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Other central government agencies

1. Diverse major agencies / Semi-official organizations
• Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN)
• Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center
• Board of Science and Technology (BOST)
• Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB)
• Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee (CIPAS)
• International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF)
• Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)
2. Handling of the Cross-Strait relations
• Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF)
• The counterpart of the SEF in the PRC: ARATS
• Development of SEF–ARATS interaction
• Other major players in the area of Cross-Strait dialogue
• Controversial terms—“One China”, 1C2S, Status Quo and others
3. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) / Public institutions
• Overview
• Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar/TSC)
• Taiwan Power Company (Taipower)
• CPC Corporation, Taiwan (CPC)
• Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC)
• Chunghwa Post
• China Airlines (CAL)
• China Aviation Development Foundation (CADF)
• Taoyuan International Airport Corporation (TIAC)
• Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd. (TIPC)
• Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC)
• Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL)
• Central News Agency (CNA)
• Public Television Service (PTS)
• Taiwan Financial Holdings Co., Ltd. (TFH)
• Bank of Taiwan (BOT)
• Taiwania Capital Management Corporation
• Taiwan Asset Management Corporation (TAMCO)
4. The ROC military
• Introduction
• ROC defense budget
• The General Staff
• National Security Bureau (NSB)
• The three services—commanders and units
• Personnel of the ROC military
• Military education
• ROC Military Academy (ROCMA)
• National Defense University (NDU)
• Equipment of the ROC military
• National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST)
• Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC)
• Taiwan Defense Industry Development Association (TW-DIDA)

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◆ Diverse major agencies / Semi-official organizations

• Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN)
• Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center
• Board of Science and Technology (BOST)
• Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB)
• Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee (CIPAS)
• International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF)
• Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)

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Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN)

✉ Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) 行政院經貿談判辦公室
3 F., No. 25 Baoqing Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10043, Taiwan ROC [10043 台北市中正區寶慶路 25 號 3 樓] ———————————— 🌏 OTN – Web link

The OTN (xingzhengyuan jingmao tanpan bangongshi 行政院經貿談判辦公室, 🏁—zong tanpan daibiao 總談判代表) under the ROC Executive Yuan was established on Sept. 20, 2016 and is designed to spearhead the ROC's international trade negotiations as well as shape the country's position in such negotiations. It is headed by the minister without portfolio (zhengwu weiyuan 政務委員) in charge of trade policy coordination.

OTN chief negotiators

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Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center

✉ Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center 行政院金馬聯合服務中心
No. 34 Minquan Road, Jincheng Town, Kinmen County 89345, Fujian ROC [89345 金門縣金城鎮民權路 34 號] ———————————— 🌏 Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center – Web link

The Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center (xingzhengyuan Jin Ma lianhe fuwu zhongxin 行政院金馬聯合服務中心, 🏁—zhuren 主任) under the ROC Executive Yuan was established on Jan. 17, 2017. When the ROC's Fujian Provincial Government (FPG) became defunct at the end of December 2018, it was merged into the center, and the director of the agency—who is also a minister without portfolio—replaced the position of FPG governor. Another senior position in the Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center is CEO (zhixingzhang 執行長).
Additional information can be found in the chapters about Kinmen County and Lienchiang County (Matsu).

Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center director

Kinmen-Matsu Joint Services Center CEO

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Board of Science and Technology (BOST)

✉ Board of Science and Technology (BOST) 行政院科技會報
5 F., No. 106 Heping East Road Sec. 2, Daan District, Taipei City 10636, Taiwan ROC [10636 台北市大安區和平東路 2 段 106 號 5 樓] ———————————— 🌏 BOST – Web link

In December 1979 the Science and Technology Advisory Group (xingzhengyuan keji guwenzu 行政院科技顧問組, abbrev. keguzu 科顧組 in Chinese and STAG in English) under the ROC Executive Yuan was established. After its inception, it was headed by a convener (zhaojiren 召集人) who was also a minister without portfolio. When political power in the ROC was transferred from the KMT to the DPP on May 20, 2000, STAG was reorganized to be headed by the ROC premier, and the position of co-convener (fuzhaojiren 副召集人) has since been filled by a minister without portfolio. Above list shows the conveners before May 2000 and since then the co-conveners. Additional important positions are executive secretary (zhixing mishu 執行秘書) and deputy executive secretary (fuzhixing mishu 副執行秘書). On Jan. 1, 2012 STAG was restructured as BOST (xingzhengyuan keji huibao 行政院科技會報).

BOST conveners/co-conveners

Please note that the BOST website lists Yan Hong-sen 顏鴻森 as eighth co-convener and Shyu Jyuo-min 徐爵民 as ninth co-convener with mostly overlapping tenures.

BOST has the following subdivisions:

▶  Administration Division (xingzhengzu 行政組),
▶  Biotechnology, Health, Medicine and Agriculture Division (sheng wei yi nong zu 生衛醫農組),
▶  Digital Innovation & Governance Initiative Division (shuwei guojiazu 數位國家組),
▶  Industrial Innovation Division (chanye chuangxinzu 產業創新組),
▶  Policy Coordination Division (zhengce xietiaozu 政策協調組),
▶  S&T Foresight Division (keji qianzhanzu 科技前瞻組); and
▶  Office of Science & Technology (xingzhengyuan keji huibao bangongshi 行政院科技會報辦公室).

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Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB)

✉ Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) 國家運輸安全調查委員會
11 F., No. 200 Beixin Road Sec. 3, Xindian District, New Taipei City 23143, Taiwan ROC [23143 新北市新店區北新路 3 段 200 號 11 樓] ———————————— 🌏 TTSB – Web link
Old logo of the Aviation Safety Council (ASC)

The TTSB (guojia yunshu anquan diaocha weiyuanhui 國家運輸安全調查委員會, abbrev. yun'anhui 運安會, 🏁—zhuren weiyuan 主任委員) was established as Aviation Safety Council (xingzhengyuan feihang anquan weiyuanhui 行政院飛航安全委員會, abbrev. ASC) under the supervision of the Executive Yuan on May 25, 1998, some three months after an Airbus A300 operated by Taiwan's national carrier China Airlines (CAL) flying from Denpasar, Indonesia to Taiwan crash-landed at the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taoyuan on Feb. 16, 1998, resulting in 204 fatalities, including ROC Central Bank governor Sheu Yuan-dong. On May 20, 2012 the ASC became an independent, level 3 government agency, and its Chinese name was changed to feihang anquan diaocha weiyuanhui 飛航安全調查委員會, abbrev. feianhui 飛安會). The ASC was then transformed to the TTSB on Aug. 1, 2019 after the Organization Act of the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (guojia yunshu anquan diaocha weiyuanhui zuzhifa 國家運輸安全調查委員會組織法) was approved by the ROC Legislative Yuan on April 2, 2019. Please note that the ASC was sometimes confused with the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) under the MOTC.

TTSB chairpersons

The TTSB has the following subordinate units:

▶  Aviation Occurrence Investigation Division (hangkong diaochazu 航空調查組),
▶  Highway Occurrence Investigation Division (gonglu diaochazu 公路調查組),
▶  Marine Occurrence Investigation Division (shuilu diaochazu 水路調查組),
▶  Rail Occurrence Investigation Division (tiedao diaochazu 鐵道調查組),
▶  Research and Engineering Division (yunshu gongchengzu 運輸工程組),
▶  Safety Analysis Recommendations Division (yunshu anquanzu 運輸安全組);
▶  Accounting and Statistics Office (zhujishi 主計室),
▶  Government Ethics Office (zhengfengshi 政風室),
▶  Personnel Office (renshishi 人事室), and
▶  Secretariat (mishushi 秘書室).

Furthermore, a National Research Center for Transportation Safety Engineering (guojia yun'an gongcheng yanjiu zhongxin 國家運安工程研究中心) is planned as well as regional offices in Hualien, Kaohsiung and Taichung.

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Major air incidents in the Taiwan area and/or involving Taiwanese carriers since WWII

Besides China Airlines (CAL) the following Taiwanese carriers have suffered major plane crashes—Civil Air Transport (minhang kongyun gongsi 民航空運公司, abbrev. CAT), Daily Air (dean hangkong 德安航空), Emerald Pacific Airlines (lingtian hangkong 凌天航空), Far Eastern Air Transport (yuandong hangkong gongsi 遠東航空公司, abbrev. FAT), Formosa Airlines (guohua hangkong 國華航空)—called Yungshing Airlines (yongxing hangkong 永興航空) between 1966 and 1987, TransAsia Airways (Fuxing hangkong gongsi 復興航空公司, abbrev. TNA; English name before 1983—Foshing Airlines, abbrev. FAL), and UNI Air (lirong hangkong 立榮航空). The following is a chronology of major civilian plane crashes.

