| Published on February 9, 2010 |
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Country Report
Taiwan
 Introduction
Background: In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of Taiwan's eventual status - as well as domestic political and economic reform.
Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
Geographic coordinates: 23 30 N, 121 00 E
Area:
total: 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km
water: 3,720 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy islands
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,566.3 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Natural resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 75% (2001)
Irrigated land: NA
Total renewable water resources: 67 cu km (2000)
Natural hazards: earthquakes; typhoons
Environment - current issues: air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status
Geography - note: strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
People
Population: 22,974,347 (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.7% (male 1,996,905/female 1,844,611)
15-64 years: 72.6% (male 8,416,300/female 8,267,675)
65 years and over: 10.7% (male 1,183,382/female 1,265,474) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.5 years
male: 35.9 years
female: 37.1 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.227% (2009 est.)
Birth rate: 8.99 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death rate: 6.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.96 years
male: 75.12 years
female: 81.05 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.14 children born/woman (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality:
noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)
note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan
adjective: Taiwan
Ethnic groups: Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%
Religions: mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%
Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.1%
male: NA
female: NA (2003)
Education expenditures: NA
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local long form: none
local short form: T'ai-wan
former: Formosa
Government type: multiparty democracy
Capital:
name: Taipei
geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chih-hsia-shih, singular and plural)
note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are taken from the Taiwan Yearbook 2007 published by the Government Information Office in Taipei.
counties: Changhua, Chiayi [county], Hsinchu [county], Hualien, Kaohsiung [county], Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taichung [county], Tainan [county], Taipei [county], Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and Yunlin
municipalities: Chiayi [city], Hsinchu [city], Keelung, Taichung [city], Tainan [city]
special municipalities: Kaohsiung [city], Taipei [city]
National holiday: Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)
Constitution: adopted on 25 December 1946; promulgated on 1 January 1947; effective 25 December 1947; amended numerous times
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President MA Ying-jeou (since 20 May 2008); Vice President Vincent SIEW (since 20 May 2008)
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) WU Den-yih (since 10 September 2009); Vice Premier (Vice President of Executive Yuan) Eric Liluan CHU (since 10 September 2009)
cabinet: Executive Yuan - (ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier)
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier
election results: MA Ying-jeou elected president; percent of vote - MA Ying-jeou 58.45%, Frank HSIEH 41.55%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members elected by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 6 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve four-year terms); parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify for at-large seats
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be held in December 2011 or January 2012)
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT 53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%; seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1
Judicial branch: Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [TSAI Ing-wen]; Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou]; Non-Partisan Solidarity Union or NPSU [LIN Pin-kuan]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Organization for Taiwan Nation Building; World United Formosans for Independence
other: environmental groups; independence movement; various business groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; a broad public consensus has developed that the government enjoys popular sovereignty and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding unification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the UN; advocates of eventual unification predicate their goal on the democratic transformation of the mainland
International organization participation: ADB, APEC, BCIE, ICC, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WFTU, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; commercial and cultural relations with the people in the United States are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts
representative: Jason C. YUAN
office: 4201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] 202 895-1800
Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (branch offices): Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Guam, Houston, Honolulu, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts
director: William A. STANTON
office: #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan
telephone: [1] [886] (02) 2162-2000
FAX: [1] [886] (07) 238-7744
other offices: Kaohsiung
Flag description: red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Economy
Economy - overview: Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing government guidance of investment and foreign trade. In keeping with this trend, some large, state-owned banks and industrial firms have been privatized. Exports, led by electronics and machinery, generate 70% of Taiwan's GDP growth, and have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. This heavy dependence on exports makes the economy vulnerable to downturns in world demand: January-October 2009 exports were down 27% year-on-year, contributing to a 4% contraction of the island's GDP in 2009. Taiwan's diplomatic isolation and low birth rate are also major long-term challenges. Free trade agreements have proliferated in East Asia over the past several years, but so far Taiwan has been excluded from this greater economic integration, largely for reasons of diplomacy. Taiwan's birth rate of only 1.0 child per woman is among the lowest in the world, raising the prospect of future labor shortages and declining tax revenues. The island runs a large trade surplus, and its foreign reserves are the world's fourth largest, behind China, Japan, and Russia. Recently opened cross-strait travel, transportation, and tourism links are likely to increase Taiwan and China's economic interdependence. In 2008 China overtook the US to become Taiwan's second-largest source of imports after Japan. China is also the island's number one destination for foreign direct investment. Taipei has focused much of its economic recovery effort on improving cross-strait economic integration. Three financial memorandums of understanding, covering banking, securities, and insurance, will take effect in mid-January 2010, opening the island to greater investments from the mainland and new opportunities for Taiwan firms operating in China. Taipei and Beijing are also poised to begin negotiating an economic cooperation agreement in January 2010. In January 2009 Taipei enacted a shopping voucher program worth over $2 billion in an effort to stimulate consumption and prop up the retail sector. In November 2009, the MA administration's cabinet approved funding for nearly $125 billion in infrastructure development projects as part of its ongoing economic stimulus efforts.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$693.3 billion (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate): $357.3 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -4% (2009 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$30,200 (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.7%
industry: 23.1%
services: 75.2% (2009 est.)
