People's Liberation Army|PLA]] against Taiwan very costly, and therefore less probable.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34729538|title=What's behind China-Taiwan tensions?|work=BBC News|date=2 August 2022|access-date=5 February 2023|quote=Some Taiwanese people worry their economy is now dependent on China. Others believe that closer business ties make Chinese military action less likely, because of the cost to China's own economy.}}</ref> [[File:TSMC Fab5.JPG|thumb|[[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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Feigenbaum|first=Evan A.|year=2020|chapter=Historical Context of Taiwan's Technological Success|title=Assuring Taiwan's Innovation Future|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|pages=5–9|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/01/29/assuring-taiwan-s-innovation-future-pub-80920}}</ref> Taiwan is a key player in the supply chain for advanced [[integrated circuit|chips]]. Taiwan's rise in the key semiconductor industry was largely attributed to [[TSMC|Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.]] (TSMC) and [[United Microelectronics Corporation|United Microelectronic Corporation]] (UMC).<ref>{{Citation |title=How Taiwan Created TSMC |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fVrWDdll0g|access-date=23 May 2022}}</ref> TSMC was founded 21 February 1987 and as of December 2021 its [[market capitalization]] equated to roughly 90% of Taiwan's GDP.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mak |first=Robyn |date=17 December 2021 |title=Breakingviews – TSMC can fix Taiwan's stalled green transition|work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/tsmc-can-fix-taiwans-stalled-green-transition-2021-12-17/ |access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> The company is the 9th largest in the world by market capitalization<ref>{{Cite web |title=TSMC (TSM) – Market capitalization |url=https://companiesmarketcap.com/tsmc/marketcap/ |access-date=20 May 2022 |website=companiesmarketcap.com}}</ref> as well as the world's biggest semiconductor manufacturing company, surpassing [[Intel]] and [[Samsung Semiconductor Inc.|Samsung]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=TSMC Announces Intention to Build and Operate an Advanced Semiconductor Fab in the United States |url=https://pr.tsmc.com/english/news/2033 |access-date=23 May 2022 |website=Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=LaPedus |first=Mark |date=9 September 2009 |title=GlobalFoundries to give UMC a run for its money |url=https://www.eetimes.com/globalfoundries-to-give-umc-a-run-for-its-money/ |access-date=22 May 2022 |website=EETimes}}</ref> Other well-known international technology companies headquartered in Taiwan include personal computer manufacturers [[Acer Inc.]] and [[Asus]], as well as electronics manufacturing giant [[Foxconn]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=What is Foxconn? Only the world's No. 1 contract electronics maker |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-what-is-foxconn-20170727-story.html |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=Chicago Tribune|date=27 July 2017 }}</ref> ==Transport== {{Main|Transportation in Taiwan}} [[File:China Airlines Lineup TPE.jpg|thumb|[[China Airlines]] aircraft lineup at [[Taoyuan International Airport]]]] The [[Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Republic of China)|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 [[Scooter (motorcycle)|scooters]]. In March 2019, 13.86 million were registered, twice that of cars.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=zh:交通部統計查詢網 |url=http://stat.motc.gov.tw/mocdb/stmain.jsp?sys=100 |website=stat.motc.gov.tw |access-date=6 May 2019 |language=zh |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305093152/http://stat.motc.gov.tw/mocdb/stmain.jsp?sys=100 }}</ref> Both highways and railways are concentrated near the coasts, where the majority of the population resides, with {{convert|1619|km|abbr=on}} of [[Controlled-access highway|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 International Airport|Taiwan Taoyuan]], [[Kaohsiung International Airport|Kaohsiung]], [[Taipei Songshan Airport|Taipei Songshan]] and [[Taichung Airport|Taichung]]. There are currently seven Taiwanese passenger airlines, with the largest two being [[China Airlines]] and [[EVA Air]]. There are seven international seaports: [[Port of Keelung|Keelung]], [[Port of Taipei|Taipei]], Suao, [[Port of Taichung|Taichung]], [[Port of Kaohsiung|Kaohsiung]], [[Port of Anping|Anping]], and [[Port of Hualien|Hualien]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motcmpb.gov.tw/Uploads/PeriodicalDataAttach/d75adc4e-7dbd-4c17-b953-b0dc4ba77efb.pdf|title=2018 Annual Report of the Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC|language=zh|publisher=Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC|page=33|access-date=5 October 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2022/02/15/2003773121|title=Port throughput soars to record|date=15 February 2022|agency=Central News Agency|work=Taipei Times|access-date=5 October 2022}}</ref> The shipping tonnage followed by Taichung (18.6%), Taipei (12%) and Keelung (8.7%). ==Education== {{Main|Education in Taiwan|Academia Sinica|History of education in Taiwan}} {{See also|Scholarships in Taiwan|Economy of Taiwan#Science}} [[File:臺灣大學校門.JPG|thumb|The gate of [[National Taiwan University]], which is widely considered to be the most prestigious university in Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2023 | title=QS World University Rankings – 2023 | publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited | access-date=27 October 2022}}</ref>]] Taiwan is well known for adhering to the Confucian paradigm of valuing education as a means to improve one's socioeconomic position in society.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://journals.openedition.org/ries/3800 | title=A matter of trust: shadow education in Taiwan | author=Prudence Chou, Chuing | journal=[[OpenEdition.org|OpenEdition]] | year=2014| doi=10.4000/ries.3800| doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite web |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/fears-over-over-education-in-taiwan/news-story/aeae2a2d83898f684fd0ac5aaffd5816 |title=Fears over over-education in Taiwan |date= 3 September 2012 |website=The Australian}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=PISA – Results in Focus |publisher=OECD |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf|page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=TWN&treshold=10&topic=PI | title=Chinese Taipei Student performance (PISA 2015) | publisher=OECD | access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-worldwide-ranking-of-math-science-reading-skills-2016-12 |title=The latest ranking of top countries in math, reading, and science is out – and the US didn't crack the top 10 |last= Kiersz |first=Andy |date=16 December 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://isc.bc.edu/PDF/t03_download/T03_M_Chap1.pdf|title=TIMSS Math 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://isc.bc.edu/PDF/t03_download/T03_S_Chap1.pdf| title= TIMSS Science 2003}}</ref> 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.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |url=https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/education-in-taiwan-taiwans-colleges-and-universities/ |title=Education in Taiwan: Taiwan's Colleges and Universities |last=Chou |first=Chuing |date=12 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/05/07/taiwan-too-many-college-graduates/26945515/ | title=Taiwan's problem? Too many college graduates, too few machinists | work=USA Today | date=7 May 2015 | access-date=19 August 2019 | author=Wiese, Elizabeth}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web | url=https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/world-view/higher-education-crisis-taiwan | title=Higher Education Crisis in Taiwan | website=Inside Higher Ed | date=5 August 2018 | access-date=19 August 2019 | author=Hsueh, Chia-Ming}}</ref> 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.