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Extended powers

On Nov. 7, 2018 the ASC announced that starting 2019 the ASC would be mandated to also investigate railway, road and marine accidents which in the past were investigated by prosecutors and the MOTC. Under the new practice, the ASC/TTSB will step in if there is a road or railway accident with more than 15 fatalities or a marine accident in which ships are damaged, whether or not there are fatalities.

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Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee (CIPAS)

✉ Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee (CIPAS) 不當黨產處理委員會
5 F., No. 9 Lane 85, Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 10486, Taiwan ROC [10486 台北市中山區松江路 85 巷 9 號 5 樓] ———————————— 🌏 CIPAS – Web link

After the Act Governing the Settlement of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (zhengdang ji qi fusui zuzhi budang qude caichan chuli tiaoli 政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例, abbrev. dangchan tiaoli 黨產條例) was passed by the Legislative Yuan on July 25, 2016, the CIPAS (budang dangchan chuli weiyuanhui 不當黨產處理委員會, abbrev. dangchanhui 黨產會, 🏁: zhuren weiyuan 主任委員) was established on Aug. 31, 2016 as an independent ROC government agency, consisting of 11 to 13 members appointed by the ROC premier.

The CIPAS is tasked with investigating, retroactively confiscating and returning or restoring to rightful owners all assets that were improperly obtained by political parties and their affiliated organizations between Aug. 15, 1945—when Japan officially announced its surrender to the Allies, bringing World War II to an end—and the lifting of martial law on July 15, 1987. All parties established before the end of martial law are required to report their party assets to the CIPAS. On June 6, 2019 the CIPAS launched the Party Real Estate Database (zhengdang budongchan chaxun xitong 政黨不動產查詢系統).

CIPAS chairpersons

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CIPAS members

In addition to the chairperson, members of the initial CIPAS included full members Shih Chin-fang 施錦芳 (concurrently vice chairperson) and Lo Cheng-chung 羅承宗 as well as part-time members Chang Shih-hsing 張世興, Jao Yueh-chin 饒月琴, Lee Yen-jong 李晏榕, Li Fu-chung 李福鐘, Lin Che-wei 林哲瑋, Wu Yu-hsueh 吳雨學, Yang Wei-chung 楊偉中, and Yuan Hsiu-hui 袁秀慧. Following Yang Wei-chung’s death, Shen Po-yang 沈伯洋 was named as replacement on Oct. 14, 2018, and Hsu Yu-wei 許有為 took over Lo Cheng-chung’s position.

On Aug. 27, 2020 the Executive Yuan announced the following CIPAS member list for a 4-year tenure starting on Sept. 1, 2020: vice chairperson Sun Pin 孫斌, full members Hsu Yu-wei (retained), Lin Tsong-shyan 林聰賢 (new), retained part-time members Chang Shih-hsing, Jao Yueh-chin, Li Fu-chung, Wu Yu-hsueh, and new part-time members Cheng Ya-fang 鄭雅方, Lai Ying-chen 賴瑩真, Lin Shih-mei 林詩梅.

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Legal battle

After the CIPAS started operating, the main focus of its work has been the KMT and its affiliate organizations, which in turn prompted the KMT to initiate counter-measures. On Sept. 21, 2016 the CIPAS froze a KMT bank account over the issuance of 10 checks worth a collective NT$ 520 million, and on Nov. 1, 2016 the CIPAS announced that it had identified the Central Investment Co. (zhongyang touzi gongsi 中央投資公司) and Hsinyutai Co. (xinyutai gongsi 欣裕台公司) being KMT affiliates, prohibiting the two companies from disposing of their assets. On Nov. 18, 2016 the KMT, the Central Investment Co. and Hsinyutai Co. filed cases asking the Taipei High Administrative Court to revoke the CIPAS's finding. In its ruling of June 11, 2018 the court questioned the constitutionality of the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations, requesting a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices. The CIPAS appealed to Supreme Administrative Court which on Aug. 2, 2018 ordered a constitutional interpretation to proceed. On Nov. 5, 2018 the Taipei High Administrative Court reiterated that all legal proceedings were to be halted until the Council of Grand Justices announced its interpretation of the law in question. On Aug. 28, 2020 the grand justices issued their Constitutional Interpretation No. 793 (shizi di qibai jiushisan hao jieshi 釋字第 793 號解釋), declaring that the provisions of the Act Governing the Settlement of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations were constitutional (hexian 合憲).

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International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF)

✉ International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) 國際合作發展基金會
12-15 F., No. 9 Lane 62, Tianmu West Road, Shilin District, Taipei City 11157, Taiwan ROC [11157 台北市士林區天母西路 62 巷 9 號 12-15 樓] ———————————— 🌏 ICDF – Web link

After formal diplomatic relations between the ROC and most states were cut since the 1970s, the ROC's foreign policy has increasingly been focussing on fostering friendly ties with non-diplomatic allies. The aspect of technical aid and humanitarian assistance for developing nations has hence gained significance.

The ROC had sent its first agricultural mission to Vietnam as early as 1959. Since October 1961 technical missions were dispatched under the "Operation Vanguard" (xianfeng an zhixing xiaozu 先鋒案執行小組) to boost agricultural production in many newly independent African nations. On April 11, 1962 the Operation Vanguard task force was expanded to become the Sino-Africa Technical cooperation Committee (Zhong Fei jishu hezuo weiyuanhui 中非技術合作委員會, abbrev. SATCC); ten years later SATCC was incorporated into the Committee of International Technical Cooperation (haiwai jishu hezuo weiyuanhui 海外技術合作委員會, abbrev. haiwaihui 海外會 in Chinese and CITC in English). In October 1989, the ROC government established the International Economic Cooperation Development Fund (haiwai jingji hezuo fazhan jijin guanli weiyuanhui 海外經濟合作發展基金管理委員會, abbrev. haihehui 海合會 in Chinese and IECDF in English) which on July 1, 1996 was replaced by the International Cooperation and Development Fund (guoji hezuo fazhan jijinhui 國際合作發展基金會, abbrev. guohehui 國合會 in Chinese and ICDF or TaiwanICDF in English).

ICDF is formally an independent organization implementing government-funded foreign aid programs. It is nominally headed by the sitting ROC FM with the official title of chairman (dongshizhang 董事長), but the secretary-general (mishuzhang 秘書長) is in charge of ICDF's day-to-day business.

TaiwanICDF secretary-generals

TaiwanICDF is led by a Board of Directors (dongshihui 董事會) and has the following subdivisions:

▶  Consultative Committee (zixun weiyuanhui 諮詢委員會);
▶  General Affairs Department (mishuchu 秘書處),
▶  Humanitarian Assistance Department (rendao yuanzhuchu 人道援助處),
▶  International Education and Training Department (guoji jiaoyu xunlianchu 國際教育訓練處),
▶  Lending and Investment Department (tou rong zi chu 投融資處),
▶  Technical Cooperation Department (jishu hezuochu 技術合作處);
▶  Accounting Office (kuaijishi 會計室),
▶  Auditing Office (jiheshi 稽核室),
▶  Financial Affairs Office (caiwushi 財務室),
▶  Human Resource Office (renli ziyuanshi 人力資源室),
▶  Legal Affairs Office (fawushi 法務室),
▶  Public Relations Office (gongguanshi 公關室), and
▶  Research, Development and Evaluation Office (yanjiu fazhan kaoheshi 研究發展考核室).

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Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)

• Bitter name games
• Olympic medals for Taiwan/ROC
• Chinese Taipei at the Paralympics
• World University Games

✉ Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee 中華奧林匹克運動會
No. 20 Zhulun Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 10489, Taiwan ROC [10489 台北市中山區朱崙街 20 號] ———————————— 🌏 Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee – Web link

Before the establishment of the first Chinese Olympic Committee (Zhongguo aolinpike yundonghui 中國奧林匹克運動會, abbrev. Zhongguo aohui 中國奧會) in 1931, sports affairs and Olympic issues in particular were handled by the China National Amateur Athletic Federation (Zhonghua yeyu yundong lianhehui 中華業餘運動聯合會) which had been founded on April 3, 1922 and renamed to All-China Sports Federation (Zhonghua quanguo tiyu xiejinhui 中華全國體育協進會) on Aug. 24, 1924. Sources available online list Chang Po-ling 張伯苓 (1876-1951, Tianjin), Thomas Wang 王正廷 (1882-1961, Zhejiang), and Hoh Gunsun 郝更生 (1899-1976, Jiangsu) as the three chief executives between 1924 and 1955. It continued to exist as a separate entity after the establishment of the Taiwan's Olympic committee, using the moniker "ROC Sports Federation" (Zhonghua minguo tiyu yundong zonghui 中華民國體育運動總會, abbrev. ROCSF) since 1989.

