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East and Southeast Asia
Page last updated: April 24, 2024
First inhabited by Austronesian people, Taiwan became home to Han immigrants beginning in the late Ming Dynasty (17th century). In 1895, military defeat forced China's Qing Dynasty to cede Taiwan to Japan, which then governed Taiwan for 50 years. Taiwan came under Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang, KMT) control after World War II. With the communist victory in the Chinese civil war in 1949, the Nationalist-controlled Republic of China government and 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and continued to claim to be the legitimate government for mainland China and Taiwan based on a 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. Until 1987, however, the Nationalist Government ruled Taiwan under a civil war martial law declaration dating to 1948. Beginning in the 1970s, Nationalist authorities gradually began to incorporate the native population into the governing structure beyond the local level. The democratization process expanded rapidly in the 1980s, leading to the then illegal founding of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan’s first opposition party, in 1986 and the lifting of martial law the following year. Taiwan held legislative elections in 1992, the first in over 40 years, and its first direct presidential election in 1996. In the 2000 presidential elections, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power with the KMT loss to the DPP and afterwards experienced two additional democratic transfers of power in 2008 and 2016. Throughout this period, the island prospered, became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers," and after 2000 became a major investor in mainland China as cross-Strait ties matured. The dominant political issues continue to be economic reform and growth as well as management of sensitive relations between Taiwan and China.
Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
23°30' N, 121°00' E
Southeast Asia
Total: 35,980 km²
Land: 32,260 km²
Water: 3,720 km²
Note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Kinmen islands
Slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Total: 0 km
1,566.3 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); persistent and extensive cloudiness all year
Eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west
Highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 1,150 m
Small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, asbestos, arable land
Agricultural land: 22.7% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 16.9% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 5.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 77.3% (2018 est.)
3,820 km² (2012)
Distribution exhibits a peripheral coastal settlement pattern, with the largest populations on the north and west coasts
Earthquakes; typhoons
Volcanism: Kueishantao Island (401 m), east of Taiwan, is its only historically active volcano, although it has not erupted in centuries
Strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait
23,588,613 (2023 est.)
Noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)
Adjective: Taiwan (or Taiwanese)
Note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan
Han Chinese (including Holo, who compose approximately 70% of Taiwan's population, Hakka, and other groups originating in mainland China) more than 95%, indigenous Malayo-Polynesian peoples 2.3%
Note 1: there are 16 officially recognized indigenous groups: Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Hla'alua, Kanakaravu, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiyat, Sakizaya, Seediq, Thao, Truku, Tsou, and Yami; Amis, Paiwan, and Atayal are the largest and account for roughly 70% of the indigenous population
Note 2: although not definitive, the majority of current genetic, archeological, and linguistic data support the theory that Taiwan is the ultimate source for the spread of humans across the Pacific to Polynesia; the expansion (ca. 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1200) took place via the Philippines and eastern Indonesia and reached Fiji and Tonga by about 900 B.C.; from there voyagers spread across the rest of the Pacific islands over the next two millennia
Mandarin (official), Min Nan, Hakka dialects, approximately 16 indigenous languages
Major-language sample(s):
世界概況 – 不可缺少的基本消息來源 (Mandarin)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Buddhist 35.3%, Taoist 33.2%, Christian 3.9%, folk religion (includes Confucian) approximately 10%, none or unspecified 18.2% (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 12.22% (male 1,482,120/female 1,399,336)
15-64 years: 69.72% (male 8,211,973/female 8,233,667)
65 years and over: 18.07% (2023 est.) (male 1,922,365/female 2,339,152)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 40.2
Youth dependency ratio: 17.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 22.4
Potential support ratio: 4.5 (2021 est.)
Total: 44 years (2023 est.)
Male: 43 years
Female: 45 years
0.03% (2023 est.)
7.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Distribution exhibits a peripheral coastal settlement pattern, with the largest populations on the north and west coasts
Urban population: 80.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
4.504 million New Taipei City, 2.754 million TAIPEI (capital), 2.319 million Taoyuan, 1.553 million Kaohsiung, 1.369 million Taichung, 863,000 Tainan (2023)
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Total: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 81.4 years (2023 est.)