Labor force: 10.91 million (2009 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5.1%
industry: 36.8%
services: 58% (2008 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6.4% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line: 0.95% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 6.7%
highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 19.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $60.72 billion
expenditures: $78.5 billion (2009 est.)
Public debt: 34.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.7% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate: 1.5% (January 2009)
Commercial bank prime lending rate: 4.06% (2008)
Stock of quasi money: $618 billion (November 2008)
Stock of domestic credit: $677.8 billion (November 2008)
Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA (31 December 2008)
Agriculture - products: rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Industries: electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate: -7% (2009 est.)
Electricity - production: 225 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption: 233 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production: 12,310 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption: 959,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - exports: 303,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - imports: 1.251 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves: 2.38 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
Natural gas - production: 360 million cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 12.44 billion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 12.08 billion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 6.229 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
Current account balance: $34.04 billion (2009 est.)
Exports: $198.4 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities: electronics, flat panels, machinery, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals, auto parts
Exports - partners: China 29.2%, US 12%, Hong Kong 9.8%, Japan 6.9%, Singapore 4.6% (2008 est.)
Imports: $173 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities: electronics, machinery, petroleum, precision instruments, organic chemicals, metals
Imports - partners: Japan 19.3%, China 13%, US 10.9%, Saudi Arabia 6.3%, South Korea 5.5% (2008 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $341 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external: $82.68 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: $59.82 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: $112.3 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates: New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar - 33.056 (2009), 31.53 (2008), 32.84 (2007), 32.534 (2006), 31.71 (2005)
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 14.273 million (2008)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 25.412 million (2008)
Telephone system:
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
international: country code - 886; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2
Radio broadcast stations: AM 21, FM 143, shortwave 1 (2008)
Television broadcast stations: 76 (5 television networks with 46 digital and 30 analog stations) (2007)
Internet country code: .tw
Internet hosts: 5.704 million (2009)
Internet users: 15.143 million (2008)
Transportation
Airports: 42 (2009)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 38
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Heliports: 4 (2009)
Pipelines: gas 406 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 1,588 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,093 km 1.067-m gauge; 150 km .762-m gauge
note: the 150 km of .762 gauge track belongs primarily to Taiwan Sugar Corporation and Taiwan Forestry Bureau; some to other entities (2007)
Roadways:
total: 40,262 km
paved: 38,171 km (includes 976 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,091 km (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 102
by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 19, chemical tanker 1, container 24, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 3 (Canada 2, France 1)
registered in other countries: 536 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 1, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Italy 13, Kiribati 5, Liberia 91, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 320, Philippines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 72, Thailand 1, UK 11, unknown 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals: Chilung (Keelung), Kaohsiung, Taichung
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command
Military service age and obligation: 19-35 years of age for male compulsory military service; service obligation 14 months (reducing to 1 year in 2009); women may enlist; women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles; reserve obligation to age 30 (Army); the Ministry of Defense has announced plans to implement an incremental voluntary enlistment system beginning 2010, with 10% fewer conscripts each year thereafter, although nonvolunteers will still be required to perform alternative service or go through 3-4 months of military training (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,283,134
females age 16-49: 6,098,599 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,106,730
females age 16-49: 5,008,563 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 165,738
female: 154,123 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures: 2.2% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting
Illicit drugs: regional transit point for heroin, methamphetamine, and precursor chemicals; transshipment point for drugs to Japan; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; rising problems with use of ketamine and club drugs
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