CTOC presidents

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Bitter name games

The difficult relations between the ROC and the PRC are reflected in the participation in the Olympics, and the cross-strait conflict has overshadowed the Olympic spirit of harmony and friendship for decades. In 1952, the ROC Olympic team withdrew in protest from the Summer Games in Helsinki because athletes from the PRC were allowed to compete; however, the PRC athletes were delayed and arrived only 10 days after the games began. The PRC boycotted the 1956 Summer Games in Melbourne because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed the ROC to compete under the name "Formosa". From 1960 to 1972, the ROC participated at the Olympics under three different official names. Both the ROC and the PRC boycotted the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal over issues concerning the legitimacy of each other, and they were absent from the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow as well—the PRC due to the Sino-Soviet conflict which arose at the end of the 1950s, and the ROC because of the Cold War.

Following the ROC's loss of its seat in the United Nations (UN) in October 1971, the ROC's national sports associations were reorganized by the ROC government in 1973. After the Nagoya Resolution was adopted on Oct. 25, 1979, the IOC recognized the PRC as China's sole legal representative on Nov. 26, 1979, and the IOC and ROC representative Shen Chia-minh 沈家銘 on March 23, 1981 signed an agreement in Lausanne (Switzerland) concerning Taiwan's participation in Olympic Games. Accordingly, Taiwan's Olympic committee has since been obliged to use the name "Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee" (Zhonghua aolinpike weiyuanhui 中華奧林匹克委員會, abbrev. Zhonghua aohui 中華奧會 in Chinese and CTOC in English; 🏁—zhuxi 主席). Since 1984, the PRC has been participating at the Olympic Summer Games as "China" (Zhongguo 中國), and the ROC/Taiwan has been doing so as "Chinese Taipei" (Zhonghua Taibei 中華台北).

Concerning the name issue, there is no end in sight for the ongoing controversy. On May 19, 2018 the CTOC reported that the IOC had ruled out the possibility of a name change from "Chinese Taipei" to "Taiwan" for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The disagreement reached a new level when the PRC authorities in 2021 began using Zhongguo Taibei (中國台北)—literally "China Taipei"—as Chinese translation for "Chinese Taipei" instead of Zhonghua Taibei (中華台北). Since there is no official Chinese-language version of the Nagoya Resolution, technically both sides have the right to interpret the resolution as they see fit, but the PRC move clearly shows no inclination for compromise but the determination to escalate the conflict even further.

According to IOC regulations which were adopted under pressure from the Chinese Communists, Taiwanese athletes are not allowed to compete under the name "ROC" or "Taiwan" anymore. Furthermore, the ROC national flag has been banned at Olympic events and venues, the ROC team is instead being forced to use a specially designed Chinese Taipei Olympic flag (shown on the right). Likewise, the ROC national anthem cannot be played to honour Taiwanese athletes who won an Olympic medal for their country.

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Olympic medals for Taiwan/ROC

The table below shows the number of medals won by athletes competing for the ROC/Taiwan in Olympic Summer Games. China's debut as participant in the Summer Olympics occurred in 1932 when the ROC sent one athlete to Los Angeles: Liu Changchun 劉長春 (1909-1983) took part in the track & field 100 m preliminary on July 31, 1932 but failed to get a place in the Final of Men's 100 m.

The 2020 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled to take place between July 24 and Aug. 9, 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic to July 23—Aug. 8, 2021.

Athletes from the ROC/Taiwan participated in the Winter Olympics since the XI. Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo 1972 but so far failed to win any medals.

Olympic medals timeline (summer games)

Please note that in the table above, "🥇" stands for gold medal (jinpai 金牌), "🥈" for silver medal (yinpai 銀牌) and "🥉" for bronze medal (tongpai 銅牌); an upward arrow [↑] behind the medal indicates that the original medal was upgraded after the conclusion of the games (see details below).

Maysang Kalimud—also known under the Chinese name Yang Chuan-kwang 楊傳廣 and nicknamed "Iron Man of Asia" (Yazhou tieren 亞洲鐵人)—was a member of Taiwan's indigenous Amis tribe, and Kuo Hsing-chun (an Amis as well) is also known under her tribal name Tana.

The 1992 men's baseball team: Chang Cheng-hsien 張正憲 (b. 1967), Chang Wen-chung 張文宗 (b. 1968), Chang Yaw-teing 張耀騰 (b. 1965), Chen Chi-hsin 陳執信 (b. 1962), Chen Wei-chen 陳威成 (b. 1966), Chiang Tai-chuan 江泰權 (b. 1960), Huang Chung-yi 黃忠義 (b. 1967), Huang Wen-po 黃文博 (b. 1971), Jong Yeu-jeng 鍾宇政 (b. 1973), Ku Kuo-chian 古國謙 (b. 1968), Kuo Lee Chien-fu 郭李建夫 (b. 1969), Liao Ming-hsiung 廖敏雄 (b. 1968), Lin Chao-huang 林朝煌 (b. 1969), Lin Kun-han 林琨瀚 (b. 1968), Lo Chen-jung 羅振榮 (b. 1961), Lo Kuo-chong 羅國璋 (b. 1965), Pai Kun-hong 白昆弘 (b. 1970), Tsai Ming-hung 蔡明宏 (b. 1966), Wang Kuang-shih 王光熙 (b. 1967), and Wu Shih-hsih 吳思賢 (b. 1963).

UPGRADED MEDALS FOR CHINESE TAIPEI
Beijing 2008
 [1] Female weightlifter Chen Wei-ling who had originally won bronze on Aug. 9, 2008 was officially promoted first to silver when previous silver medalist Sibel Ozkan (Turkey) was disqualified on July 21, 2016 after failing in a doping re-test, and then to gold after the previous gold medalist Chen Xiexia 陳燮霞 (PRC) was disqualified on Jan. 12, 2017 by the IOC Disciplinary Commission, according to the international Weightlifting Federation (IWF), as reported by CNA's Focus Taiwan on March 5, 2017.
 [2] Female weightlifter Lu Ying-chi who also had won bronze (on Aug. 12, 2008) had her medal upgraded to silver after the IOC disqualified previous silver medalist Irina Nekrassova (Kazakhstan) from the games on Nov. 17, 2016 for failing a drugs test in a re-analysis of her doping sample from 2008.
London 2012
 Female weightlifter Hsu Shu-ching had originally won silver on July 29, 2012 but was officially promoted to gold on Nov. 19, 2016 after the previous gold medalist Zulfiya Chinshanlo aka Zhao Changling 趙常玲 (Kazakhstan) failed a doping test following the games and was stripped of her medal by the IOC on Oct. 27, 2016.

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Chinese Taipei at the Paralympics

Taiwan has been sending teams to the Summer Paralympics since 1992 but never so far to the Winter Paralympics. As the rules concerning team names and symbols for the Paralympics are identical with those for the regular Olympics, Taiwanese athletes participating in the Paralympics have to compete under the team name "Chinese Taipei" and are forced to use a specially designed Paralympic team flag (shown on the right) instead of the ROC national flag.

The following table shows the paralympic medals won by Taiwanese athletes since 1992.

Please note that the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics were originally scheduled to take place Aug. 21 to Sept. 6, 2020 but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic to Aug. 24—Sept. 5, 2021.

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World University Games

The largest multi-sport event in the world apart from the Olympics is the Universiade. Teams comprising athletes from Taiwan/the ROC have been competing since 1987 (summer games) and 2005 (winter games) under the official name "Chinese Taipei".

Because the International University Sports Federation (Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire, abbrev. FISU) which organizes the Universiade is obliged to conform with IOC's Olympic movement rules, the Taiwanese team is not allowed to use the ROC national flag as in the regular Olympics but has been forced to use a flag of special design (shown on the right).

● Summer Universiades

The 2021 Summer Universiade was scheduled to take place July 8–19, 2021 but was postponed on April 2, 2021 for one year to due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, FISU confirmed that the games had been rescheduled for June 2022. On May 6, 2022, FISU announced that the 2021 Summer Universiade had been postponed again to July 28—Aug. 8, 2023, effectively replacing the 2023 Summer Universiade scheduled to be staged Aug. 8–19 that year in Yekaterinburg (Russia) whose hosting rights were stripped by FISU due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite taking place in 2023, the Chengdu Games are formally being referred to as the 2021 Summer Universiade.

● Winter Universiades

The only Winter Games medal either at the Olympics or the Universiades ever won by an athlete competing for the team Chinese Taipei so far was a bronze in the Winter Universiade Trentino 2013 when Sung Ching-yang 宋青陽 (b. 1992) aka Drangadrang—a member of the Paiwan indigenous people—finished third in the men’s speed skating 1,000 m event which took place on Dec. 17, 2013.

The 2021 Winter Universiade was scheduled to take place Dec. 11–21 that year but the games were postponed indefinitely on Aug. 31, 2020 due to COVID-19. On Nov. 29, 2021 it was announced that the 2021 Winter Universiade had been cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by the Swiss government to prevent the spread of Omicron variant.