Male: 78.4 years
Female: 84.5 years
1.09 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.53 (2023 est.)
75.2% (2016)
Note: percent of women aged 20-52
Improved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
Unimproved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
NA
NA
Improved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
Unimproved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
NA
51% (2023 est.)
NA
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.5%
Male: 99.7%
Female: 97.3% (2014)
Air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal
Tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); persistent and extensive cloudiness all year
Agricultural land: 22.7% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 16.9% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 5.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 77.3% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 80.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 7.336 million tons (2015 est.)
67 cubic meters (2011)
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Taiwan
Local long form: none
Local short form: Taiwan
Former: Formosa
Etymology: "Tayowan" was the name of the coastal sandbank where the Dutch erected their colonial headquarters on the island in the 17th century; the former name "Formosa" means "beautiful" in Portuguese
Semi-presidential republic
Name: Taipei
Geographic coordinates: 25 02 N, 121 31 E
Time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the Chinese meaning is "Northern Taiwan," reflecting the city's position in the far north of the island
Includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 13 counties (xian, singular and plural), 3 cities (shi, singular and plural), and 6 special municipalities directly under the jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan
Counties: Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu, Hualien, Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taitung, Yilan, Yunlin
Cities: Chiayi, Hsinchu, Keelung
Special municipalities: Kaohsiung (city), New Taipei (city), Taichung (city), Tainan (city), Taipei (city), Taoyuan (city)
Note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems
Republic Day (National Day), 10 October (1911); note - celebrates the anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, also known as Double Ten (10-10) Day
History: previous 1912, 1931; latest adopted 25 December 1946, promulgated 1 January 1947, effective 25 December 1947
Amendments: proposed by at least one fourth of the Legislative Yuan membership; passage requires approval by at least three-fourths majority vote of at least three fourths of the Legislative Yuan membership and approval in a referendum by more than half of eligible voters; revised several times, last in 2005
Civil law system
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Taiwan
Dual citizenship recognized: yes, except that citizens of Taiwan are not recognized as dual citizens of the People's Republic of China
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
20 years of age; universal; note - in March 2022, the Legislative Yuan approved lowering the voting age to 18, but the change will require a constitutional amendment that must be submitted to a referendum
Chief of state: President TSAI Ing-wen (since 20 May 2016); Vice President LAI Ching-te (since 20 May 2020)
Head of government: Premier CHEN Chien-jen (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 31 January 2023); Vice Premier CHENG Wen-tsan (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) (since 31 January 2023)
Cabinet: Executive Yuan - ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier
Elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 13 January 2024 (next to be held in 2028); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier
Election results: 2023: LAI Ching-te elected president; percent of vote \- LAI Ching-te (DPP) 40.1%, HOU Yu-ih (KMT) 33.5%, KO Wen-je (TPP) 26.5%; note - LAI takes office on 20 May 2024
2020: TSAI Ing-wen reelected president; percent of vote - TSAI Ing-wen (DPP) 57.1%, HAN Kuo-yu (KMT) 38.6%, James SOONG (PFP) 4.3%; note - TSAI is the first woman elected president of Taiwan
Description: unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats; 73 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 34 directly elected in a single island-wide constituency by proportional representation vote, and 6 directly elected in multi-seat aboriginal constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 13 January 2024 (next to be held in 2028)
Election results: percent of vote by party - DPP 40.6%, KMT 37.2%, TPP 12.6%, other 5.7%, independent 3.9%; seats by party - KMT 52, DPP 51, TPP 8, independent 2; composition as of February 2024 - men 66, women 47, percentage women 41.6%
Highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and approximately 100 judges organized into civil and criminal panels, each with a chief justice and 4 associate justices); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 13 justices)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court justices appointed by the president; Constitutional Court justices appointed by the president, with approval of the Legislative Yuan; Supreme Court justices serve for life; Constitutional Court justices appointed for 8-year terms, with half the membership renewed every 4 years
Subordinate courts: high courts; district courts; hierarchy of administrative courts
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [LAI Ching-te]
Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [Eric CHU Li-luan]
Taiwan People's Party or TPP [KO Wen-je]
Note: the DPP and the KMT are the two major political parties; more than 30 parties garnered votes in the 2024 election
ADB (Chinese Taipei), APEC (Chinese Taipei), BCIE, CABEI, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), SICA (observer), WTO (Chinese Taipei)
Note - separate customs territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu
Red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays; the blue and white design of the canton (symbolizing the sun of progress) dates to 1895; it was later adopted as the flag of the Kuomintang Party; blue signifies liberty, justice, and democracy, red stands for fraternity, sacrifice, and nationalism, and white represents equality, frankness, and the people's livelihood; the 12 rays of the sun are those of the months and the twelve traditional Chinese hours (each ray equals two hours)
Note: similar to the flag of Samoa
White, 12-rayed sun on blue field; national colors: blue, white, red
Name: "Zhonghua Minguo guoge" (National Anthem of the Republic of China)
Lyrics/music: HU Han-min, TAI Chi-t'ao, and LIAO Chung-k'ai/CHENG Mao-yun
Note: adopted 1930; also the song of the Kuomintang Party; it is informally known as "San Min Chu I" or "San Min Zhu Yi" (Three Principles of the People); because of political pressure from China, "Guo Qi Ge" (National Banner Song) is used at international events rather than the official anthem of Taiwan; the "National Banner Song" has gained popularity in Taiwan and is commonly used during flag raisings
High-income East Asian economy; most technologically advanced computer microchip manufacturing; increasing Chinese interference threatens market capabilities; minimum wages rising; longstanding regional socioeconomic inequality
$1.143 trillion (2019 est.)
$1.113 trillion (2018 est.)
$1.083 trillion (2017 est.)
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
2.71% (2019 est.)
2.75% (2018 est.)
3.31% (2017 est.)
$47,800 (2019 est.)
$46,600 (2018 est.)
$45,400 (2017 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
$611.391 billion (2019 est.)
0.5% (2019 est.)
1.3% (2018 est.)
0.6% (2017 est.)
Fitch rating: AA- (2016)
Moody's rating: Aa3 (1994)
Standard & Poors rating: AA- (2002)
Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 1.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 36% (2017 est.)
Services: 62.1% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 106; industry 43; agriculture 182
Household consumption: 53% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 14.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 65.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -52.6% (2017 est.)
Rice, vegetables, pork, cabbages, poultry, sugar cane, milk, eggs, pineapples, tropical fruit
Electronics, communications and information technology products, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals
3.9% (2017 est.)
11.498 million (2020 est.)
3.73% (2019 est.)
3.69% (2018 est.)
1.5% (2012 est.)
33.6 (2014)
On food: 14.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
On alcohol and tobacco: 2.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Lowest 10%: 6.4%
Highest 10%: 40.3% (2010)
Revenues: $94.943 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $105.833 billion (2019 est.)
-0.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
35.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
36.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
Note: data for central government
16% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Calendar year
$65.173 billion (2019 est.)
$70.843 billion (2018 est.)
$388.49 billion (2019 est.)
$383.484 billion (2018 est.)
$382.736 billion (2017 est.)
China 26%, United States 14%, Hong Kong 12%, Japan 7%, Singapore 7%, South Korea 5% (2019)
Integrated circuits, office machinery/parts, computers, refined petroleum, liquid crystal displays (2019)
$308.744 billion (2019 est.)
$305.428 billion (2018 est.)
$303.067 billion (2017 est.)
China 21%, Japan 16%, United States 11%, South Korea 6% (2019)
Integrated circuits, crude petroleum, photography equipment, natural gas, refined petroleum (2019)
$456.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$439 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$189.684 billion (2019 est.)
$196.276 billion (2018 est.)