<ref name="auto1">{{cite book | title=Patriarchy in East Asia: A Comparative Sociology of Gender | publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] | author=Sechiyama, Kaku | year=2013 | page=254 | isbn=978-90-04-23060-6}}</ref> 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).<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://chinapost.nownews.com/20160313-28397 | title=5 mil. Taiwanese hold degrees from higher education institutions | work=China Post | date=13 March 2016 | access-date=19 August 2019 | archive-date=19 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319085831/https://chinapost.nownews.com/20160313-28397 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/education/university-degrees-mindset-shift-needed |title=University degrees: Mindset shift needed |last=Lee |first=Pearl |publisher=The Straits Times |date=13 April 2015 |access-date=15 January 2017 |archive-date=18 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118203426/http://news.asiaone.com/news/education/university-degrees-mindset-shift-needed }}</ref><ref name="auto2" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://monitor.icef.com/2016/08/taiwans-higher-education-enrolment-starts-downward-slide/ |title=Taiwan's higher education enrolment starts a downward slide |date=16 August 2016 |website=ICEF Monitor}}</ref> The Taiwanese government has been criticized for failing to adequately address this discrepancy in labor supply and demand.<ref name="auto3" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-24156168 |title=The draw of blue collar jobs in Taiwan |last=Sui |first=Cindy |work=BBC News |date=23 September 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{cite book | title=Taiwan Country: Strategic Information and Developments | publisher=International Business Publications | year=2012 | page=25 | isbn=978-1-4387-7570-8}}</ref> Many Taiwanese students attend [[cram schools#Taiwan|cram schools]], or ''buxiban'', to improve skills and knowledge on problem solving against exams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://investintaiwan.nat.gov.tw/en/news/200509/2005090201.html |title=Over 70% of Taiwanese parents send kids to English bushibans |publisher=Invest in Taiwan, Department of Investment Services |date=2 September 2005 |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080608050510/http://investintaiwan.nat.gov.tw/en/news/200509/2005090201.html |archive-date = 8 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=C. Smith|first=Douglas|title=Middle education in the Middle Kingdom|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1997|page=119|url={{GBurl|id=NqJP5uE9LewC|p=119}}|isbn=978-0-275-95641-7}}</ref> 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,<ref name=Nikkei/> and raised concerns of a "[[brain drain]]" in Taiwan.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kyng |first1=James |title=Taiwan's brain drain: semiconductor engineers head to China |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6eab0c1c-167f-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/6eab0c1c-167f-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=11 November 2020 |work=ft.com |publisher=The Financial Times |date=4 December 2020}}</ref><ref name=Nikkei>{{cite news |last1=Ihara |first1=Kensaku |title=Taiwan loses 3,000 chip engineers to 'Made in China 2025' |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/China-tech/Taiwan-loses-3-000-chip-engineers-to-Made-in-China-2025 |access-date=11 November 2020 |work=nikkei.com |publisher=Nikkei |date=3 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Strong |first1=Matthew |title=Taiwan's 'Godfather of DRAM' leaves China |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4021096 |access-date=11 November 2020 |work=taiwannews.com |date=1 October 2020}}</ref> {{As of|2020}}, the [[literacy rate]] in Taiwan was 99.03 percent.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=zh:國人教育水準 |url=https://www.gender.ey.gov.tw/gecdb/Stat_Statistics_DetailData.aspx?sn=cC3K6vUAfeUlTCcfbr03CQ%3d%3d&d=m9ww9odNZAz2Rc5Ooj%2fwIQ%3d%3d |website=gender.ey.gov.tw |access-date=3 October 2021 |language=zh}}</ref> ==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of Taiwan}} [[File:Taiwan population density map.svg|thumb|Population density map of Taiwan (residents per square kilometer)]] Taiwan has a population of about 23.4 million,{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=36}} 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).<ref name="taiwan-popstat">{{cite web|url=http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-01.xls |title=Number of Villages, Neighborhoods, Households and Resident Population |publisher=MOI Statistical Information Service |access-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329071215/http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-01.xls |archive-date=29 March 2014 }}</ref> ===Largest cities and counties=== {{Main|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 [[List of metropolitan areas in Taiwan#Metropolitan areas in Taiwan|metropolitan area populations]] (in such rankings the [[Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area|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. {| style="max-width:100%; min-width:50em" |{{Largest cities | country = Taiwan | stat_ref = [https://www.ris.gov.tw/app/portal/346 source] | div_name = Division | kind = cities and special municipalities |city_1 = New Taipei |div_1 = New Taipei City |pop_1 = 4,000,164 |img_1 = Fu_Jen_Catholic_University_Hospital_2018_(cropped).jpg |city_2 = Taichung |div_2 = Taichung City |pop_2 = 2,809,004 |img_2 = Taichung skyline.png |city_3 = Kaohsiung |div_3 = Kaohsiung City |pop_3 = 2,773,229 |img_3 = Kaohsiung skyline 2020 May.jpg |city_4 = Taipei |div_4 = Taipei City |pop_4 = 2,661,317 |img_4 = Taipei Skyline 2022.06.29.jpg |city_5 = Taoyuan, Taiwan{{!}}Taoyuan |div_5 = Taoyuan City |pop_5 = 2,230,653 |city_6 = Tainan |div_6 = Tainan City |pop_6 = 1,883,078 |city_7 = Hsinchu |div_7 = Hsinchu City |pop_7 = 446,701 |city_8 = Keelung |div_8 = Keelung City |pop_8 = 369,820 |city_9 = Chiayi |div_9 = Chiayi City |pop_9 = 268,474 |city_10 = Changhua |div_10 = Changhua County |pop_10 = 232,505 }} |} ===Ethnic groups=== {{Main|Taiwanese people|Han Taiwanese|Han Chinese|Taiwanese indigenous peoples|Plains indigenous peoples}} The ROC government reports that 95 percent of the population is ethnically [[Han Chinese]].<ref>{{cite web |title=PEOPLE |url=https://www.taiwan.gov.tw/content_2.php |website=Government Portal of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |access-date=21 February 2024 |language=en |date=21 February 2024}}</ref> There are also 2.4 percent indigenous [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] peoples and 2.6 percent new immigrants primarily from China and Southeast Asia.<ref>{{cite book|date=October 2021|title=2021–2022 Taiwan at a Glance|url=https://multilingual.mofa.gov.tw/web/web_UTF-8/MOFA/glance2021-2022/2021-2022%20Taiwan%20at%20a%20Glance%20(English).pdf|publisher= Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)|page=16|isbn=978-986-5447-31-1}}</ref> 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.<ref name="cia-factbook"/> 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.<ref>{{cite book | surname = Yan | given = Margaret Mian | title = Introduction to Chinese Dialectology | publisher = LINCOM Europa | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-3-89586-629-6 | page = 169 }}</ref> Genetic studies indicate that the Hoklo and Hakka people are a mixture between Austronesians and Han people.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/38/10/4149/5955855 |last=Lo |first=Yun-Hua |title=Detecting Genetic Ancestry and Adaptation in the Taiwanese Han People |journal= Molecular Biology and Evolution|volume=38|issue=10 |year=2021|pages=4149–4165 |access-date=18 October 2022|doi=10.1093/molbev/msaa276|pmid=33170928 |pmc=8476137 }} Quote: "Notably, we identified considerable proportions of ISEA ancestry (also carried by many Austronesian-speaking populations in high proportions) in most individuals of Taiwanese Han (average 15%, range 0.1–62%). The mixed ancestries observed in the Taiwanese Han could be attributed to either population mixture or shared ancestry before the divergence of descendent populations."