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◆ Handling of the Cross-Strait relations

• Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF)
• The counterpart of the SEF in the PRC: ARATS
• Development of SEF–ARATS interaction
• Other major players in the area of Cross-Strait dialogue
• Controversial terms—“One China”, 1C2S, Status Quo and others

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The term "cross-Strait relations" (liang'an guanxi 兩岸關係) stands for the relations between Taiwan/the ROC and China/the PRC, one of the most important aspects of ROC politics. Because of its utmost significance, cross-Strait issues are covered extensively on this website. A selection of links is shown directly below.

• Cross-Strait relations since the late 1970s—an overview [Introduction Taiwan/ROC]
• Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) [Ministries and cabinet agencies]
• Incessant threat—the PRC [Other central government agencies]
• ROC vs. PRC since the 1970s [Foreign relations of the ROC]

Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF)

✉ Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) 海峽交流基金會
No. 536 Beian Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 10465, Taiwan ROC [10465 台北市中山區北安路 536 號] ———————————— 🌏 SEF – Web link

The semi-official SEF (haixia jiaoliu jijinhui 海峽交流基金會, abbrev. haijihui 海基會, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on Nov. 21, 1990. It is not an agency under the ROC Executive Yuan but technically a private foundation, and it is authorized by the ROC government to handle direct contact with agencies of the PRC on mainland China. Since the SEF's establishment, in most cases its secretary-general (mishuzhang 秘書長) concurrently has also held the post of deputy chairman (fu dongshizhang 副董事長).

Please note that the official ROC cabinet-level agency tasked with affairs concerning the PRC is the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), its PRC counterpart being the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO). SEF's PRC counterpart is ARATS.

SEF chairpersons

SEF secretary-generals

The subdivisions of SEF include the following units:

▶  Board of Directors (dongshihui 董事會);
▶  Department of Cultural Affairs (wenjiaochu 文教處),
▶  Department of Economic Affairs (jingmaochu 經貿處),
▶  Department of Legal Affairs (falüchu 法律處),
▶  Department of Planning and Public Affairs (zonghechu 綜合處),
▶  Secretariat (mishuchu 秘書處);
▶  Accounting Office (kuaijishi 會計室), and
▶  Personnel Office (renshishi 人事室).

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The counterpart of the SEF in the PRC: ARATS

✉ Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) 海峽兩岸關係協會
No. 6-1 Guang'anmen South Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100053, China (PRC) [100053 北京市西城区广安门南街 6-1 号] ———————————— 🌏 ARATS – Web link

The PRC counterpart of SEF is the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait (haixia liang'an guanxi xiehui 海峽兩岸關係協會, abbrev. haixiehui 海協會 in Chinese and ARATS in English; 🏁—huizhang 會長) which was set up on Dec. 16, 1991 in Beijing. Please note that ARATS and the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) are located at the same address in Beijing.

The ARATS leadership since its establishment has been as follows.

★ ARATS chairpersons

★ ARATS secretary-generals

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Development of SEF–ARATS interaction

• The opening of direct Cross-Strait talks
• Icy silence
• Dialogue resumed
• Icy silence recurred

The opening of direct Cross-Strait talks

Between 1992 and 1999 non-committal meetings between SEF and ARATS representatives were arranged occasionally. At the time, those activities were meaningful as a gesture of rapprochement and received extensive media coverage, but they yielded little real progress, if any. In particular, talks held in 1992 between SEF and ARATS delegates in Hong Kong were a complete failure and ended fruitless. The so-called "1992 Consensus" (jiuer gongshi 九二共識) which suggested that the two sides agreed on the concept of "one China, with each side having its own Interpretation" (yige Zhongguo, ge zi biaoshu 一個中國，各自表述, abbrev. yi Zhong gebiao 一中各表) was a fiction as no such understanding was reached then. (On Feb. 21, 2006 KMT politician and former MAC head Su Chi 蘇起 admitted that the term "1992 Consensus" was invented by him in 2000.) On the other hand, one noteworthy exception was the 1993 SEF–ARATS summit between Koo Chen-fu and Wang Daohan in Singapore. On the last day of that meeting the following four agreements were signed:

• Agreement on Document Authentication between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (liang'an gongzhengshu chazheng xieyi 兩岸公證書查證協議),
• Agreement on the Tracing of and Compensation for Lost Registered Mail between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (liang'an guahao hanjian chaxun buchang shiyi xieyi 兩岸掛號函件查詢補償事宜協議),
• Agreement on the Establishment of Systematic Liaison and Communication Channels between the SEF and the ARATS (lianghui lianxi yu huitan zhidu xieyi 兩會聯繫與會談制度協議), and
• Koo–Wang Talks Joint Accord (Gu Wang huitan gongtong xieyi 辜汪會談共同協議).

The PRC temporarily suspended bilateral talks as a punitive measure after ROC President Lee Teng-hui's private trip to the US in June 1995 and around the first direct ROC presidential election in March 1996, and again after Lee Teng-hui's remarks describing the relationship between the ROC and the PRC as "special state-to-state relations" in July 1999. The following list shows the SEF–ARATS meetings which took place between 1992 and 1999.

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Icy silence

During the 2000–2008 presidency of Chen Shui-bian no meetings between SEF and ARATS were held because the PRC refused any contacts as long as Taiwan was run by the pro-independence DPP. Nevertheless three important events marked clear progress in cross-strait relations during those eight years (see timeline below).

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Dialogue resumed

After the KMT returned to power in 2008, cross-strait relations improved significantly. During the 2008–2016 presidency of Ma Ying-jeou eleven rounds of negotiations between SEF and ARATS took place, and a total of 23 agreements were inked. The talks at the first eight rounds were conducted by SEF's Chiang Pin-kung and ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin and were therefore dubbed "Chiang-Chen Talks" (Jiang Chen huitan 江陳會談). At the following three rounds SEF's Lin Join-sane and ARATS's Chen Deming were presiding. As a result, cross-strait interaction intensified, direct flights between many cities on both sides of the Taiwan Strait became common (the historic first direct charter flights took place on July 4, 2008), and tourists from the PRC were then allowed to visit Taiwan in groups or as individuals, just to name a few changes.

Meetings between SEF and ARATS 2008–2015

Agreements signed by SEF and ARATS 2008–2015

①  SEF-ARATS Minutes of Talks on Cross-Strait Charter Flights (haixia liang'an baoji huitan jiyao 海峽兩岸包機會談紀要)
①  Cross-Strait Agreement Signed Between SEF and ARATS Concerning Mainland Tourists Traveling to Taiwan (haixia liang'an guanyu dalu jumin fu Taiwan lüyou xieyi 海峽兩岸關於大陸居民赴台灣旅遊協議)
②  Cross-Strait Air Transport Agreement (haixia liang'an kongyun xieyi 海峽兩岸空運協議)
②  Cross-Strait Sea Transport Agreement (haixia liang'an haiyun xieyi 海峽兩岸海運協議)
②  Cross-Strait Postal Service Agreement (haixia liang'an youzheng xieyi 海峽兩岸郵政協議)
②  Cross-Strait Food Safety Agreement (haixia liang'an shipin anquan xieyi 海峽兩岸食品安全協議)
③  Cross-Strait Air Transport Supplementary Agreement (haixia liang'an kongyun buchong xieyi 海峽兩岸空運補充協議)
③  Cross-Strait Financial Cooperation Agreement (haixia liang'an jinrong hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸金融合作協議)
③  Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement (haixia liang'an gongtong daji fanzui ji sifa hudong xieyi 海峽兩岸共同打擊犯罪及司法互助協議)
④  Cross-Strait Agreement on Cooperation of Agricultural Product Quarantine and Inspection (haixia liang'an nongchanpin jianyi jianyan hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸農產品檢疫檢驗合作協議)
④  Cross-Strait Agreement on Cooperation in Respect of Standards, Metrology, Inspection and Accreditation (haixia liang'an biaozhun jiliang jianyan renzheng hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸標準計量檢驗認證合作協議)
④  Cross-Strait Agreement on Cooperation in Respect of Fishing Crew Affairs (haixia liang'an yuchuan chuanyuan laowu hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸漁船船員勞務合作協議)
⑤  Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (haixia liang'an jingji hezuo jiagou xieyi 海峽兩岸經濟合作架構協議, abbrev. ECFA)
⑤  Cross-Strait Agreement on Intellectual Property Rights Protection and cooperation (haixia liang'an zhihui caichanquan baohu hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸智慧財產權保護合作協議)
⑥  Cross-Strait Cooperation Agreement on Medicine and Public Health Affairs (haixia liang'an yiyao weisheng hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸醫藥衛生合作協議)
⑦  Agreement on Cross-Strait Nuclear Power Safety Cooperation (haixia liang'an hedian anquan hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸核電安全合作協議)
⑧  Cross-Strait Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (haixia liang'an touzi baozhang han cujin xieyi 海峽兩岸投資保障和促進協議)
⑧  Cross-Strait Customs Cooperation Agreement (haixia liang'an haiguan hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸海關合作協議)
⑨  Cross-Strait Trade in Services Agreement (haixia liang'an fuwu maoyi xieyi 海峽兩岸服務貿易協議, abbrev. fumao xieyi 服貿協議 or fumao 服貿 in Chinese and TiSA in English)
⑩  Cross-Strait Seismic Monitoring Cooperation Agreement (haixia liang'an dizhen jiance hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸地震監測合作協議)
⑩  Cross-Strait Meteorological Cooperation Agreement (haixia liang'an qixiang hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸氣象合作協議)
⑪  Cross-Strait Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (haixia liang'an bimian shuangchong keshui ji jiaqiang shuiwu hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸避免雙重課稅及加強稅務合作協議)
⑪  Cross-Strait Flight Safety Agreement (haixia liang'an minhang feihang anquan yu shihang hezuo xieyi 海峽兩岸民航飛航安全與適航合作協議)

