ABSTRACT
Taiwan’s geographical, political and economic characteristics could easily justify the claim that it is a distinct nation entitled to the status of an independent state. It is an island of nearly 36,000 square kilometres, located 160 kilometres from the coast of southern China. Taiwan has a population of 21.4 million people, its own government in the capital city of Taipei, powerful armed forces, and a large trading economy which plays an important role in the global market. Even more important is the process of democratisation, which since the mid-1980s has allowed the population of the island to exercise sovereignty through regularly electing representative government bodies, at the local level through to the presidency.