</ref> [[Taiwanese Indigenous peoples]] number about 584,000, and the government recognises 16 groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cip.gov.tw/zh-tw/news/data-list/940F9579765AC6A0/index.html?cumid=940F9579765AC6A0|title=原住民人口數統計資料|website=Council of Indigenous Peoples|date=20 December 2010 |language=zh|access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref> The [[Amis people|Ami]], [[Atayal people|Atayal]], [[Bunun people|Bunun]], [[Kanakanavu people|Kanakanavu]], [[Kavalan people|Kavalan]], [[Paiwan people|Paiwan]], [[Puyuma people|Puyuma]], [[Rukai people|Rukai]], [[Saisiyat people|Saisiyat]], [[Saaroa people|Saaroa]], [[Sakizaya people|Sakizaya]], [[Sediq people|Sediq]], [[Thao people|Thao]], [[Truku people|Truku]] and [[Tsou people|Tsou]] live mostly in the eastern half of the island, while the [[Yami people|Yami]] inhabit [[Orchid Island]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-04.xls |title=Indigenous People |publisher=MOI Statistical Information Service |date=February 2012 |access-date=14 April 2012 |archive-date=20 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620042553/http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-04.xls }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=An Overview of Taiwan's Indigenous Groups |url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/indigenous/ |publisher=Government Information Office |year=2006 |access-date=14 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411063355/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/indigenous/ |archive-date=11 April 2012}}</ref> ===Languages=== {{Main|Languages of Taiwan}} [[File:Map of the most commonly used home language in Taiwan.svg|thumb|upright=1.25|Most commonly used home language in each area, darker in proportion to the lead over the next most common{{Legend|#000080|[[Mandarin Chinese]]}}{{Legend|#008000|[[Hokkien]] or Min Nan}}{{Legend|#FF0066|[[Hakka Chinese]]}}{{Legend|#800000|[[Austronesian languages]]}}]] The Republic of China does not have any legally designated [[official language]]. [[Taiwanese Mandarin|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.<ref name="yb-languages">{{cite book |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2011 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) |chapter=Chapter 2: People and Language |chapter-url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch02D.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514004814/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch02D.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2012}}</ref> Around 70% of Taiwan's population belong to the [[Hoklo]] ethnic group and are speakers of [[Taiwanese Hokkien]] as native language.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=TW |title=Taiwan |website=[[Ethnologue]]|quote=Principal languages}}</ref> The [[Hakka]] group, comprising some 14–18 percent of the population, speak [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]]. Although Mandarin is the language of instruction in schools and dominates television and radio, non-Mandarin [[varieties of Chinese|Chinese varieties]] have undergone a revival in public life in Taiwan, particularly since restrictions on their use were lifted in the 1990s.<ref name="yb-languages" /> [[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 languages|Austronesian language family]], and are written in the [[Writing systems of Formosan languages|Latin alphabet]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Official documents issued in Aboriginal languages |newspaper=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/07/20/2003674932 |access-date=20 July 2017}}</ref> Their use among aboriginal minority groups has been in decline as usage of Mandarin has risen.<ref name="yb-languages" /> Of the 14 extant languages, five are considered [[moribund language|moribund]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zeitoun |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Yu |first2=Ching-Hua |title=The Formosan Language Archive: Linguistic Analysis and Language Processing |url=http://aclclp.org.tw/clclp/v10n2/v10n2a2.pdf |journal=Computational Linguistics and Chinese Language Processing |volume=10 |issue=2 |page=168 |access-date=4 August 2012 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720000756/http://aclclp.org.tw/clclp/v10n2/v10n2a2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since the [[May Fourth Movement]], [[written vernacular Chinese]] had replaced [[Classical Chinese]] and emerged as the mainstream [[Written vernacular Chinese|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 ({{lang|zh-hant|文白合一行文}}).<ref>{{cite book|first=Feng-fu|last=Tsao|chapter=The language planning situation in Taiwan|pages=60–106|editor1-last=Baldauf|editor1-first=Richard B.|editor2-first=Robert B.|editor2-last=Kaplan|title=Language planning in Nepal, Taiwan, and Sweden|publisher=Multilingual Matters|year=2000|volume=115|isbn=978-1-85359-483-0}} pages 75–76.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Cheong|first=Ching|title=Will Taiwan break away: the rise of Taiwanese nationalism|publisher=World Scientific|year=2001|page=187|isbn=978-981-02-4486-6}}</ref> On 1 January 2005, the [[Executive Yuan]] also changed its long-standing convention on the [[Horizontal and vertical writing in East Asian scripts|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]]'' ({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|中華民國國歌}}), for example, is in Classical Chinese. Most official [[Government of the Republic of China|government]], [[Law of Taiwan|legal]], and [[Ministry of Justice (Taiwan)|judiciary]] documents, as well as [[Supreme Court of the Republic of China|courts rulings]] use a combined vernacular Chinese and Classical Chinese style.<ref>{{cite web|title=法律統一用語表-常見公文用語說明|url=http://oga.ncu.edu.tw/ncuoga/dispatch/doc/%E5%B8%B8%E8%A6%8B%E5%85%AC%E6%96%87%E7%94%A8%E8%AA%9E%E8%AA%AA%E6%98%8E1050106.pdf|access-date=2 June 2021|language=Chinese|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215646/http://oga.ncu.edu.tw/ncuoga/dispatch/doc/%E5%B8%B8%E8%A6%8B%E5%85%AC%E6%96%87%E7%94%A8%E8%AA%9E%E8%AA%AA%E6%98%8E1050106.pdf}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web |title=《法律白話文運動》掀起一場法律革命 |date=4 February 2018 |url=https://vita.tw/%E6%B3%95%E5%BE%8B%E7%99%BD%E8%A9%B1%E6%96%87%E9%81%8B%E5%8B%95-%E6%8E%80%E8%B5%B7%E4%B8%80%E5%A0%B4%E6%B3%95%E5%BE%8B%E9%9D%A9%E5%91%BD-1fa53d10d9da |access-date=9 July 2021 |language=Chinese }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 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]]".<ref name="natLangAct"/> As of 2019, policies on national languages are in early stages of implementation, with Hakka and indigenous languages designated as such. ===Religion=== {{Main|Religion in Taiwan}} {{Pie chart |thumb = left |caption = Estimated religious composition in 2020<ref name="Pew religion stats" /> |label1 = [[Chinese folk religion]] (including [[Confucianism]]) |value1 = 43.8 |color1 = Yellow |label2 = [[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhists]] |value2 = 21.2 |color2 = Crimson |label3 = Others (including [[Taoism|Taoists]]) |value3 = 15.5 |color3 = Blue |label4 = Unaffiliated |value4 = 13.7 |color4 = Honeydew |label5 = Christians |value5 = 5.8 |color5 = DodgerBlue |label6 = [[Islam in Taiwan|Muslims]] |value6 = 1 |color6 = GreenYellow }} The Constitution of the Republic of China protects people's [[freedom of religion]] and the practices of belief.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 November 2020 |title=Taiwan to host regional religious freedom forum |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/11/18/2003747134 |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=[[Taipei Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite wikisource |title=Constitution of the Republic of China |at=Chapter II, Article 13 |quote=The people shall have freedom of religious belief}}</ref> [[Freedom of religion in Taiwan|The government respects freedom of religion]], and Taiwan scores highly on the [[International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance|International IDEA]]'s Global State of Democracy Indices for religious freedom.