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 allChina, the central administrative divisions include the provinces of Fu-chien(some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province including Quemoy and Matsu) andTaiwan (the island of Taiwan and the Pescadores islands); note - the morecommonly referenced administrative divisions are those of Taiwan Province- 16 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities* (shih, singularand 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 Revolution)

Constitution 1 January 1947, amended in 1992, presently undergoing revision

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

Suffrage 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch
chief of state: President LI Teng-hui (succeeded to the presidency following the deathof President CHIANG Ching-kuo 13 January 1988, elected by the National Assembly21 March 1990, elected by popular vote in the first-ever direct electionsfor president 23 March 1996); Vice President LIEN Chan (since 20 May 1996);note - LIEN Chan serves as both vice president and premier
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIEN Chan (since 23 February1993) and Vice Premier (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) HSU Li-teh (since23 February 1993); note - LIEN Chan serves as both vice president and premier
cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular votefor four-year terms; election last held 23 March 1996 (next to be held NA2000); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier
election results : LI Teng-hui elected president; percent of vote - LI Teng-hui 54%, PENGMing-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; membersserve three-year terms; note - national conference agreed to change the termto four years, pending ratification by the National Assembly) and unicameralNational Assembly (334 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-yearterms)
elections : Legislative Yuan - last held 2 December 1995 (next to be held NA December1998); 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%, CNP13%, independents 8%; seats by party - KMT 85, DPP 54, CNP 21, independents4; note - since the election, there has been a change in the distributionof seats, the new distribution is as follows - KMT 83, DPP 54, CNP 21, independents6; 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 consentof the National Assembly

Political parties and leaders Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party), LI Teng-hui, chairman; DemocraticProgressive Party (DPP), HSU Hsin-Liang, chairman; Chinese New Party (CNP),CHEN Kuei-Miao; Labor Party (LP), leader NA; Taiwan Independence Party (TAIP),leader NA

Political pressure groups and leaders Taiwan independence movement, various environmental groups
note : debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstreamof domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increasedrepresentation of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan'slegislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; advocates of Taiwan independence, including within the DPP, oppose the rulingparty's traditional stand that the island will eventually reunify with mainlandChina; goals of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereignnation on Taiwan and entering the UN; other organizations supporting Taiwanindependence include the World United Formosans for Independence and the Organizationfor 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 ofthe US are maintained through a private instrumentality, the Taipei Economicand 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 ofTaiwan are maintained through a private institution, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which has offices in Taipei at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road,Section 3, telephone [886] (2) 709-2000, FAX [886] (2) 702-7675, and in Kao-hsiungat #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 InternationalTrade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei10548, telephone [886] (2) 720-1550, FAX [886] 757-7162

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

NOTE: The information regarding Taiwan on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Taiwan Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Taiwan Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.