New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
28.211 (2020 est.)
30.472 (2019 est.)
30.8395 (2018 est.)
31.911 (2014 est.)
30.363 (2013 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 57.738 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 269,570,325,000 kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 9.484 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 178; imports 119; exports 99; consumption 15; installed generating capacity 23
Fossil fuels: 82.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Nuclear: 11.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Solar: 2.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Wind: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 2.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Biomass and waste: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Number of operational nuclear reactors: 2 (2023)
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 0
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 1.87GW (2023)
Percent of total electricity production: 11% (2021)
Percent of total energy produced: 63.9% (2021)
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 2
Production: 5.955 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 67.985 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 118,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 63.523 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 1 million metric tons (2019 est.)
Total petroleum production: 800 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 998,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 886,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 2.4 million barrels (2021 est.)
924,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
349,600 bbl/day (2015 est.)
418,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Production: 150.589 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 22,002,493,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 22,172,507,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 6.23 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
279.206 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 141.445 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 92.207 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 45.554 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
160.669 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Total subscriptions: 10 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43 (2023 est.)
Total subscriptions: 30 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 128 (2023 est.)
General assessment: Taiwan has a highly developed telecoms sector in both the fixed-line and mobile segments; in part this is due to its early moves to liberalize the market, allowing vigorous competition to flourish; the Taiwan authorities have also made concerted efforts to take advantage of Taiwan’s strengths in the development of high-tech, export-oriented industries to encourage and enable the rapid adoption of advanced telecom platforms, while simultaneously leveraging the same telecoms infrastructure to push even further ahead with Taiwan's industrial development plans; Taiwan has one of the highest teledensities in the region; while fixed-line subscriber numbers are trending downwards, the rate of decline has been slowed by the major fixed-line provider investing strongly in building out a widespread fiber network to allow customers to maintain a terrestrial voice connection as part of a fixed broadband package; fiber is the dominant platform in Taiwan’s fixed broadband market; cable services have retained an unusually strong following thanks to the success of cable providers in delivering competitive cable TV and telephony services as a way to get around Chunghwa Telecom’s control of the last mile for its copper and fiber networks; Taiwan also has high penetration rates in its mobile and mobile broadband segments, growth in both markets is almost at a standstill because Taiwan reached 100% penetration very early on – way back when GSM was first introduced, in mobile’s case; the MNOs moved quickly to roll out 4G and 5G networks and services in rapid succession, but subscriber numbers (and market share) has barely changed; the improved quality and performance available with the new platforms will drive increased usage and ARPU; fierce competition following the launch of 4G saw the opposite happen, with price wars causing telco revenues to fall instead; Taiwan’s 5G penetration rate reached 25 percent in October 2023, ranked 5th around the world now; Taiwan’s 5G roll-out plan faces challenges as subscribers enjoy 4G unlimited data flow tariff and yet to see a killer app in the 5G world
(2023)
Domestic: fixed-line over 43 per 100 and mobile-cellular roughly 128 per 100 (2023)
International: country code - 886; landing points for the EAC-C2C, APCN-2, FASTER, SJC2, TSE-1, TPE, APG, SeaMeWe-3, FLAG North Asia Loop/REACH North Asia Loop, HKA, NCP, and PLCN submarine fiber cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2019)
5 nationwide television networks operating roughly 22 TV stations; more than 300 satellite TV channels are available; about 51% of households utilize multi-channel cable TV; 99.9% of households subscribe to digital cable TV; national and regional radio networks with about 171 radio stations (2023)
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Total: 21.6 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)
Total: 5,831,470 (2019 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 25 (2019 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 7 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 216
B
53 (2024)
39 (2024)
25 km condensate, 2,200 km gas, 13,500 km oil (2018)
Total: 1,613.1 km (2018)
Standard gauge: 345 km (2018) 1.435-m gauge (345 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 1,118.1 km (2018) 1.067-m gauge (793.9 km electrified)
150 0.762-m gauge note: the 0.762-gauge track belongs to three entities: the Forestry Bureau, Taiwan Cement, and TaiPower
Total: 43,206 km
Paved: 42,793 km (includes 1,348 km of highways and 737 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 413 km (2017)
Total: 465 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 29, container ship 53, general cargo 58, oil tanker 35, other 290
Major seaport(s): Keelung (Chi-lung), Kaohsiung, Hualian, Taichung
Container port(s) (TEUs): Kaohsiung (9,864,448), Taichung (1,979,222), Taipei (2,091,132) (2021)
LNG terminal(s) (import): Yung An (Kaohsiung), Taichung
Taiwan Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force
Ocean Affairs Council: Coast Guard Administration (CGA)
Ministry of Interior: National Police (2024)
Note: the CGA is a law enforcement organization with homeland security functions during peacetime and national defense missions during wartime; it was established in 2000 from the integration of the Coast Guard Command (formerly under the Ministry of Defense), the Marine Police Bureau (formerly under the National Police), and several cutters from the Taiwan Directorate General of Customs (Ministry of Finance)
2.4% of GDP (2023 est.)
