Taiwan Overview

Taiwan, officially called the Republic of China, is an island located east of mainland China north of the Philippines and South of Japan. It’s capital, Taipei, is a bustling major city, while the remainder of the island contrasts from central mountainous countryside to coastal cities.

Taiwan was colonised by the Dutch in the 1600s before coming under Chinese control during the Qing dynasty in the late 1600s. In 1894, the First Sino-Japanese war saw Japan take control of the island which remained the status quo until World War Two, when Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after Japan’s defeat. 1946 to 1949 saw the resumption of the Chinese Civil War which had been in progress prior to WWII.

In 1949 the Nationalist government of China was defeated and fled to Taiwan to rule over the island as a separate country. China still considers Taiwan to be a rebel region that must be reunited to the mainland. Because of this, countries cannot have official diplomatic relations with both China and Taiwan, leading to many nations unofficially maintaining ties with Taiwan while formally recognising China’s One-China principle.

Despite limited official diplomatic relation with other countries, Taiwan has flourished into a strong economic powerhouse. Massive industrialisation in the late 20th century has made it a large contributor to global economics. In particular, its semi-conductor production is crucial to global electronics production.

For further information on Taiwan, see the resources below:

Articles:

1. Taiwan Britannica
2. Taiwan Country Profile – DFAT 
3. Taiwan Country Profile – BBC
4. Taiwan Articles – The Guardian
5. Taiwan – general facts and information – CIA World Factbook

Videos:

1. The History of Taiwan on Animated Map (youtube.com)
2. Taiwan and China explained (youtube.com)

Culture/Demographics

Taiwanese culture, like many Asian cultures, centres on the concept of ‘face’. Face is the reputation, dignity, and honour of oneself. By respecting and giving honour to someone else, you give them face. People can lose face by acting inappropriately, being contradicted by someone, or criticised openly.

Taiwanese people are considered loyal, respectful, friendly, and ethical. Hospitality is a strength of the Taiwanese people, and they are very willing to help those in need. Taiwanese people also appreciate humility despite being very complimentary of others. Family plays an important part in Taiwanese culture, so it is considered an important topic of discussion. People often live with or very close to their parents. Intergenerational households are common and ancestor worship is commonly practised. This is where deceased ancestors are wished with a happy existence in the afterlife. The Chinese lunar calendar dictates the festivals and holidays that Taiwan celebrates. Although Mandarin is the official language of Taiwan, many also speak Taiwanese and there are approximately 16 indigenous languages and Hakka dialects.

For further information on Taiwanese culture, see the resources below:

Articles:

1. Cultural Atlas – Taiwan Culture
2. Taiwan - Culture, Traditions, Festivals | Britannica
3. Taiwan's Culture and Festivals | Life of Taiwan Tours
4. Taiwanese Culture – Core Concepts – Cultural Atlas (sbs.com.au)

National Psyche

Taiwanese national identity and psyche has developed over the past half a century since separation from mainland China. What began largely as a subset of mainland Chinese identity has slowly evolved into a distinctly different Taiwanese identity and fierce pride of the differences. It should also be noted that 50 years under Japanese rule before that allowed the Taiwanese people to begin to generate a distinctly different national identity prior to reformation and eventual separation from China. Of note, the number of Taiwanese nationals that consider themselves to be ‘Taiwanese’ rather than ‘Chinese’ or ‘both’ has risen sharply in the past few decades. This shows that regardless of the similarities and differences between the Taiwanese and Chinese, Taiwanese people now largely consider themselves to be a different nation and a different population to mainland China.

For further information on Taiwan national psyche, see the resource below:

Article:

1. The Evolution of a Taiwanese National Identity

Public Diplomacy

Taiwan’s ability to gain and maintain diplomatic relations with other countries is heavily burdened by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 passed in 1971 which recognises the People’s Republic of China as the only representatives of China. This means that any country that maintains diplomatic relations with China is unable to formally maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Therefore, only a small number of nations formally recognise Taiwan as an independent nation. Many more maintain informal relations with Taiwan whilst formally recognising and supporting the One-China policy. Global reliance on China’s trade is a significant contributor to this.

Taiwan is heavily reliant on the US for geopolitical security, understanding that it would be unable to deter acts of aggression from larger militaries such as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The US stance on the situation is that it supports China’s One-China policy; however, it seeks peaceful resolution between China and Taiwan to maintain stability in the region. The US has been open in stating that any act of military aggression toward Taiwan from China will be met with defence from the US. 

For further information on Taiwan public diplomacy, see the resources below:

Articles:

1. FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Taiwan.gov.tw - Government Portal of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
2. Taiwan's Soft Power and Public Diplomacy (ssoar.info)
3. Taiwan’s small-power diplomacy (lowyinstitute.org)
4. Taiwan's Soft Power and Public Diplomacy - Gary D. Rawnsley, 2014 (sagepub.com)

Media and Internet

Taiwan boasts the highest internet speed globally with its mean download speed in 2022/2023 being 153.51 Mbps. This internet speed enables a 5GB HD movie to be downloaded in under 5 minutes. Taiwan currently has 14 submarine internet cables from multiple different sources, meaning that its internet network is highly resilient with many redundancies built in. Although, like any other nation, Taiwan’s internet connectivity in not impervious. In February of 2023 two submarine cables connecting Taiwan to one of its island jurisdictions, Matsu, were severed by Chinese maritime vessels. This left the island without internet for months while a new internet cable was laid. A prolonged disruption to Taiwan’s internet connectivity could be disastrous for the country’s economy and have broad reaching and long-lasting impacts globally.

Although Taiwan ranked highly within its region on the world press freedom index, many media outlets who are reliant on mainland Chinese investment and advertising are susceptible to Chinese influence. Taiwan press includes United News Daily, China Times, and the Liberty Times which are all broadcast in Mandarin. It also has two English press services being the Taipei Times and Taiwan News. Focus Taiwan is an online English news outlet run by the state-owned Central News Agency. Taiwan’s television stations include the Chinese Television System (CTS), Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV), Formosa Television (FTV), and Public Television Service (PTS) which is a not for profit public broadcaster. Taiwan’s radio stations include the Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC), CBS-Radio Taiwan International, and International Community Radio Taipei.

For further information on Taiwan media and internet, see the resources below:

Articles:

1. Taiwan media guide – BBC News
2. MASS MEDIA – Taiwan.gov.tw – Government Portal of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
3. After Chinese Vessels Cut Matsu Internet Cables, Taiwan Seeks to Improve Its Communications Resilience – The Diplomat
4. Taiwan has No. 1 fastest internet in world | Taiwan News | 2023-10-23 10:53:00
5. Keeping Taiwan connected | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)

International Forums

Although Taiwan does not formally engage in international forums and assemblies, it has been recently suggested by the US that Taiwan should expand its participation in global forums including the United Nations (UN) system. This resulted in strong opposition from China, including lodging a protest after the suggestion that Taiwan be included in the UN Climate Summit. China has also blocked Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly and the International Civil Aviation Organization. This places Taiwan in a precarious position in the geopolitical space, as they find it more and more difficult to communicate, trade, and conduct diplomacy globally. 

For further information on Taiwan international forums, see the resource below:

Article:

• US, Taiwan Discuss Broadening Taiwan's International Participation (voanews.com)