The Current Political Environment

The Republic of China on Taiwan

Founded in 1912, the Republic of China (ROC) is Asia's first constitutional republic. When the Chinese Communist Party established the People's Republic of China (PRC) on the Chinese mainland in 1949, the ROC government, led by the Kuomintang (KMT), relocated to Taiwan, where it maintained jurisdiction over Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and numerous other islets. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait have since been governed as separate territories and developed separate identities.

As of July 2002, the total population of Taiwan was 22.5 million people. With an average population density of 621 persons per square km, Taiwan is the second most densely populated area in the world. The most populous city on the island is Taipei (2.64 million), followed by Kaohsiung (1.51 million). The population of Taiwan is almost exclusively made up of Han Chinese, with the remaining 427,907 indigenous people divided into ten major tribes: Ami, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Yami, and Shao. Altogether, indigenous peoples make up less than 2 percent of the entire population. Early Han Chinese immigrants, or "Taiwanese," consist of two groups: the Hakka (15 percent of the total population), mostly from Guangdong Province; and the Southern Fujianese (70 percent of the total population), from China's southeastern province of Fujian.

Governmental Structure

There are three levels of government: (1) the central level, consisting of the presidency, the five Yuan (Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Examination, and Control), and the National Assembly; (2) the provincial/special municipality level, consisting of the Taiwan and Fujian provincial governments and the Taipei and Kaohsiung city governments; and (3) the county/city level, consisting of 5 city governments and 18 county governments.

Political Parties

As of June 2002, a total of 99 political parties had registered with the Ministry of the Interior; however, only four political parties are significant in Taiwan. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the 2000 presidential election and the 2001 Legislative Yuan election.

The Kuomintang (KMT or Nationalist Party), which governed Taiwan for over five decades until 2000, is the second largest party in the Legislative Yuan. The People First Party (PFP), founded by James Soong following his second-place finish in the 2000 presidential election, is now the third largest party. The fourth major political party, based on its membership in the Legislative Yuan, is the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).

(This article is provided by The Republic of China (Taiwan) National Day Celebration Committee in St. Louis; the information resource comes from the Government Information Office, and The Office of the President, Republic of China.)