Please note that a Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Committee (liang'an jingji hezuo weiyuanhui 兩岸經濟合作委員會, abbrev. jinghehui 經合會 in Chinese and CSECC or ECC in English) was established on Jan. 6, 2011 as a negotiation platform under ECFA.

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Icy silence recurred

When ROC President Tsai Ing-wen took office on May 20, 2016, the PRC subsequently suspended regular communication between ARATS and SEF as well as between its Taiwan Affairs Office (guowuyuan Taiwan shiwu bangongshi 國務院台灣事務辦公室, abbrev. guo Tai ban 國台辦 in Chinese and TAO in English) and the ROC counterpart MAC. A telephone hotline which had been set up on Dec. 30, 2015 between the MAC and TAO is also not used anymore. On June 25, 2016 TAO Spokesman An Fengshan 安鋒山 put the blame on the DPP-led ROC government for refusing to recognize the "1992 Consensus". When SEF chairman Tien Hung-mao on Jan. 18, 2017 invited ARATS boss Chen Deming to meet him on Kinmen, ARATS reiterated that cross-strait talks and the mechanism for contact would not be resumed until the SEF, with government authorization, confirmed the "1992 Consensus", otherwise more talks were 'meaningless' in resolving the deadlock. Meanwhile, the ROC government has repeatedly called on Beijing to engage in dialogue and enter into negotiations with Taipei.

Since the beginning of ROC President Tsai Ing-wen’s second term in May 2020 the PRC frequently sent military aircraft into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ, in Chinese: fangkong shibiequ 防空識別區), and these intrusions have been intensifying since the second half of 2021. While these incidents are being monitored in Taiwan and abroad with growing concern, it should be noted that Taiwan’s ADIZ goes beyond its national airspace (in Chinese: lingkong 領空) and partly overlaps with the ADIZs of neighbouring countries. The map on the right shows the Air Defense Identification Zones in East Asia as of October 2021, source: Deutsche Welle (DW).

In her Double Tenth National Day speech on Oct. 10, 2021 ROC President Tsai Ing-wen outlined four commitments (sige jianchi 四個堅持) regarding Cross-Strait relations: "Let us here renew with one another our enduring commitment to a free and democratic constitutional system, our commitment that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China should not be subordinate to each other, our commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty, and our commitment that the future of the Republic of China (Taiwan) must be decided in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese people." (所以，我們必須彼此約定，永遠要堅持自由民主的憲政體制，堅持中華民國與中華人民共和國互不隸屬，堅持主權不容侵犯併吞， 堅持中華民國台灣的前途，必須要遵循全體台灣人民的意志。)

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Other major players in the area of Cross-Strait dialogue

• ATIEM
• Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association
• Cross-Strait meetings
• Organizations for Taiwan affairs in the PRC

SEF and ARATS are not the only entities involved in exchanges between Taiwan and China. Private companies, cross-Strait forums and other PRC organizations are briefly introduced below.

ATIEM

✉ Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland (ATIEM) 全國台灣同胞投資企業聯誼會
Room 608, Tower A, Langqin International Building, No. 168 Guangwai Avenue, Xuanwu District, Beijing 100055, China (PRC) [100055 北京市宣武区广外大街 168 号朗琴国际 A 座 608 室] ———————————— 🌏  ATIEM – Web link

The Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland (quanguo Taiwan tongbao touzi qiye lianyihui 全國台灣同胞投資企業聯誼會, abbrev. Tai qilian 台企聯 in Chinese and ATIEM in English, 🏁—huizhang 會長) was established on April 16, 2007 and is based in Beijing. ATIEM loosely coordinates the numerous Taiwanese business associations in the PRC and represents the interests of Taiwanese businesspeople operating in the PRC. Furthermore, it reports to the ROC government about the overall situation of Taiwanese businesspeople on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, and it communicates regularly and closely with SEF. Leading ATIEM officials have immediate access to the MAC and other ministries of the ROC central government.

ATIEM chairmen

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Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association

✉ Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association 海峽兩岸經貿文化交流協會
8-2 F., No. 300 Neihu Road Sec. 1, Neihu District, Taipei City 11493, Taiwan ROC [11493 台北市內湖區內湖路 1 段 300 號 8 樓之 2] ———————————— 🌏  Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association – Web link

The Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association (haixia liang’an jingmao wenhua jiaoliu xiehui 海峽兩岸經貿文化交流協會, abbrev. haimaohui 海貿會, 🏁—huizhang 會長) was established on March 6, 2007 and promotes economic ties across the Taiwan Strait.

Heads of the Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association

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Cross-Strait meetings

One noteworthy cross-Strait event is the annual Straits Forum (haixia luntan 海峽論壇), an array of non-governmental activities organized between China and Taiwan. Almost all venues are located in Fujian Province of the PRC. Taiwan delegates are mostly selected from the blue camp, especially the ranks of KMT politicians.

An additional regular bilateral event is the Cross-Strait CEO Summit (liang'an qiyejia fenghui 兩岸企業家峰會, abbrev. CSCS) which was organized in Beijing on July 11, 2013 with Zeng Peiyan 曾培炎 (b. 1938, Zhejiang) as chairman (lishizhang 理事長) for the mainland side, and on July 25, 2013 in Taipei with Vincent Siew 蕭萬長 (b. 1939, Taiwan) as chairman for the Taiwan side. Zeng was replaced with Guo Jinlong 郭金龍 (b. 1947, Jiangsu) in July 2018. CSCS was intended to function as a new mechanism to facilitate industrial exchanges in the era of enhanced cooperation after the signing of ECFA in 2010.

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Organizations for Taiwan affairs in the PRC

Besides ARATS there are several organizations in the PRC with a focus on Taiwan affairs, more or less controlled by the CCP, including the following (all based in Beijing):

★  Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League (Taiwan minzhu zizhi tongmeng 台灣民主自治同盟, abbrev. Taimeng 台盟), established on Nov. 12, 1947 in Hong Kong;
★  All China Taiwanese Association (Zhonghua quanguo Taiwan tongbao lianyihui 中華全國台灣同胞聯誼會, abbrev. quanguo Tailian 全國台聯, established on Dec. 27, 1981;
★  National Society of Taiwan Studies (quanguo Taiwan yanjiuhui 全國台灣研究會, abbrev. NSTS), established on Aug. 16, 1988 as Society of Taiwan Studies (Taiwan yanjiuhui 台灣研究會);
★  China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification (Zhongguo heping tongyi cujinhui 中國和平統一促進會, abbrev. tongcuhui 統促會 or hetonghui 和統會) aka National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU), established on Sept. 22, 1988; and
★  Subcommittee for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Compatriots and Overseas Chinese of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [CPPCC] National Committee (Zhongguo renmin zhengzhi xieshang huiyi quanguo weiyuanhui Gang Ao Tai qiao weiyuanhui 中國人民政治協商會議全國委員會港澳臺僑委員會), set up on March 16, 1998.

Furthermore, delegates of Taiwan origin living in the PRC have been elected since 1975 to 'represent' Taiwan in the sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC), being referred to in Chinese as quanguo renmin daibiao dahui Taiwan sheng daibiaotuan 全國人民代表大會台灣省代表團. Since they were not democratically elected by Taiwan's eligible voters, those delegates have no legitimate mandate to speak for the Taiwanese.

