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History and Government
History: Taiwan is an island off the southeast coast of China and is reputed to be the custodian and preserver of the world’s oldest culture. Previously known as Formosa, the island was originally inhabited by mainland Chinese until the 17th century. It was then occupied by the Dutch and Spanish for about 40 years. In 1684, Taiwan was taken over by supporters of the deposed Ming Dynasty and was a tao (a sub-province of county) of the mainland province of Fukien across the Taiwan Straits. (The island’s use as a refuge for deposed rulers from the mainland is a recurring feature of Taiwanese history). In 1885, Taiwan was completely controlled by the Qing Dynasty and made into a province in its own right.
A decade later, Chinese defeat in the first Sino-Japanese War brought the first occupations of Chinese territory by the Japanese. Among the regions they took control of was Taiwan. Although it was fiercely resented and actively resisted by the population, Taiwan remained under Japanese rule from 1895 until its defeat at the end of World War II.
The Chinese Civil War, which had already been in progress for some years, came to a head in 1948. The nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-Shek were defeated by Mao’s Communists and the nationalist leadership, along with thousands of supporters, fled to Taiwan. Here, their political vehicle, the Kuo min-tang (KMT) rapidly came to dominate Taiwanese politics – having ensured its own survival, the KMT then set about developing the economy. In this, the KMT regime was spectacularly successful and Taiwan has been one of the fast-developing ‘tiger economies’ of the Pacific Rim (see Business Profile). Politically, Taiwan relied for a long time upon the support of the USA until the early 1970s, when the rapprochement between Washington and Beijing took place. The Chinese still consider Taiwan to be part of the national territory and continue to harbour the long-term objective of reunifying Taiwan with the mainland. International recognition of Taiwan (by the United Nations, for example) is therefore unacceptable. Many in Taiwan also believe that the two countries should be reunited but dispute the terms under which this should take place; the idea of a Hong Kong-type solution is given short shrift.
Nonetheless, extensive trade, travel and communications links have built up between Taiwan and China since the early 1970s – one million visitors now travel between the two countries each year and bilateral trade is worth well over US$5 billion. Nonetheless, there are still major tensions in Sino-Taiwanese relations and the territory of Taiwan itself is not the only point of issue – China, Taiwan and at least four other countries have claims on the potentially oil-rich Spratly Islands.
From the beginning of the 1990s, responding to both internal and external pressure, the KMT relaxed its stranglehold on domestic politics. This also offered the prospect of a more flexible attitude from Taipei towards China. A new constitution was adopted in 1991. In December 1992, the National Assembly election saw the KMT vote cut to just over 50 per cent while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took 31 per cent of the vote.
The appointment of President Lee Teng-Hui – who took over from his predecessor Chiang Kai-Shek, upon the latter’s death in 1988 – was endorsed by the National Assembly in 1990. At the first direct presidential elections in March 1996, Lee was comfortably returned to office with over half the poll, defeating two other candidates. At the same time, the 1992 National Assembly result was repeated, giving the KMT a small working majority. Chinese efforts to influence the election – in the form of none-too-subtle military exercises off the Taiwanese coast – were not appreciated. As political liberalisation took hold, a second option to reunification with China attracted serious consideration – that of full independence.
The DPP has generally leant towards this long-term solution but its relatively moderate stance led the more vociferous adherents of independence to form the Taiwan Independence Party. China is not enamoured by this option or by recent attempts by Taipei to raise its international profile and ease its diplomatic isolation. The issue briefly emerged during the campaign leading up to the March 2000 presidential election. Then, in October 2000, George W Bush, the then Republican candidate for the US presidency – now the president – declared himself in favour of Taiwanese independence.
The March 2000, presidential election was won by the DPP candidate, Chen Shui-bian. The following year, national assembly elections returned the DPP as the largest party in the Li Fa Yuan (see Government), although, with just 87 seats, it is well short of a majority. Support from independent and non-partisan members has allowed the formation of a viable government under Premier Yu Shi-Kun. This is the first occasion on which the KMT has been completely excluded from political power. Taking its lead from the Bush administration, the Chen government has gone further than any of its predecessors in promoting full independence. This drew a furious reaction from Beijing, denouncing what it describes as ‘splittist forces’. However, in practice, links between the two – especially trade, following China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation and the establishment of new airline connections – are prospering.
In the foreign policy arena, the ‘recognition competition’ continues (28 countries recognise Taiwan, against more than 160 who recognise the People’s Republic. Both sides have ‘bought’ certain countries, typically by offering a substantial aid package and/or soft loans in exchange for recognition).
Government: Under the amended 1947 constitution, Taiwan has an executive who is Head of State and is directly elected for a four-year term. The parliament has two chambers. The Li Fa Yuan (Legislative Yuan) has 225 members – 168 elected for a three-year term in multi-seat constituencies, 41 elected by proportional representation, eight representing ethnic minorities, and six representing the overseas Chinese community. The Kuo-Min Ta-Hui (National Assembly) has 334 members – 228 elected for a six-year term in multi-seat constituencies, 80 elected by proportional representation, six representing ethnic minorities, and 20 members.
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