<ref>{{cite web | title = Freedom of religion, Scale | publisher = World Bank| year= 2020 | url = https://govdata360.worldbank.org/indicators/hd6a18526?country=TWN&indicator=41930&viz=line_chart&years=1975,2020 | access-date =19 March 2023}}</ref> In 2005, the census reported that the five largest religions were: [[Buddhism]], [[Taoism]], [[Yiguandao]], [[Protestantism]], and [[Roman Catholicism]].<ref name="religion">{{cite web | title = Taiwan Yearbook 2006 | publisher = Government of Information Office | year= 2006 | url = http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/22Religion.htm | access-date = 1 September 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070708213510/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/22Religion.htm |archive-date = 8 July 2007}}</ref> According to [[Pew Research Center|Pew Research]], the religious composition of Taiwan in 2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Religious Composition by Country, 2010–2050 |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/percent/Asia-Pacific/ |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |access-date=19 May 2019 |date=2 April 2015}}</ref> is estimated to be 43.8 percent [[Chinese folk religion|Folk religions]], 21.2 percent [[Buddhism in Taiwan|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.<ref>Stainton, Michael (2002). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120515150705/http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/taiwan/presbyterians-and-aboriginal-revitalization-movement "Presbyterians and the Aboriginal Revitalization Movement in Taiwan"]. ''[[Cultural Survival Quarterly]]'' 26.2, 5 May 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2014.</ref> There has been a small [[Islam in Taiwan|Muslim]] community of [[Hui people]] in Taiwan since the 17th century.<ref>{{cite news |last=Athena Tacet |date=31 December 2014 |title=Islam in Taiwan: Lost in tradition |publisher=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/12/islam-taiwan-lost-tradition-2014123173558796270.html}}</ref> [[Confucianism]] serves as the foundation of both [[Culture of China|Chinese]] and [[Culture of Taiwan|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 [[Place of worship|religious buildings]] in Taiwan, approximately one [[place of worship]] per 1,572 residents. 12,279 temples were dedicated to [[Taoism]] and [[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhism]]. There were 9,684 [[Taoism|Taoist]] Temples and 2,317 [[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhist]] Temples.<ref name="表23各宗教教務概況">{{cite web|title=表23各宗教教務概況|url=https://www.ey.gov.tw/File/71A8E0246065BE0|access-date=2 June 2021|language=zh}}</ref> For [[Christianity]], there are 2,845 Churches.<ref name="表23各宗教教務概況"/> 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 [[List of countries and territories where Chinese is an official language|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]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott Morgan |date=1 November 2018 |title=Taiwan highly-ranked as good place to live as an atheist: report |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3565789 |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=[[Taiwan News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/best-and-worst-countries-atheist-4310703-Oct2018/|title=These are the best and worst countries in the world to be an atheist|work=journal.ie|access-date=2 November 2018|date=28 October 2018|last1=Halpin|first1=Hayley}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tampubolon |first=Manotar |date=16 August 2019 |title=Violations of Religious Freedom of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Taiwan |url=http://repository.uki.ac.id/1239/ |journal=International Conference on Civilisation Dialogue 2019 |pages=18 |publisher=[[University of Malaya]] |via=[[Universitas Kristen Indonesia|Universitas Kristen Indonesia Institutional Repository]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sampurna |first=Rizki Hegia |date=31 December 2019 |title=Accommodating Religious Practices in the Workplace: The Case of Indonesian Workers in Taiwan |url=https://society.fisip.ubb.ac.id/index.php/society/article/view/93 |journal=Society |language=en |publisher=[[University of Bangka Belitung]] |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=159–172 |doi=10.33019/society.v7i2.93 |s2cid=214260850 |doi-access=free }}</ref> ===LGBT rights=== {{Main|LGBT rights in Taiwan|Same-sex marriage in Taiwan}} On 24 May 2017, the [[Judicial Yuan#Constitutional Court|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.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wu|first1=J. R.|title=Taiwan court rules in favor of same-sex marriage, first in Asia|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taiwan-lgbt-marriage/taiwan-court-rules-in-favor-of-same-sex-marriage-first-in-asia-idUSKBN18K0UN|work=[[Reuters]]|date=24 May 2017}}</ref> In a [[2018 Taiwanese referendum|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.<ref name="HortonNYT2018" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48305708|title=Taiwan gay marriage: Parliament legalises same-sex unions|date=17 May 2019|publisher=BBC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517061353/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48305708|archive-date=17 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/17/asia/taiwan-same-sex-marriage-intl/index.html|title=Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia|date=17 May 2019|work=[[CNN]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Steger |first=Isabella |title=In a first for Asia, Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage—with caveats |work=Quartz |date=17 May 2019 |url=https://qz.com/1621783/taiwan-becomes-first-country-in-asia-to-legalize-same-sex-marriage/ }}</ref> Taiwan has an annual pride event, [[Taiwan Pride]]. It currently holds the record for the largest [[LGBT]] gathering in [[East Asia|East-Asia]], rivaling [[Tel Aviv Pride]] in [[Israel]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taiwan hosts biggest in-person LGBTQ Pride event of post-Covid 2020 |first=Louise |last=Watt |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/taiwan-hosts-biggest-person-lgbtq-pride-event-post-covid-2020-n1245610 |accessdate=24 May 2022 |work=[[NBC News]] |date=31 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The event draws more than 200,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 October 2019 |accessdate=15 January 2024|title=Thousands join Taiwan's 17th LGBT Pride parade |first=Sean |last=Lin |work=[[Taipei Times]]|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2019/10/27/2003724735}}</ref> ===Health=== {{Main|Healthcare in Taiwan}} [[File:Taipei Taiwan National-Taiwan-University-Hospital-05.jpg|thumb|[[National Taiwan University Hospital]]]] The current [[healthcare system]], known as National Health Insurance (NHI), was instituted in 1995. NHI is a [[Single-payer health care|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.<ref>Fanchiang, Cecilia.