A summary of the most relevant facts and the historical truth.
Historians have shown that popular and official discussion of Taiwan as a part of China, and formal efforts to gain forceful control of Taiwan before WWII by the government of the Republic of China (ROC) and its ruling Nationalist Party, originated in the 1930s and early 1940s, within the context of anti-Japanese sentiment and war.
Under Japanese imperial rule, the island was known as Formosa. However. in more historical terms, a number of scholars have demonstrated the creation of distinctive Taiwanese identities during the years of Japanese rule.
Taiwanese citizens created new identities by drawing on their cultural history, new labor and professional groups, widely disseminated concepts of self-determination and participatory politics, and contemporary cosmopolitanism—far from adhering to the goals of Japanese assimilation strategies. Through a variety of social and cultural actions, including demands for voting rights and an independent legislature for Taiwan inside the Japanese Empire, as well as demands for independence from Japan, they demonstrated their newfound awareness for self-determination.
When Chinese civilian and military representatives arrived in October 1945, the Taiwanese people showed genuine excitement for the end of Japanese authority. However, they soon came to understand that their perception of themselves and that of the new ruling regime were very different. They had established their identities in the context of contemporary capitalist industries and growing modern metropolises.
Since Mao Ze Dong took control of China, the Communist governments set their eyes on swallowing Taiwan. However, as the small, but vibrant island nation rises in importance on the global agenda, there are some pivotal facts to consider:
- Most Taiwanese – over 65% – consider themselves Taiwanese, while only 3% see themselves as Chinese.
- According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2023, Taiwan ranked tenth in the world – and is the leading democracy in Asia.
- By contrast, China is classed as an “authoritarian regime,” and is ranked 148th in the world.
- Taiwan’s GDP in 2022 was estimated at $828.66 billion, ranking 21st among all the 192 nations covered – and is expected to cross the $1 trillion mark by 2027.
- China is Taiwan’s largest trading partner, accounting for 25.2% of total trade, followed by the United States at 12.6%. Other major trading partners include Japan (10.3%), and the Republic of Korea (6.1%).
- Taiwan has become one of the most important high-tech economies in the world. Taiwan produces over 60% of the world's semiconductors and over 90% of the most advanced ones.
- Taiwan is seeking to increase defense spending by 3.5% to a record of $19 billion in 2024. China’s military spending will reach $236.1 billion in 2024.
- The United States is committed to the independence of Taiwan and is a major arms supplier with a current backlog of $19.17 billion. This has led to tensions between the United States and China – particularly in the South China Sea.
Do people who live in Taiwan think Taiwan should be independent? Yes! People want it for different reasons. The most basic reason is that people just don’t want to be part of the modern Chinese nation. This is on the level of identity. In a June 23 article titled “Why Does Taiwan Want Independence?” Ruodan Xu rightly argues that “Taiwan’s opposition to reunification with mainland China is far from ambiguous,” adding that “only 0.8 percent support immediate reunification, while the vast majority favor the status quo or independence.”