Taiwan

Taiwan is an East Asian island nation with a population of about 23.9 million people, making it one of the most densely populated nations on Earth. Between the East and South China Seas, Taiwan’s strategic location in the northwest Pacific Ocean has greatly shaped its complex history and geopolitical relevance.

Comprising an area of 35,808 square kilometers, the island of Taiwan—also known as Formosa—is the nation’s major landmass. The topography of the island is defined by the clear difference between the mountainous eastern areas and the plains that predominate in the western third of it. Taiwan’s population distribution has been impacted by this geographical variety; most of the highly urbanized people in the nation live on the western plains. Comprising Taipei, New Taipei City, and Keelung, the three capital cities create a vibrant metropolitan center that aptly reflects Taiwan’s modernism and economic power.

Taiwan’s past is a patchwork of political upheavals mixed with different cultural influences. Archaeological evidence suggests that ancestors of the indigenous people of Taiwan founded societies approximately 6,000 years ago, so attesting to the minimum 25,000 years of human occupation on the island. The first mostly Han Chinese state in Taiwanese history, the 17th century marked a major turning point in the demographic scene of Taiwan due to the massive Han Chinese immigration started during Dutch colonial control and continued during the rule of the Kingdom of Tungning.

The island’s government evolved in many respects over the next centuries. In 1683, China’s Qing dynasty seized Taiwan and included it into its vast empire. Historically speaking, though, this rule was short-lived since China lost the First Sino-Japanese War and Taiwan was handed over to the Japanese Empire in 1895. After Japan’s surrender in World War II, the Republic of China (ROC), which had overthrown the Qing dynasty in 1912, seized control ending the Japanese colonial era.

Taiwan’s present political environment was much changed by the Chinese Civil War and the aftermath of World War II. The Kuomintang-led ROC government withdrew to Taiwan in 1949 when the Chinese Communist Party seized overlying China and established the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Penghu, small neighboring islands, and essentially limited the ROC’s jurisdiction to Taiwan, Penghu created a complex political scenario that still exists today.

Taiwan’s second half of the 20th century economic growth has been nothing less than remarkable. Initiated in the early 1960s, the “Taiwan Miracle” was a period of fast industrialization and economic growth. Originally a mostly agricultural society, Taiwan’s economic change turned it into a worldwide manufacturing powerhouse. By purchasing power parity (PPP), Taiwan’s economy ranks now as the 20th largest in the world; by nominal GDP, it ranks 21st.

The pillar of Taiwan’s economic success is its export-oriented industrial policy, which emphasizes especially the manufacture of steel, machinery, electronics, and chemicals. Particularly in the high-tech sector, the country has become known worldwide for its supply chain. Taiwan’s economic scene differs from that of its East Asian counterparts since small and medium-sized companies predominate over big conglomerates, so encouraging a dynamic and flexible corporate environment.

Taiwan’s political evolution has also been rather amazing. Under martial law, a vibrant multi-party democracy supplanted a one-party state in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Major turning point in Taiwan’s political history, democratic presidential elections have been held there since 1996. Along with this change, major developments in civil liberties, healthcare, and human development have aligned to show Taiwan as a developed country by many international benchmarks.

Though Taiwan’s democratic and economic achievements are commendable, its global reputation remains divisive. The People’s Republic of China asserts its sovereignty over Taiwan by declining to establish diplomatic relations with countries that accept the ROC. A complex web of international relations results from just 11 of the 193 UN members—including the Holy See—having official diplomatic ties to Taiwan. Many other countries maintain unofficial diplomatic ties by means of representative offices and establishments acting as de facto embassies and consulates.

Taiwan plays a similarly multifarious role in international organizations. Many of the companies the PRC members either exclude Taiwan from membership or let it engage non-statewise. This diplomatic isolation and Taiwan’s economic and cultural weight on the world scene create a special paradox in international relations.

Taiwan’s political scene clearly divides those who support ultimate unification with China from those who wish official international recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. Related closely to this political split are debates on whether to support a pan-Chinese identity or a distinctive Taiwanese identity. Both sides have changed their positions recently in an attempt to appeal to a larger audience since Taiwanese politics and society are dynamic and complicated.

The population of Taiwan reflects its historical migrations and cultural influences. About 84% of the population are Han Chinese immigrants’ descendants between 1683 and 1895. Many also have ancestry from Han Chinese, who left mainland China following the Chinese Civil War and migrated in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This shared cultural legacy and the political tensions between the ROC and PRC have turned national identity into a divisive issue with major political consequences.