[http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/Tj/ct.asp?xItem=20439&CtNode=122 "New IC health insurance card expected to offer many benefits"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606010447/http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/Tj/ct.asp?xItem=20439&CtNode=122 |date=6 June 2008 }}, ''Taiwan Journal, 2 January 2004'' Accessed 28 March 2008</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=243A2FD60A897110&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8|title=Premium Contribution|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071346/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=243A2FD60A897110&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=B9C9C690524F2543&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8|title=How Premiums Are Calculated|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071249/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=B9C9C690524F2543&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=E5509C8FE29950EA&topn=1D1ECC54F86E9050|title=Copayments|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071408/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=E5509C8FE29950EA&topn=1D1ECC54F86E9050}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Taiwanese Hospital Public Satisfaction Poll |date=October 2004|publisher=Taiwan Department of Health |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090921050255/http://www.hcquality.helthe.net/reports/showreports.php?id=2_1|url=http://www.hcquality.helthe.net/reports/showreports.php?id=2_1|archive-date=21 September 2009|language=zh}}</ref> The Taiwanese disease control authority is the [[Taiwan Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC). During the [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|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.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Center for Disease Control |date=18 July 2006 |publisher=Taiwan CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov.tw |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807030114/http://www.cdc.gov.tw/ |archive-date=7 August 2016}}</ref> Owing to the lessons from SARS, a {{ill|National Health Command Center|fr|Centre de commandement national de la santé}} 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 pandemic in Taiwan|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.<ref>{{cite web|date=17 July 2020|title=Statistics of Medical Care Institution's Status & Hospital Utilization 2019|url=https://www.mohw.gov.tw/cp-4932-54834-2.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/354.html|title=Infant mortality rate|access-date=16 August 2020|archive-date=17 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817221237/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/354.html}}</ref> Life expectancy at birth in 2020 is 77.5 years and 83.9 years for males and females, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|date=12 August 2020|title=Taiwan|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/taiwan/}}</ref> ==Culture== {{Main|Culture of Taiwan|Cultural history of Taiwan|Chinese Cultural Renaissance}} {{See also|Taiwanese wave}} [[File:Taiwanese aborigines.JPG|thumb|[[Amis people]] of Taiwan performing a traditional dance]] [[File:201402 國立故宮博物院 新年.jpg|thumb|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 [[Chinese culture|traditional Chinese culture]], aboriginal cultures, [[Culture of Japan|Japanese cultural influence]], traditional Confucianist beliefs, and increasingly, [[Western culture|Western values]]. During the [[Martial law in Taiwan|martial law period]], the [[Kuomintang]] promoted an official [[Chinese culture|traditional Chinese culture]] over Taiwan in order to emphasize that the Republic of China represents the true orthodoxy to [[Chinese Culture]] as opposed to [[People's Republic of China|Communist China]].<ref>{{cite book |author=陳鐵健 |author2=黃鐵炫 |title=《蔣介石與中國文化》|publisher=中華書局 |year=1992 |page=122 |language=Chinese }}</ref> The government launched what's known as the [[Chinese Cultural Renaissance]] movement in Taiwan in opposition to the cultural destructions caused by the [[Communist Party of China|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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 October 2011 |title=Keeping traditional Chinese culture alive |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-radio-and-tv-15153707}}</ref> The lifting of [[Martial law in Taiwan|martial law]] ushered a period of [[democratization]] whereby [[Freedom of Speech|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."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Constitution of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |url=https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0000001}}</ref> In 2022, the [[Economist Intelligence Unit]]'s [[Democracy Index]] ranked Taiwan as having the second highest [[democracy in Asia|democracy score in Asia]] and Australasia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ho |first=Kelly |date=3 February 2023 |title=Hong Kong falls to 88th in int'l democracy index as think tank cites civil service exodus |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2023/02/03/hong-kong-falls-to-88th-in-intl-democracy-index-as-think-tank-cites-civil-service-exodus/ |website=[[Hong Kong Free Press]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Freedom House]] has ranked Taiwan the second freest place in Asia<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 January 2022 |title=Taiwan Provides Powerful Lessons on Democratic Resilience |url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/01/taiwan-provides-powerful-lessons-on-democratic-resilience/ |website=[[The Diplomat]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=5 August 2022 |title=China-Taiwan: Joseph Wu defends US Speaker Pelosi's visit |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62435284 }}</ref> while [[Civicus|CIVICUS]] rated Taiwan and New Zealand as the only "open" countries in the Asia-Pacific.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 December 2021 |title='Under attack': Report says repression of rights persists in Asia |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/8/repression-attacks-on-civic-rights-persist-in-asia-report |access-date=16 March 2023 |website=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ni |first=Vincent |date=13 December 2021 |title=US appears to cut video feed of Taiwanese minister at summit |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/13/us-appears-to-cut-video-feed-audrey-tang-taiwan-summit-for-democracy }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jong |first=Woon Wei |date=30 March 2023 |title=Are Hong Kong immigrants welcome in Taiwan? , Society News – ThinkChina |url=https://www.thinkchina.sg/ |access-date=21 November 2023 |website=www.thinkchina.sg |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{harvnb|Yip|2004|pp=230–248}}; {{harvnb|Makeham|2005|pp=2–8}}; {{harvnb|Chang|2005|p=224}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{harvnb|Hsiau|2005|pp=125–129}}; {{harvnb|Winckler|1994|pp=23–41}}</ref> [[Identity politics]], along with the over one hundred years of political separation from mainland China, has led to distinct traditions in many areas, including [[Taiwanese cuisine|cuisine]] and [[Music of Taiwan|music]]. ===Arts=== {{Main|Music of Taiwan|Taiwanese art}} {{Recentism|section|date=June 2021}} Acclaimed classical musicians include violinist [[Cho-Liang Lin]], pianist [[Ching-Yun Hu]], and the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society artist director [[Wu Han (pianist)|Wu Han]]. Other musicians include [[Teresa Teng]], [[Jay Chou]] and groups such as [[Mayday (Taiwanese band)|Mayday]] and [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Chthonic (band)|Chthonic]], led by singer [[Freddy Lim]], which has been referred to as the "[[Black Sabbath]] of Asia".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hunt|first1=Katie|title=Meet Freddy Lim, the death metal star running for political office in Taiwan|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/13/asia/taiwan-rock-star-politician-freddy-lim/|work=CNN|date=13 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=McVeigh|first1=Tracy|title=Taiwan's heavy metal star rallies fans to run for parliament on anti-China platform|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/26/taiwan-heavy-metal-star-stands-for-election|work=The Observer|via=The Guardian|date=26 December 2015}}</ref> [[Cinema of Taiwan|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 (film)|Sense and Sensibility]]''; ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]''; ''[[Life of Pi (film)|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.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|entry-url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557357_9/Museum.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028163715/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557357_9/Museum.html|entry=Museum|archive-date=28 October 2009 |encyclopedia=MSN Encarta}}</ref> ===Cuisine=== {{Main|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]].<ref name="Eater 2019" >{{cite web |last1=Nguyen-Okwu |first1=Leslie |title=16 Dishes That Define Taiwanese Food |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/3/6/18241036/what-is-taiwanese-food-traditional-cuisine |website=Eater |date=6 March 2019|archive-date=13 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413203539/https://www.eater.com/2019/3/6/18241036/what-is-taiwanese-food-traditional-cuisine |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Michelin Guide]] began reviewing restaurants in Taiwan in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sontag |first1=Elazar |title=Michelin Announces 2020 Stars for Taiwan |url=https://www.eater.com/2020/8/25/21401133/michelin-announces-2020-stars-for-taiwan |website=Eater|date=25 August 2020 |archive-date=26 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926031935/https://www.eater.com/2020/8/25/21401133/michelin-announces-2020-stars-for-taiwan |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014 ''[[The Guardian]]'' called [[Taiwanese night markets]] the "best street food markets in the world".<ref name="Guardian 2014" >{{cite web |last1=Gillan |first1=Audrey |title=Taiwan, home to the best street food markets in the world |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/may/17/taiwan-taipei-street-food-markets |work=The Guardian |date=17 May 2014 |archive-date=16 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516133639/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/may/17/taiwan-taipei-street-food-markets |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bubble tea]], created in Taiwan in the 1980s, has now become popular globally.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wong |first1=Maggie Hiufu |title=The rise of bubble tea, one of Taiwan's most beloved beverages |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/taiwan-bubble-tea-origins/index.html |work=CNN |date=29 April 2020}}</ref> ===Popular culture=== [[Karaoke]] is extremely popular in Taiwan, where it is known as KTV.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=12,29,33,45&post=23421|title=KTV: A Space for Sharing|website=taiwantoday.tw|date=1 June 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal|author=American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei |author-link=American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei |title=Convenience Stores Aim at Differentiation |journal=Taiwan Business Topics |volume=34 |issue=11 |url=http://www.amcham.com.tw/publication_topics_view.php?volume=34&vol_num=11&topics_id=558 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516161020/http://www.amcham.com.tw/publication_topics_view.php?volume=34&vol_num=11&topics_id=558 |archive-date=16 May 2008 }}</ref> Chains such as [[FamilyMart]] provide clothing laundry services,<ref>{{cite web|title=FamilyMart rolls out laundry service in Taiwan |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3624427|website=Taiwan News|date=24 January 2019}}</ref> and tickets for [[Taiwan Railways Administration|TRA]] and THSR are available at [[7-Eleven]], FamilyMart, [[Hi-Life (convenience store)|Hi-Life]] and [[OK (convenience store)|OK]].<ref>{{cite web|date=5 December 2011|title=TRA tickets collectable at stores |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/12/05/2003519985|website=taipeitimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=台灣高鐵 Taiwan High Speed Rail|url=https://en.thsrc.com.tw/ArticleContent/30125956-5176-4d8c-af61-f1984f2133a4|access-date=5 April 2021|website=en.thsrc.com.tw|language=en}}</ref> ===Sports=== {{Main|Sport in Taiwan}} {{See also|List of sporting events in Taiwan}} [[File:11.27 總統觀賞「2021中華職棒總冠軍賽首戰」.jpg|thumb|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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hwang|first1=Dong-Jhy|last2=Chiu|first2=Wei-Cheng|date=October 2010|chapter=Sport and National Identity in Taiwan: Some Preliminary Thoughts|title=East Asian Sport Thoughts|volume=1|chapter-url=https://physical.ntsu.edu.tw/var/file/12/1012/img/451/V1-3.pdf|access-date=20 June 2022|archive-date=20 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620180556/https://physical.ntsu.edu.tw/var/file/12/1012/img/451/V1-3.pdf}}</ref> The men's team won top three medals across all levels of baseball in 2022, including the [[2021 U-12 Baseball World Cup|U-12]], [[2022 U-15 Baseball World Cup|U-15]], [[2022 U-18 Baseball World Cup|U-18]], [[2022 U-23 Baseball World Cup|U-23]], and [[2022 Baseball5 World Cup|Baseball5]] competitions, the only team to do so in baseball history.<ref>{{cite web |last1=藍 |first1=宗標 |title=五人制世界盃奪下季軍 各級中華隊都進前3創紀錄 |url=https://udn.com/news/story/7002/6761348 |website=聯合新聞網 |date=13 November 2022 |publisher=聯合線上公司 |language=zh}}</ref> Taiwan's [[Chinese Taipei national baseball team|men's baseball team]] and [[Chinese Taipei women's national baseball team|women's baseball team]] are world No.4 and world No.3 in the [[WBSC Rankings]] as of March 2023. Taiwan's [[Chinese Taipei national Baseball5 team|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2022/03/13/2003774679|title=Taiwan in Time: The beleaguered big league|work=Taipei Times|date=13 March 2022}}</ref> As of 2021, the CPBL has five teams, with average attendance around 4,000 per game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.cpbl.com.tw/about/fans|title=About CPBL|website=CPBL|access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> Some elite players signed with overseas professional teams in the [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) or the [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] (NPB). There have been sixteen [[List of Major League Baseball players from Taiwan|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 [[Softball at the 2022 World Games|2022 World Games]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yen |first1=William |title=Taiwan women bag World Games softball bronze |date=14 July 2022 |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/sports/202207140006 |publisher=Focus Taiwan |access-date=1 January 2023}}</ref> [[Basketball]] is Taiwan's other major sport.<ref>{{cite news | first = Audrey | last = Wang | title = A Passion for Hoops | date = 1 June 2008 | work = The Taiwan Review | url = http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=43967&CtNode=128 | access-date = 8 April 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120215062917/http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=43967&CtNode=128 | archive-date = 15 February 2012}}</ref> The [[P. League+]] and [[T1 League]] are two Taiwan's professional basketball leagues.<ref>{{cite news|title=New league a fresh start for pro basketball|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2021/02/14/2003752257|author1=Long Po-an|author2=William Yen |author3= Joseph Yeh|agency=Central News Agency|work=Taipei Times|date=14 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Kaohsiung Aquas drop Herobears in thrilling T1 opener|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2021/11/29/2003768729|agency=Central News Agency|work=Taipei Times|date=29 November 2021}}</ref> A [[semi-professional sports|semi-professional]] [[Super Basketball League]] (SBL) has also been in play since 2003.<ref>{{cite news|title=SBL to tip off tomorrow for men's, women's teams|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2023/01/06/2003792084|work=Taipei Times|date=6 January 2023}}</ref> Other team sports include [[volleyball]] and [[association football|football]]. Taiwan is also a major competitor in [[korfball]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Netherlands Retains World Youth Korfball Champion; Taiwan is on the Way to the World |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/08/idUS82890+08-Nov-2008+BW20081108 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203071126/https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/08/idUS82890%2B08-Nov-2008%2BBW20081108 |archive-date=3 February 2012 |agency=Reuters Newswire |date=8 November 2008 }}</ref> Taiwan participates in international sporting organizations and events under the name of "Chinese Taipei". Taiwan has hosted several [[multi-sport event]]s in the past, including the [[2009 World Games]] in Kaohsiung and the [[2009 Summer Deaflympics]] and [[2017 Summer Universiade]] in Taipei.