Summary

Taiwan has a long and complex political history. Taiwan was not formally governed until Dutch colonisation from 1624 to 1662. Taiwan was then self-governed for a few decades before becoming part of China for two centuries. It was then a colony of Japan from 1895 to 1945; ceded to China following World War II; then following resumption of the Chinese Civil War, was ruled by the remnants of the Republic of China as separatists from the Chinese mainland since 1949. Its colonial history has now led to a modern democratic government system.

Politics

Taiwan’s modern politics started with the Chinese Communist defeat of the Nationalist Government, which caused the Nationalist leader to move his government and military to the island of Taiwan in 1949. Whilst the initial Taiwanese government did not appear democratic in nature, it slowly became more democratic over many iterations of government reform and elections. Initially the government, police, military, and education system were made up of Chinese mainlanders and Hakkas, a local Taiwanese minority. However, with Fukien Taiwanese making up around two thirds of the local population, increased democracy led unsurprisingly to increases in Fukien Taiwanese taking up high positions in government.

Taiwan’s constitution, signed in 1947, initially created a republican system of government. The President was once selected by the now abolished National Assembly but is now elected by popular vote. The President is the Head of State, and they select a Premier who is the Head of Government. Most western governments have three branches of government; however, Taiwan elected to have an additional two branches, being the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan. These branches checked on the bureaucracy of government and conducted civil service examinations and promotions. 

In 1948, temporary provisions gave the President emergency powers, banned new political parties, and suspended the two-term limit for the President. It also gave the military, police, and intelligence agencies special powers. This in effect suspended the democratic nature of Taiwan’s political system. The emergency decree was not terminated until 1987 and the temporary provisions officially cancelled in 1991. 

The constitution was amended a number of times during the 1990s including slowly removing a requirement for representatives from mainland China to be in the elected body. There were also changes to the branches of government and the commencement of the phasing out the National Assembly. The two additional branches of government, the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan, have been significantly overhauled and are no longer considered to play an important role in the functioning of the government. In 2005 a referendum voted to abolish the National Assembly. The government of Taiwan now has a unicameral system whereby a President is elected alongside 113 legislative members in a parallel voting system every four years. 

Taiwan’s political system allows for local politicians to progress into national politics more easily than traditional federal political systems. This generates a feeling among the people of Taiwan that the government is led from the ground up. As a result, local governments are highly regarded, and political representatives are well respected. 

The two major political parties in Taiwan are the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Nationalist Muomintang (KMT) party. The KMT Nationalists were the original Taiwanese government in 1949. The DDP won their first presidential election in 2000 and the largest number of seats in Taiwan’s legislature the following year. They did this again in 2016 after the KMT had regained power in 2008. In the 2024 election Lai Ching-te from the DPP was voted in by majority share of the presidential votes; however, the DPP failed to win the majority in the legislature. KMT won 52 seats, DPP won 51 seats, TPP won 8 seats, and minor parties won the remaining 2. This greatly limits the government’s ability to pass bills due to differences in opinion between the parties. 

For further information on Taiwan politics, see the resources below:

Articles:

1. POLITICAL SYSTEM – Taiwan.gov.tw – Government Portal of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
2. Taiwan – Politics, Economy, Society | Britannica
3. China-Taiwan: A dramatic new political twist (afr.com)
4. Taiwan’s opposition coalition fails to pick candidate amid polling dispute | Politics News | Al Jazeera
5. Taiwan Opposition Parties Join Forces, Shaking Up Election | TIME

Taiwan and Australia

The basis of Taiwan and Australia’s relationship is through a commonly shared interest for a rules based stable Indo-Pacific region. Although Australia does not officially recognise Taiwan (Republic of China) as a sovereign state, Australia’s government officials unofficially deal with Taiwan representatives. Australia does not formally recognise the Taiwan government as having the status of a national government. Australia supports the economic and cultural relationship shared with Taiwan. 

For further information on the Taiwan-Australia relationship, see the resources below:

Articles:

1. Where are the guardrails in Australia’s relations with Taiwan? | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)
2. Australia-Taiwan relationship | Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (dfat.gov.au)

Taiwan and its Neighbours

Taiwan is considered strategically important due to its critical contribution to electronics production including semiconductor production. Much like Australia, the US undertakes an unofficial relationship with Taiwan and maintains opposition to any changes in the status quo within the region. It opposes force, coercion, or military intervention in the region between Taiwan and mainland China and expects peace and stability to be maintained in the Indo-Pacific region.

Any military intervention in the region is likely to have an immediate and lasting impact on its closest neighbours, in particular, the Philippines. The Philippines would likely experience significant refugee migration to its islands which could result in humanitarian disaster. 

Military intervention in the region is universally opposed, with many of the region’s stakeholders recognising the immense challenges of a non-peaceful resolution between Taiwan and China.

For further information on Taiwan and its neighbours, see the resources below:

Articles:

1. U.S. Relations With Taiwan – United States Department of State
2. What the Philippines has at stake in Taiwan | Lowy Institute

Videos:

1. Why Taiwan matters to the United States (youtube.com)