The NACPU has been linked to David Wenwei Chou 周文偉 (b. 1953), a Taiwan-born second-generation mainlander and naturalized US citizen with dual nationality who on May 15, 2022 attacked worshippers in the Geneva Presbyterian Church (rineiwa changlaohui jiaotang 日內瓦長老會教堂) in Laguna Woods (Orange County, CA) with two legally purchased handguns. The shooting in the Taiwanese congregation left one dead and 5 wounded, and it was subsequently categorized as hate crime. In the aftermath it was reported that in 2019 Chou had attended the inaugural meeting of the Las Vegas National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification ([Meiguo] Zhongguo heping tongyi cujinhui [美國] 中國和平統一促進會), a local branch of the NACPU, and apparently had harboured anti-Taiwan views for many years.

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Controversial terms—“One China”, 1C2S, Status Quo and others

• “One China” in Taiwan/ROC
• The PRC: “One China Principle” and “One China Policy”
• One Country, Two Systems (1C2S)
• The Status Quo

“One China” in Taiwan/ROC

The concept of “One China” (yige Zhongguo 一個中國) is the brainchild of pro-unification proponents, and the term is widely used on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

On Aug. 1, 1992 the now-defunct National Unification Council (NUC) under the ROC presidential office issued a statement defining ‘One China’.

The KMT’s official interpretation of One China is that it refers to the ROC, as it regards the ROC as the only legitimate government of the whole China. Due to the fact that the ROC government has been in control of the Taiwan area only since 1949, the term “One Country, Two Areas” (yiguo liangqu 一國兩區) is employed to describe the situation.

Some individuals in the blue camp offer a different version of One China, meaning that Taiwan and the mainland both belong to One China as a cultural entity. Another term that should be mentioned in this context is “One Country, Two Governments” (yiguo liangfu 一國兩府), proposed by Lee Teng-hui when he held office as ROC president and KMT chairman, countering the formula “One Country, Two Systems” that the PRC has been promoting as a model for unification.

While the continued existence of the ROC is at the core of the KMT’s political concept, some individuals in Taiwan’s green camp are in agreement with PRC leaders that the ROC does not exist anymore. Ironically, they can use a quote from no other than Chiang Kai-shek himself to back up their point. On March 13, 1950, just months after having fled to Taiwan and still under the fresh impression of the humiliating defeat his troops suffered against the CCP armies, Chiang reportedly expressed his view that ‘Our ROC perished with the loss of the Chinese mainland at the end of last year, and today we have become the people of a subjugated nation.’ (Womende Zhonghua minguo dao qunian zhong, jiu sui dalu lunxian er yi miewangle, women jintian dou yi chengle wangguo zhi min. 「我們的中華民國到去年終，就隨大陸淪陷而已滅亡了，我們今天都已成了亡國之民。」)

Taiwan’s green camp by and large disagrees with the idea of Taiwan being a part of China. On Aug. 3, 2002 then-ROC President Chen Shui-bian brought up the term “One Country On Each Side” (yibian yiguo 一邊一國), a concept largely consistent with the “Two States Theory” (liangguolun 兩國論) introduced by Chen’s predecessor Lee Teng-hui on July 9, 1999 when he described the cross-Strait relations as ‘special state-to-state-relations’ (teshude guo yu guo guanxi 特殊的國與國關係) less than a year before the end of his last term as ROC president. Tsai Ing-wen from the DPP participated in formulating the Two States Theory.

The question whether to accept the ROC framework (with the ROC being an independent, sovereign and democratic state separate from the PRC, a concept also dubbed “ROC independence” [huadu 華獨] in Chinese) or to pursue an independent, sovereign Taiwanese state unassociated with the ROC is controversial within the green camp. (Additional information in this context concerning the question whether the sovereignty of the ROC over Taiwan is legitimate can be found here.)

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The PRC: “One China Principle” and “One China Policy”

It should be noted that there is a difference between “One China Principle” (yige Zhongguo yuanze 一個中國原則) and “One China Policy” (yige Zhongguo zhengce 一個中國政策). The One China Principle is propagated by the PRC, meaning that ‘there is only one China in the world, Taiwan Province is an integral part of the territory of the PRC’. The PRC rejects the idea of “Two Chinas” (liangge Zhongguo 兩個中國) because the Chinese Communists refuse to accept the legitimacy of the ROC’s continued existence.

Unabating pressure applied by the PRC has led most countries in the world to adopt a One China Policy, which means no support for a one-China, one-Taiwan or a two-China policy. Consequently, Taiwan/the ROC has been increasingly isolated diplomatically since the 1970s. Meanwhile, in practical reality those same countries also maintain close unofficial relations with Taiwan in the areas of trade, education, scientific research, culture, people-to-people exchanges etc. without advocating a swift annexation of Taiwan by China, indicating that the status of Taiwan/the ROC remains neither settled nor challenged. The US declared in the Shanghai Communiqué (issued on Feb. 28, 1972): ‘The US acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The US government does not challenge that position. It reaffirms its interest in a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question by the Chinese themselves.’

One major consequence of the PRC’s insistence on the “One China Principle” is that the authorities in Taipei don’t dare changing the official name of the ROC or altering national symbols like the flag or the national anthem—that would inevitably be interpreted by the PRC regime as unilateral steps towards independence, a probable casus belli for Beijing. The ROC government, no matter which political party is in charge, has had no illusions about the dangers of a name change. Hence, the ROC is stuck in the predicament with a misleading name which also facilitates the PRC’s campaign of indoctrination inside and outside its borders, so far more or less successfully keeping up its dogma that Taiwan was ‘a part of China’ and should be united with the ‘motherland’ regardless of public opinion in Taiwan.

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One Country, Two Systems (1C2S)

“One Country, Two Systems” (yige guojia, liangzhong zhidu 一個國家，兩種制度, abbrev. yiguo liangzhi 一國兩制 in Chinese and 1C2S in English) is a concept that was designed by the PRC leadership in the 1980s as a formula for "peaceful reunification with Taiwan", and its contents were first presented in Ye Jianying’s “Nine-Point Policy”, published on Sept. 30, 1981. On Jan. 11, 1982 PRC paramount leader Deng Xiaoping 鄧小平 (1904-1997) revealed to foreign guests that Ye’s Nine-Point Policy actually meant 1C2S and would also apply to the issue of Hong Kong.

On Dec. 19, 1984 the PRC and the UK (represented by their respective heads of government: Zhao Ziyang 趙紫陽 for the PRC and Margaret Thatcher for the UK) signed a treaty with 1C2S as model for the handover of Hong Kong to the PRC on July 1, 1997, meaning that Hong Kong—previously a British crown colony—as "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" (Xianggang tebie xingzhengqu 香港特別行政區, abbrev. HKSAR) would be allowed to keep its own political system different from that of the PRC for 50 years and (in theory) not being required to switch to the PRC’s authoritarian system before 2047. Point 3. (5) of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong reads: "The current social and economic systems in Hong Kong will remain unchanged, and so will the life-style. Rights and freedoms, including those of the person, of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of travel, of movement, of correspondence, of strike, of choice of occupation, of academic research and of religious belief will be ensured by law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region." (香港的現行社會、經濟制度不變；生活方式不變。香港特別行政區依法保障人身、言論、出版、集會、結社、旅行、遷徙、通信、 罷工、選擇職業和學術研究以及宗教信仰等各項權利和自由。)

This was what the PRC explicitly guaranteed in a bilateral treaty binding under international law. However, recent developments since the 2014 Umbrella Movement (yusan geming 雨傘革命) have shown massive, systematic interference by Beijing aimed at curtailing the already limited freedoms there and intimidating Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition. Examples include the following.

• In late 2015, staff members of Causeway Bay Books (tongluowan shudian 銅鑼灣書店) were abducted to the PRC.
• In November 2016 the PRC’s National People’s Congress (quanguo renmin daibiao dahui 全國人民代表大會, abbrev. quanguo renda 全國人大 in Chinese and NPC in English) barred two popularly elected lawmakers—Yau Wai-ching 游蕙禎 and Sixtus “Baggio” Leung 梁頌恆—from taking their seats in the HKSAR Legislative Council (lifahui 立法會, abbrev. LegCo).
• Zang Tiewei 臧鐵偉, spokesperson of the Legislative Affairs Commission (fazhi gongzuo weiyuanhui 法制工作委員會/fagongwei 法工委) under the Standing Committee (changwu weiyuanhui 常務委員會/changweihui 常委會) of the PRC’s NPC, stated on Nov. 19, 2019 ‘whether a law of the HKSAR is in conformity with the Basic Law of the HKSAR can only be judged and decided by the NPC Standing Committee, and no other organ has the right to judge or decide’.
• HKSAR authorities have since 2020 prevented the annual candlelight vigils mourning the victims of the 1989 student-led democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and other activites commemorating the June 4 anniversaries.
• Legislation imposed by the PRC, including the Hong Kong National Security Law (Xianggang guoanfa 香港國安法) promulgated on June 30, 2020 and the Hong Kong electoral overhaul adopted on March 11, 2021 by the PRC’s National People’s Congress—the latter expanding the LegCo from 75 to 90 members but reducing the number of directly elected members from 35 to 20, plus introducing candidate qualification reviews that would require candidates for any elections in HKSAR to be vetted for their political views (a concept labeled ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’ [aiguozhe zhi Gang 愛國者治港] aimed at stifling opposition)—which effectively put an end to Hong Kong’s autonomy and tightened Beijing’s grip on HKSAR.
• In July 2023 HKSAR authorities issued arrest warrants and bounties in the amount of HK$ 1 million each for eight exiled democracy activists—Ted Hui 許智峰, Anna Kwok 郭鳳儀, Dennis Kwok 郭榮鏗, Finn Lau 劉祖迪, Nathan Law 羅冠聰, Mung Siu-tat 蒙兆達, Kevin Yam 任建峰, and Elmer Yuen 袁弓夷.