<ref>{{cite news | first = Christie | last = Chen | title = UNIVERSIADE: Foreign athletes praise Taipei's efforts as host city | date = 30 August 2017 | work = Focus Taiwan | url = http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aftr/201708300026.aspx | archive-date = 25 May 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180525204459/http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aftr/201708300026.aspx }}</ref> Taipei and New Taipei City will hold the [[2025 Summer World Masters Games]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2025 New Taipei & New Taipei City World Masters Games welcome you: Sports program released |date=27 June 2022 |url=https://imga.ch/2022/06/27/taekwondo-aquatics-judo-and-karate-among-sports-to-make-2025-world-masters-games-programme/ |publisher=International Masters Games Association (IMGA) |access-date=1 January 2023}}</ref> 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)|Taipei Open]] (badminton) * [[U-12 Baseball World Cup]] (baseball) * [[William Jones Cup]] (basketball) * [[Tour de Taiwan]] (road bicycle racing) [[File:Tai Tzu-ying at 2022 Taipei Open.jpg|thumb|[[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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.taiwanpanorama.com/Articles/Details?Guid=f313175a-0948-4d91-bd9a-4f38f8ae8ab5&langId=3&CatId=10|title=Fighting Adversity:Taiwan's Taekwondo Community Looks to Innovate|website=Taiwan Panorama|date=April 2011|access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> The first two Olympic gold medals won by Taiwanese athletes belong to the sport. In the [[Taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics|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]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Goh |first1=ZK |title=Meet Tai Tzu-ying, Chinese Taipei's Badminton Star |url=https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/tai-tzu-ying-chinese-taipei-badminton-star/ |website=Who is Tai Tzu-ying |publisher=Olympic Channel Services S.L. |access-date=29 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=BWF World Rankings |url=https://bwfbadminton.com/rankings/ |website=Rankings |publisher=Badminton World Federation |access-date=29 July 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/statistics/participation|title=Participations by athlete|website=olympedia.org|access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> [[Yani Tseng]] is the youngest golf player ever, male or female, to win five [[Women's major golf championships|major championships]] and was ranked number 1 in the [[Women's World Golf Rankings]] for 109 consecutive weeks from 2011 to 2013.<ref>{{cite news|title=At Only 22, Tseng Wins Fifth Major|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/sports/golf/2011-womens-british-open-yani-tseng-wins-fifth-major.html|date=1 August 2011|agency=Associated Press|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Victorious Tseng takes No. 1 ranking|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/02/14/2003495832|date=14 February 2011|agency=Agence France-Presse|work=Taipei Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/9063564/stacy-lewis-wins-lpga-founders-cup-takes-world-no-1 |title=Stacy Lewis wins, now No. 1 in world |agency=Associated Press |date=17 March 2013 |work=ESPN }}</ref> In tennis, [[Hsieh Su-wei]] is the country's most successful female tennis player.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wtatennis.com/players/310053/su-wei-hsieh#rankingshistory|title=Su-Wei Hsieh|website=wtatennis.com|access-date=21 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hsieh & Peng: Co-Doubles No.1s |url=https://www.wtatennis.com/news/hsieh-peng-co-doubles-no1s|work=WTA |date=10 May 2014}}</ref> ===Calendar=== {{Main|Republic of China calendar}} {{See also|Chinese calendar|Public holidays in Taiwan}} The standard [[Gregorian calendar]] is used for most purposes. The year is often denoted by the Minguo [[calendar era|era system]] which starts in 1912, the year the ROC was founded. 2023 is year 112 Minguo (民國112年). The [[Calendar date#Gregorian, year–month–day (YMD)|East Asian date format]] is used in Chinese.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chinese (Traditional Han, Taiwan) (zh-Hant-TW) |url=https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSS28S_8.1.0/XFDL/i_xfdl_r_formats_zh_Hant_TW.html |website=IBM Knowledge Center |access-date=8 May 2019}}</ref> Prior to standardization in 1929, the [[Chinese calendar]] was officially used. It is a [[Lunisolar calendar|Lunisolar calendar system]] which remains in use for traditional festivals such as the [[Chinese New Year|Lunar New Year]], the [[Lantern Festival]], and the [[Dragon Boat Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/festival_c/index_e.htm |title=Holidays and Festivals in Taiwan |publisher=Government Information Office, ROC |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009021955/http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/festival_c/index_e.htm |archive-date=9 October 2009}}</ref> ==See also== {{portal |Taiwan|Islands}} * [[Index of Taiwan-related articles]] * [[Outline of Taiwan]] ==Notes== {{Notelist}} {{Notelist-lr}} === Words in native languages === {{Notelist-ur}} == References == === Citations === {{reflist}} === Works cited=== {{refbegin|35em}} * {{cite book|author1-link=Tonio Andrade |surname=Andrade |given=Tonio |date=2008 |title=How Taiwan Became Chinese |url=http://www.gutenberg-e.org/andrade/ |publisher=Columbia University Press |version=Gutenberg-e E-book |isbn=978-0-231-50368-6}} * {{cite journal | surname1=Bird | given1=Michael I | surname2=Hope | given2=Geoffrey | surname3=Taylor | given3=David | year=2004 | title=Populating PEP II: the dispersal of humans and agriculture through Austral-Asia and Oceania | url=http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/pubs/Birdetal04.pdf | journal=Quaternary International | volume=118–119 | pages=145–163 | doi=10.1016/s1040-6182(03)00135-6 | bibcode=2004QuInt.118..145B | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212013511/http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/pubs/Birdetal04.pdf | archive-date=12 February 2014 }} *{{citation|last=Chang|first=Mau-kuei|year=2003|title=On the Origins and Transformation of Taiwanese National Identity}} * {{cite book |surname=Chang |given=Maukuei |chapter=The Movement to Indigenize to Social Sciences in Taiwan: Origin and Predicaments |title=Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua |date=2005 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-4039-7020-6 |editor1-surname=Makeham |editor1-given=John |editor2-surname=Hsiau |editor2-given=A-chin }} * {{cite book |surname=Davidson |given=James W. |author-link=James W. 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Thomas |year=1989 |title=The Taiwanese hyperinflation and stabilization of 1945–1952 |journal=Journal of Money, Credit and Banking |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=90–105 | doi=10.2307/1992580 |jstor=1992580 }} * {{citation|last=Rubinstein|first=Murray A.|title=Taiwan: A New History|year=1999|publisher=East Gate Books}} * {{cite journal |surname=Thompson |given=Lawrence G. |title=The earliest eyewitness accounts of the Formosan aborigines |journal=Monumenta Serica |volume=23 |pages=163–204 |year=1964 |jstor=40726116 |doi=10.1080/02549948.1964.11731044 }} *{{citation|last=Twitchett|first=Denis|year=2002|title=The Cambridge History of China 9 Volume 1}} * {{cite book |surname=Valentijn |given=François |author-link=François Valentijn |chapter=History of the Dutch Trade |pages=25–75 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/formosaunderdut01campgoog#page/n41/mode/1up |title=Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island |publisher=Kegan Paul |year=1903 |editor-surname=Campbell |editor-given=William|isbn=978-957-638-083-9 |oclc=644323041 |orig-date=First published 1724 in ''Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën'' |editor-link=William Campbell (missionary) }} *{{citation|last=Wang|first=Gabe T.|year=2006|title=China and the Taiwan Issue: Impending War at Taiwan Strait|publisher=University Press of America}} * {{cite book |surname=Wills |given=John E. Jr. |chapter=The Seventeenth-century Transformation: Taiwan under the Dutch and the Cheng Regime |pages=84–106 |title=Taiwan: A New History |editor-given=Murray A. |editor-surname=Rubinstein |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |year=2006 |edition=expanded |isbn=978-0-7656-1495-7 }} * {{cite conference |surname=Winckler |given=Edwin |year=1994 |title=Cultural Policy in Postwar Taiwan |editor1-surname=Harrell |editor1-given=Stevan |editor2-surname=Huang |editor2-given=Chun-chieh |conference=Cultural Change in Postwar Taiwan ( 10–14 April 1991; Seattle) |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=978-0-8133-8632-4 }} *{{citation|last=Wong|first=Young-tsu|year=2017|title=China's Conquest of Taiwan in the Seventeenth Century: Victory at Full Moon|publisher=Springer}} *{{citation|last=Wong|first=Tin|year=2022|title=Approaching Sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands|publisher=Springer}} *{{citation|last=Ye|first=Ruiping|year=2019|title=The Colonisation and Settlement of Taiwan|publisher=Routledge}} * {{cite book |title=Envisioning Taiwan: Fiction, Cinema and the Nation in the Cultural Imaginary |surname=Yip |given=June |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8223-3357-9 }} * {{cite book |last=Ballantine |first=Joseph |title=Formosa: A Problem for United States Foreign Policy |publisher=The Brookings Institution |year=1952 }} * {{cite book |author=United States |title=United States relations with China, with special reference to the period 1944–1949, based on the files of the Department of State |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1949 }} * {{cite book |last=Hsü |first=Immanuel Chung-yueh |title=China Without Mao: The Search for a New Order |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1982}} * {{citation | last=Zhang | first=Yufa | year=1998 | title=Zhonghua Minguo shigao | script-title=zh:中華民國史稿 | publisher=Lian jing (聯經) | isbn=957-08-1826-3 | postscript=. }} {{refend}} ==Further reading== {{Refbegin|30em}} * {{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/asia_pac/04/taiwan_flashpoint/html/introduction.stm|work=BBC News|title=Taiwan Flashpoint|year=2005 |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last=Bush|first=R.|author2=O'Hanlon, M.|title=A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America|publisher=Wiley|year=2007|isbn=978-0-471-98677-5|url=https://archive.org/details/warlikenoothertr0000bush |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last=Bush|first=R.|title=Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-8157-1290-9 |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last=Carpenter|first=T.|title=America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4039-6841-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/americascomingwa00carp |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last1=Clark|first1=Cal|last2=Tan|first2=Alexander C.|title=Taiwan's Political Economy: Meeting Challenges, Pursuing Progress|year=2012|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers|isbn=978-1-58826-806-8 |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last=Cole|first=B.|title=Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|isbn=978-0-415-36581-9 |ref=none }} * {{cite book|last=Copper|first= John Franklin|title=Taiwan: Nation-state or province?|publisher=Routledge|year= 2019|ref=none}} * {{Cite book|last=Copper|first=J.|title=Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan|publisher=Praeger Security International General Interest|year=2006|isbn=978-0-275-98888-3 |ref=none }} * {{cite book|editor=Copper, John F|title=Historical dictionary of Taiwan|year=1993|url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00cop_ehx |ref=none}} * {{Cite web|author=Federation of American Scientists|title=Chinese Nuclear Forces and US Nuclear War Planning|year=2006|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/china/Book2006.pdf|display-authors=etal |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last=Feuerwerker|first=Albert|title=The Chinese Economy, 1912–1949|publisher=University of Michigan Press|year=1968 |ref=none }} * {{Cite journal | last1 = Fravel | first1 = M. Taylor | year = 2002 | title = Towards Civilian Supremacy: Civil-military Relations in Taiwan's Democratization | journal = [[Armed Forces & Society]] | volume = 29 | issue = 1| pages = 57–84 | doi = 10.1177/0095327x0202900104| s2cid = 146212666 |ref=none }} * {{cite book|last1=Kuo|first1= Shirley W.Y.|first2= Gustav |last2=Ranis|title=The Taiwan Success Story: Rapid Growith With Improved Distribution In The Republic Of China, 1952–1979|publisher=Routledge|year= 2020|url={{GBurl|id=wGMPEAAAQBAJ|dq=%22Republic+of+China%22|pg=PP1}} |ref=none}} * {{cite book|author=Lasater, Martin L.|title=The Taiwan Issue in Sino-American Strategic Relations|publisher=Routledge|year= 2019|ref=none}} * {{Cite journal |surname=Selby |given=Burnard |title=Formosa: The Historical Background | journal=History Today |date=Mar 1955 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=186–194 |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last=Shirk|first=S.|title=China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-19-530609-5|url=https://archive.org/details/chinafragilesupe00shir |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last=Tsang|first=S.|title=If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy, Politics and Economics|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|isbn=978-0-415-40785-4 |ref=none }} * {{Cite book|last=Tucker|first=N.B.|title=Dangerous Strait: the US-Taiwan-China Crisis|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-231-13564-1 |ref=none }} {{Refend}} ==External links== {{Sister project links|Republic of China|voy=Taiwan}} {{Library resources box}} ===Overviews and data=== * [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/taiwan/ Taiwan]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120828223012/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/taiwan.htm Taiwan] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' (archived) * [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16164639 Taiwan country profile] – [[BBC News]] * [https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35855.htm Background Note: Taiwan] – US Department of State * [http://www.taiwandc.org/history.htm Taiwan's 400 years of history] New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa * [https://www.ifs.du.edu/IFs/frm_CountryProfile/TW Key Development Forecasts for Taiwan] from [[International Futures]] * [https://www.oecd.org/countries/chinesetaipei/ Chinese Taipei] [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]] * {{wikiatlas|Taiwan}} ===Government agencies=== * [https://www.taiwan.gov.tw/ Office of the Government] * [https://english.president.gov.tw/ Office of the President] * [https://english.ey.gov.tw/Index.aspx Executive Yuan] * [https://www.judicial.gov.tw/en/mp-2.html Judicial Yuan] * [https://www.cy.gov.tw/en/ Control Yuan] * [https://www.exam.gov.tw/en/ Examination Yuan] * [https://en.mofa.gov.tw/Default.aspx Ministry of Foreign Affairs] * [https://www.taiwanembassy.org/portalOfDiplomaticMission_en.html#ALL Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassies and Missions Abroad] * [http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/ Taiwan, The Heart of Asia]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223063050/http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/ |date=23 December 2016 }}. Tourism Bureau. 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