In preparation for my stay in Taiwan, I have decided to write briefings on various topics that need some clarification. Taiwan is a relatively small country, far away from most of this website’s visitors. These briefings are meant as background information to everything else I write about Taiwan and my stay there. Since they are at least partly written for your benefit, please don’t hesitate to ask questions or to suggest topics for further briefings. This first briefing is meant for those of you who aren’t at all familiar with the country.

Taiwan

Taiwan is a small country off the east coast of China (see map to the left). It is somewhat smaller than Switzerland or Denmark, and is inhabited by roughly 23 million people. Because of its small size, population density is among the highest in the world (there are 30 times more people per square kilometre than in Sweden). In terms of purchasing power parity per head (a way of measuring how wealthy a country is based on how much can be bought for a given amount of currency), Taiwan and Sweden are roughly equal. Compared to its neighbour, China, Taiwan is roughly six times as rich, using this measurement. Taiwan’s climate is marine tropical, although the north is subtropical, and the island is covered mostly by mountains. The majority of the population lives on the flatter west coast.

The question whether Taiwan is a state or not depends on what definitions one uses. A de facto definition makes Taiwan a state, because its government is sovereign and has a monopoly on power. A legal definition is more complicated. In 1947, Chinese nationalists under Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) fled from the mainland after an internecine civil war continuing in the wake of the Second World War. After being defeated by the communists under Mao Zedong, the nationalists (a faction called Kuomintang) established a new base on the island of Taiwan under the name of the Republic of China. The communist government soon proclaimed the People’s Republic of China on the mainland. Both governments claimed sovereignty over Taiwan as well as over the rest of China. This remains a debated question today, but a status quo has been reached in which Taiwan is a sovereign country practically speaking, but isn’t recognised by most countries world wide (only 23 minor countries recognise Taiwan). Since the two countries’ definitions of themselves overlap, it isn’t possible to recognise Taiwan and China simultaneously.

Before the Kuomintang arrived, Taiwan was ruled by the Japanese for almost fifty years, but they were forced to cede the island to China after World War 2. After that, Taiwan was ruled under martial law until 1987, when democratisation began. According to an index published by the Economist, Taiwan is today a “flawed democracy” scoring roughly as high as countries such as Italy, South Korea and Estonia. Very high scores were recorded for civil liberties, but political climate and participation were not deemed as high. In 2000, the opposing Democratic Progressive Party managed to seize power from Kuomintang for the first time. They held on to power and strived towards Taiwanese independence until March 2008, when Kuomintang won landslide victories both for the legislature and the presidency. This will without doubt lead to a less tense relation with China and the United States.

The relationship between Taiwan and China has by many observers been deemed as one of the most dangerous to world peace. A proclamation of independence in Taiwan could lead to a war with China, who has vowed to stop Taiwanese formal secession with armed force if necessary. However, the United States is obliged by Act of Congress to intervene in such a conflict and do whatever it can to defend Taiwan. At present, this situation doesn’t seem very probable, because as was obvious in the March elections, the population of Taiwan favours closer integration with China and less focus on independence. It would make no sense to invade a country which is already moving in the desired direction. The future looks bright at the moment, with a growing economy, stabilising domestic politics and a friendlier relationship to important international players.

Sources and further reading
Country Briefings: Taiwan. (The Economist).
Republic of China. (Wikipedia).
Rubinstein, M.A. (1999). Taiwan: A New History.

This post was updated in July, 2009.