Country name
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local long form: none
local short form: T'ai-wan

Data code TW

Government type multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly elected president

National capital Taipei

Administrative divisions since in the past the authorities claimed to be the government of all China, the central administrative divisions include the provinces of Fu-chien (some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province including Quemoy and Matsu) and Taiwan (the island of Taiwan and the Pescadores islands); note - the more commonly referenced administrative divisions are those of Taiwan Province - 16 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities** (chuan-shih, singular and plural); Chang-hua, Chia-i, Chia-i*, Chi-lung*, Hsin-chu, Hsin-chu*, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung, Kao-hsiung**, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-chung*, T'ai-nan, T'ai-nan*, T'ai-pei, T'ai-pei**, T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin; the provincial capital is at Chung-hsing-hsin-ts'un
note: Taiwan uses the Wade-Giles system for romanization

National holiday National Day, 10 October (1911) (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution)

Constitution 1 January 1947, amended in 1992, 1994, and 1997

Legal system based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch
chief of state: President LEE Teng-hui (succeeded to the presidency following the death of President CHIANG Ching-kuo 13 January 1988, elected by the National Assembly 21 March 1990, elected by popular vote in the first-ever direct elections for president 23 March 1996); Vice President LIEN Chan (since 20 May 1996)
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) Vincent SIEW (since 1 September 1997) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) LIU Chao-shiuan (since 10 December 1997)
cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 23 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier
election results: LEE Teng-hui elected president; percent of vote - LEE Teng-hui 54%, PENG Ming-min 21%, LIN Yang-kang 15%, and CHEN Li-an 10%

Legislative branch unicameral Legislative Yuan (164 seats - 128 elected by popular vote, 36 indirectly elected on the basis of proportional representation; members serve three-year terms; note - in 1997, the National Assembly passed an amendment to increase the membership of the Legislative Yuan to 225 seats, of which 168 are to be elected by popular vote, 41 by proportional representation, and 16 from aboriginal and Chinese groups) and unicameral National Assembly (334 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 2 December 1995 (next to be held NA December 1998); National Assembly - last held 23 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT 46%, DPP 33%, CNP 13%, independents 8%; seats by party - KMT 85, DPP 54, CNP 21, independents 4; note - since the election, there has been a change in the distribution of seats, the new distribution is as follows - KMT 81, DPP 46, CNP 19, independents 8, other 5, vacant 5; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - KMT 55%, DPP 30%, CNP 14%, other 1%; seats by party - KMT 183, DPP 99, CNP 46, other 6

Judicial branch Judicial Yuan, justices appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly

Political parties and leaders Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party), LEE Teng-hui, chairman; Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), HSU Hsin-Liang, chairman; Chinese New Party (CNP), leader NA; Taiwan Independence Party (TAIP), HSU Shih-Kai; other various parties

Political pressure groups and leaders Taiwan independence movement, various environmental groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increased representation of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; advocates of Taiwan independence, including within the DPP, oppose the ruling party's traditional stand that the island will eventually reunify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the UN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include the World United Formosans for Independence and the Organization for Taiwan Nation Building

International organization participation APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, IOC, WCL, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through a private instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 12 other US cities

Diplomatic representation from the US none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through a private institution, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which has its headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia (telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474 and FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385) and offices in Taipei at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, telephone [886] (22) 709-2000, FAX [886] (22) 702-7675, and in Kao-hsiung at #2 Chung Cheng 3d Road, telephone [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157, FAX [886] (7) 223-8237, and the American Trade Center at Room 3207 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei 10548, telephone [886] (22) 720-1550, FAX [886] 757-7162

Flag description red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays

NOTE: The information regarding Taiwan on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Taiwan Government 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Taiwan Government 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.