2.1% of GDP (2022)
2.1% of GDP (2021)
2.1% of GDP (2020)
1.8% of GDP (2019)
Approximately 180,000 active-duty troops (95,000 Army; 45,000 Navy, including approximately 10,000 marines; 40,000 Air Force) (2023)
Note: Taiwan trains about 120,000 reservists annually, but in 2022 announced intentions to increase that figure to 260,000
Most of the weapons and equipment inventory of Taiwan's military forces was acquired from the US, either as secondhand or direct acquisitions; Taiwan also has a domestic defense industry capable of building and upgrading some weapons systems, including surface ships and submarines (2024)
Men 18-36 years of age may volunteer or must complete 12 months of compulsory military service; civil service can be substituted for military service in some cases; women may enlist but are restricted to noncombat roles in most cases (2024)
Note 1: in January 2024, Taiwan extended compulsory service from 4 to 12 months for men born in 2005 and thereafter
Note 2: as of 2023, women made up about 15% of the active-duty military
The military’s primary responsibility is external security, including the defense of the country’s sovereignty and territory, and the protection of Taiwan’s air space, maritime claims, and sea lanes of communication; its main focus is the challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China; the Army’s primary combat forces include nine mechanized or motorized infantry brigades, four armored brigades, and three artillery brigades; it also has an aviation and special forces command that includes several squadrons of attack helicopters; the Air Force has nearly 300 fighter and multipurpose fighter aircraft organized into tactical wings and squadrons, plus squadrons for anti-submarine and electronic warfare, early warning, and surveillance, as well as an air defense command with surface-to-air missiles; the Navy’s warship inventory includes four destroyers, 22 frigates, more than 40 corvettes, patrol vessels, and missile-armed attack craft, and two combat-capable attack submarines; it also has three marine infantry brigades
The US Taiwan Relations Act of April 1979 states that the US shall provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character and shall maintain the capacity of the US to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan (2023)
Taiwan Space Agency (TASA; renamed from the National Space Program Organization, which was renamed in 2005 from the National Space Program Office, established in 1991); TASA is subordinate to the National Science and Technology Council (2023)
Sounding rockets launched from Jui Peng Air Base (Pingtung); in 2021, announced intentions to build future rocket launch site (2023)
Space program focused on the acquisition of satellites and the development of independent space capabilities; manufactures and operates remote sensing (RS) and scientific/research satellites; manufactures and tests sounding rockets and small satellite launch vehicles (SLVs); researching and developing other space technologies, including communications satellites, small satellites, satellite payloads and ground station components, spacecraft components, optical RS and telecommunications, navigational control, and rocket propulsion systems; has bi-lateral relations with the space programs of India and the US but is blocked from participating in most international and regional space organizations due to political pressure from China; has a commercial space industry that provides components and expertise for TASA and is independently developing satellites and satellite launch vehicles (2023)
Note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S
Major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics