NationStates Jolt Archive


Taiwan Factbook {Earth 2025}

Naasha
23-11-2006, 23:54
The Republic of China.
Taiwan.

Population (est 2024): 28,230,000

Geography:
The territory of the Republic of China (ROC) consists of the islands of Taiwan, Lanyu and Green Island in the Pacific Ocean, the Pescadores, located in the Taiwan Strait, and the islands of Kinmen and Matsu located southeast of mainland (PRC) China.

Taiwan is the main island of the nation, it lies around 200km southeast of mainland China, and is approximately 35,801 square kilometers (13,823 square miles). Taiwan consists mainly of mountains, covered by vegetation of both tropical and sub-tropical varieties.

History:
During the Chinese civil war, the Kuomintang (KMT) party were defeated in mainland China by communist factions. The KMT fled to Taiwan, bringing with them many refugees, soldiers, KMT members and most importantly, China's skilled businessmen and entrepeneurs, who opposed communism.

More importantly, the KMT also brought with them almost all of the Chinese Treasury and foreign currency reserve.

This huge influx of people and money laid the foundation for Taiwan's rapid economic growth. This was in fact stunted by the KMT one-party rule, which was effectively a dictatorship.

By 1987 the country began to liberalise, and democracy was gradually reintroduced, since then Taiwan has enjoyed a massive economic boom thanks to it's productive workforce and large amounts of plundered Chinese wealth.

Politically, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China do not recognise each other, and the PRC requires nations that have ties with it do not recognise the ROC. The United States unofficially recognises Taiwan, and has provided it with military training and sales in the past.

World opinion has always been that the US would intervene should China attempt to invade Taiwan.

Since 2006 the country has continued it's economic boom, producing electronic goods at competetive prices for sale in the global market. Taiwan has increased it's economic clout considerably by becoming one of the largest exporters of electronic goods in the world. The stand-off with mainland China has continued, as has the US's perceived support, although Taiwan now relies less on US military imports.

Government:
Each of the islands in the ROC is governed by the President and the Yuan, based in the capital of Taipei, on Taiwan itself. The Vice President is elected on the same ticket as the President, who appoints members of the Executive Yuan as his or her cabinet. He or she also chooses one member of the Yuan to be the Premier, the President of the Yuan.

The government is made up of five branches, the Control, Examination, Executive, Judicial, and Legislative Yuans. Of these, the Legislative Yuan have the power to make laws while the Executive Yuan is more similar to a parliament.

Current President: Li Yen-Shu
Vice President: Chen Yen-Shu

Premier: Xi Hua
Minister of Defence: Yen Zhan
Minister of Agriculture and Trade: Fen Hei
Minister for the Environment: Xa Shui-Gan
Minister of Education: Zhua Hon
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Kayna Han
Minister for the Homeland: Gan Ning

Military:

The ROC relies on the United States to provide much of it's military equipment. The armed forces total around 300,000 men, with around 4 million nominal reserves, thanks to Taiwan's continued enforced conscription programs.

The ROC's land based army has been scaled back as a secondary requirement to it's navy and air force, as these have been deemed it's primary means of defense against a PRC invasion.

-More to follow later-