Public opinion polls in Taiwan consistently indicate that an overwhelming majority of Taiwanese reject 1C2S. Not only would few Taiwanese agree to have an expiry date added to their hard-earned democratic system, but Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong which is closely monitored in Taiwan makes that formula even less appealing there. As a result, all major political parties in the ROC (including the KMT) have been dismissing the 1C2S formula as unsuitable for Taiwan.

As for the events in connection with Causeway Bay Books, it should be mentioned that Lam Wing-kee 林榮基, one of the five abducted book sellers, was released on bail in the PRC and allowed to return to Hong Kong in June 2016 to retrieve a hard drive listing his bookstore’s customers, but he decided to jump bail and go public about how he was detained by PRC police. After Causeway Bay Books formally closed in August 2018, Lam fled to Taiwan on April 25, 2019 and subsequently raised funds to reopen Causeway Bay Books in Taipei while applying for relevant business permits; the reopening then took place on April 25, 2020. Lam’s colleague Gui Minhai 桂民海—a naturalized Swedish citizen—was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court (Zhejiangsheng Ningboshi zhongji renmin fayuan 浙江省寧波市中級人民法院) on charges of spying, according to a statement posted Feb. 24, 2020 on the court’s website.

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The Status Quo

Before major elections in the ROC, there usually is a lot of talk about the Status Quo (xiankuang 現況), and both political camps in Taiwan vow to uphold the Status Quo. The term “Status Quo” is supposed to describe the current relationship between Taiwan/the ROC and China/the PRC, but what it actually means and encompasses in detail is to some degree controversial. There are diverging interpretations of the term depending on political orientation or—figuratively speaking—on colour. The perspectives of the blue camp, the green camp and the Communist Chinese leadership on the Status Quo are paraphrasingly summarized below.

BLUE CAMP—For supporters of the blue camp, Status Quo means that the ROC is the legitimate ruler of the Greater China area or at least the Taiwan area. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are each ruled by a separate government, but both agree in principle on the concept of One China. The Chinese civil war remains unresolved, pending eventual peaceful unification with the mainland.

GREEN CAMP—The green camp stresses that under the Status Quo Taiwan is a democracy and de facto independent from China, and no part of the Taiwan area has ever been ruled by the authoritarian PRC. Only the democratically elected government of Taiwan is politically legitimized to rule the people under its jurisdiction. Due to the right of the Taiwanese to self-determination, any major changes to the Status Quo must be approved by a majority of the electorate through referendum. The rapprochement between the KMT’s Ma Ying-jeou administration and the PRC leadership was interpreted by parts of the green camp as ‘selling out Taiwan’ (chumai Taiwan 出賣台灣).

CHINESE COMMUNISTS—For the PRC leadership, Status Quo means that there is only one China and not two recognized independent states on either side of the Taiwan Strait. They claim Taiwan being an ‘inalienable part’ (buke fenge de yi bufen 不可分割的一部分) of the PRC and are determined to bring Taiwan under their control eventually, preferably according to the model “One Country, Two Systems” which was first suggested by PRC leader Deng Xiaoping 鄧小平 in 1982. The PRC equates pursuing Taiwan independence with ‘splitting the motherland’ (fenlie zuguo 分裂祖國), and the Chinese Communists refuse ruling out the use of force to achieve unification, vowing to ‘guard the integrity of the motherland’ (weihu zuguo lingtu wanzheng 維護祖國領土完整).

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◆ State-owned enterprises (SOEs) / Public institutions

• Overview
• Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar/TSC)
• Taiwan Power Company (Taipower)
• CPC Corporation, Taiwan (CPC)
• Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC)
• Chunghwa Post
• China Airlines (CAL)
• China Aviation Development Foundation (CADF)
• Taoyuan International Airport Corporation (TIAC)
• Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd. (TIPC)
• Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC)
• Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL)
• Central News Agency (CNA)
• Public Television Service (PTS)
• Taiwan Financial Holdings Co., Ltd. (TFH)
• Bank of Taiwan (BOT)
• Taiwania Capital Management Corporation
• Taiwan Asset Management Corporation (TAMCO)

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Overview

• Historical development of Taiwan's SOEs
• Current SOEs in Taiwan
• SOEs in the 1970s ("SOE list 1") and the privatization program ("SOE list 2")
• An agency that lost its significance—the SEC

Historical development of Taiwan's SOEs

State-owned enterprises (guoying shiye 國營事業, abbrev. SOE) have played an important role in the economy of the ROC for decades. They were especially instrumental in the period of rapid economic development when Taiwan evolved from being a rural, backward country to a modern industrial society since the 1960s. SOEs were active in various areas—agriculture, food processing, transportation, infrastructure, public utilities, heavy industry, banking, insurance and more, assisting industrial development and securing economic stability. Furthermore, the government would sometimes be involved in enterprises that required unusually large capital investments. Other government businesses were founded to employ veterans who would otherwise have been destitute. A government agency called State-owned Enterprise Commission (SEC) was set up and tasked with general oversight.

After Taiwan's economy took off, the original reasons for the existence of SOEs lost much of their force due to the growth of the private sector. Facing increasing international competition, the island needed to keep its competitive edge sharp, and the government recognized that privatization (minyinghua 民營化) of inefficient and overstaffed SOEs had become essential to further development. Government agencies that ran businesses included MOEA, MOF, MOTC, VAC and TPG (Taiwan Provincial Government). An ad hoc committee set up by the Cabinet defined the goals of privatization in 1989, and several SOEs subsequently underwent a process of privatization from the 1990s on. Another motive for the ROC government to launch the privatization drive was to improve Taiwan's chances for being admitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO); Taiwan eventually became a WTO member on Jan. 1, 2002.

As more SOEs were privatized, the significance of the remaining SOEs for Taiwan's overall economy has decreased quite substantially. Detailed explanations describing the privatization complex can be found in several related articles published in the October 1998 edition of the English-language magazine Free China Review (called "Taiwan Review" since the March 2003 edition).

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Current SOEs in Taiwan

According to information provided by the MOEA, the following four corporations are currently SOEs of the ROC, listed as "national corporations" (shiye jigou 事業機構) on the MOEA website:

• Taisugar—① in SOE list 1
• Taipower—② in SOE list 1
• CPC Corporation, Taiwan—③ in SOE list 1
• Taiwan Water Corporation (Taiwan zilaishui gongsi 台灣自來水公司, abbrev. TWC)

Please note that above list of SOEs provided by the MOEA does not include Taiwan’s national carrier China Airlines (CAL), the state-owned Bank of Taiwan (BOT) as well as Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL), Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd. (TIPC), Taoyuan International Airport Corporation (TIAC), Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) and others. Also not included by MOEA is Chunghwa Post Co. Ltd.—the Directorate-General of Posts (jiaotongbu youzheng zongju 交通部郵政總局) under MOTC was restructured from a government department to a government-owned corporation and renamed effective Jan. 1, 2003.

In Taiwanese SOEs and private companies, the term "chairperson" (dongshizhang 董事長) can be abbreviated in Chinese with dongzuo 董座, the term "president" (zong jingli 總經理) with zongzuo 總座.

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SOEs in the 1970s ("SOE list 1") and the privatization program ("SOE list 2")

The "China Yearbook 1976" (p. iii, pp. 206-213) listed thirteen government enterprises (see "SOE list 1" directly below).

On Dec. 3, 1971 the China Steel Corporation (Zhongguo gangtie gufen youxian gongsi 中國鋼鐵股份有限公司, abbrev. CSC) was established in Taipei as a non-governmental company with ROC government approval. Its HQ were moved to Kaohsiung on Sept. 15, 1975. CSC was transformed into a state-owned company on July 1, 1977, and in February 1985 it took over TALCO (⑦). CSC was re-privatized on April 12, 1995, and in March 1996 it reorganized TALCO as a new subordinate company—C. S. Aluminium Corporation (Zhong gang lüye gufen youxian gongsi 中鋼鋁業股份有限公司, abbrev. CSAC).

Remarks about other former state-owned enterprises in above list:

• TMMiC (⑧) was merged into Taisugar (①) in March 1991.
• CTCIC (⑪) merged into CPDC (⑫) in May 1982.
• CPIC (⑬) merged into CPDC in January 1981.

The following table ("SOE list 2"; source: CEPD) shows a selection of former SOEs which were privatized.

Details about five privatized former state-owned enterprises—CSBC, CSC, Taiyen Biotech, Chunghwa Telecom, and First Bank—can be found on the following page of this website.

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An agency that lost its significance—the SEC

The State-owned Enterprise Commission (jingjibu guoying shiye weiyuanhui 經濟部國營事業委員會, abbrev. guoyinghui 國營會 in Chinese and SEC in English, 🏁—zhuren weiyuan 主任委員) was established in February 1969; the English name then was "Commission of National Corporations", renamed to SEC in 2003. The SEC could be traced back to MOEA's National Corporations Department (jingjibu guoying shiyesi 經濟部國營事業司) which had been set up in 1952 and restructured to the Commission for the Commercialization of National Corporations (jingjibu gongying shiye qiyehua weiyuanhui 經濟部公營事業企業化委員會) in 1965. The position of SEC chairperson was usually filled by the sitting MOEA minister, another senior position was director (zhixingzhang 執行長). When the MOEA was restructured on Sept. 26, 2023, the SEC was downgraded to Department of State-owned Enterprise Affairs (jingjibu guoying shiye guanlisi 經濟部國營事業管理司) in the MOEA, reflecting the diminished significance of SOEs in Taiwan.

SEC chairpersons

SEC directors

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Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar/TSC)

✉ Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar/TSC) 台灣糖業公司
No. 68 Shengchan Road, East District, Tainan City 70176, Taiwan ROC [70176 台南市東區生產路 68 號] ———————————— 🌏 Taisugar – Web link

Taisugar (Taiwan tangye gongsi 台灣糖業公司, abbrev. Taitang台糖, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was created on May 1, 1946 by the merger of four companies which had been established during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945)—Dai Nippon Sugar Manufacturing Company (da Riben zhitang zhushi huishe 大日本製糖株式會社), Taiwan Sugar Company (Taiwan zhitang zhushi huishe 台灣製糖株式會社), Ensuiko Sugar Company (Yanshuigang zhitang zhushi huishe 鹽水港製糖株式會社), and Meiji Sugar Company (mingzhi zhitang zhushi huishe 明治製糖株式會社).

After the importance of sugar cane cultivation and processing for Taiwan's economy started waning in the 1960s, the state-run enterprise has been diversifying significantly into various sectors. These include biotechnology, agriculture, animal industry, marketing, petroleum, leisure businesses as well as property management, farm management and land development. Taisugar still produces sugar, processed sugar products and by-products of sugar processing. Another senior position in Taisugar is president (zong jingli 總經理).

Taisugar chairpersons

Taisugar presidents

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Taiwan Power Company (Taipower)

✉ Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) 台灣電力公司
No. 242 Roosevelt Road Sec. 3, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10016, Taiwan ROC [10016 台北市中正區羅斯福路 3 段 242 號] ———————————— 🌏 Taipower – Web link

Taipower (Taiwan dianli gongsi 台灣電力公司, abbrev. Taidian 台電) was established on May 1, 1946 when at the end of the Japanese colonial period the operations of Taiwan Power Corporation (Taiwan dianli zhushi huishe 台灣電力株式會社, est. July 31, 1919) were taken over by the ROC. The two lead positions in Taipower are chairman (dongshizhang 董事長) and president (zong jingli 總經理).

Taipower chairpersons

Taipower presidents

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Energy mix

According to its website, Taipower's electricity-generating plants comprise thermal (71.4 %), nuclear (12.2 %), hydro (6.2 %), and renewable energy facilities (10.2 %); the figures in brackets refer to the percentage of installed capacity as of 2016. The thermal category includes power plants which burn fossil fuels like natural gas or coal.

The world's biggest coal-fired power plant is Taipower's Taichung Power Plant (Taizhong fadianchang 台中發電廠) in Longjing District of Taichung. It consists of ten units with nominal capacities of 550 MW each, the first units were completed in 1992. With annual carbon dioxide emissions of ca. 40 million tons, Taichung Power Plant is the heaviest single polluter on this planet. After the plant had already been fined twice in December 2019 for continuing to use more coal than legally permitted and failing to cease the use of raw coal for power generation, the Taichung City Government on Dec. 25, 2019 revoked permits for the Taichung Power Plant's older No. 2 and No. 3 generators effective Jan. 1, 2020 for violating the Air Pollution Control Act (kongqi wuran fangzhifa 空氣污染防制法) and Taichung's newest coal control regulations that stipulate coal use at that plant is limited to 11.04 million metric tons between January 2019 and 2020. However, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced on Feb. 25, 2020 that it was overturning the city's decision, saying that it was based on a misstatement of the facts and a lack of just cause.

On Nov. 12, 2019 Taiwan's first offshore wind farm "Formosa 1" (haiyang zhunan fengli fadianchang 海洋竹南風力發電場) was inaugurated off the shores of Miaoli county, comprising 22 turbines with a total installed capacity of 128 MW.

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Taiwan's nuclear facilities

Taipower operates three nuclear power plants and a nuclear waste storage facility in the Taiwan area. A fourth nuclear power plant was mothballed before construction work was complete.

☢  First Nuclear Power Plant (heyichang 核一廠) {1} aka Chin Shan Nuclear Power Plant (jinshan hedianchang 金山核電廠). Start of commercial operation: Dec. 10, 1978 (unit 1) and July 15, 1979 (unit 2). Scheduled decommission: 2018 and 2019, respectively; operation licenses of the reactors expired on Dec. 5, 2018 (unit 1) and July 15, 2019 (unit 2).

☢  Second Nuclear Power Plant (heerchang 核二廠) {2} aka Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant (guosheng hedianchang 國聖核電廠). Start of commercial operation: Dec. 28, 1981 (unit 1) and March 15, 1983 (unit 2). Scheduled decommission: 2021 and 2023, respectively.

☢  Third Nuclear Power Plant (hesanchang 核三廠) {3} aka Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant (maanshan hedianchang 馬鞍山核電廠). Start of commercial operation: July 27, 1984 (unit 1) and May 18, 1985 (unit 2). Scheduled decommission: 2024 and 2025, respectively.

☢  Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (hesichang 核四廠) {4} aka Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant (longmen hedianchang 龍門核電廠). The plant has been under construction since March 17, 1999; unit 1 was originally due for completion in 2009 and unit 2 in 2010, but the start of commercial operation has been delayed several times and is currently subject to intense public debate. On July 1, 2015 a process to mothball the nearly completed facility was set in motion, although it could still be activated at any time in the future.

☢  Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility (hefeiliao zhucunchang 核廢料貯存場) {5} aka Lanyu Storage Site (Lanyu zhucunchang 蘭嶼貯存場) at Hongtou 紅頭 on Orchid Island. Initial plans for the facility were approved by the Executive Yuan on Dec. 29, 1975, the first shipment of low and mid-level nuclear waste from Taiwan arrived on May 19, 1982.

— — — Maps of Taiwan's nuclear facilities (overview plus three detailed maps) — — —

● Exact location of Taiwan's nuclear facilities (with coordinates)

Note: The linear distances between the nuclear power plants in New Taipei City and Taipei City Hall 台北市政府 are as follows—First Nuclear Power Plant: 28.35 km; Second Nuclear Power Plant: 20.90 km; and Fourth Nuclear Power Plant: 36.28 km. (Sources: Google Maps, Google Earth)

● Technology in Taiwan's nuclear power plants

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Phasing out nuclear energy?

Amendments to the Electricity Act (dianyefa 電業法) which were approved by the ROC Legislative Yuan on Jan. 11, 2017 and promulgated on Jan. 26 that year stipulated that 'nuclear-energy-based power-generating facilities shall wholly stop running by 2025' (Article 95-1). Following the result of the nationwide referendum 16 on the issue, the ROC government on Nov. 27, 2018 announced it would re-evaluate the country's energy policies. Taipower in turn announced on Dec. 3, 2018 it would hold off returning unused fuel rods from the mothballed Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant to the US until a decision on whether to alter the nation's energy transition map has been reached. The Legislative Yuan scrapped the 2025 moratorium in the Electricity Act on May 7, 2019.

While the first reactor of the Chin Shan Nuclear Power plant was scheduled to be decommissioned on Dec. 5, 2018, the process is expected to be delayed significantly because the New Taipei City government has not yet issued an operating permit for an outdoor storage yard at the plant site for the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel, meaning that the 816 fuel rods still in the power plant's first reactor will have to stay where they are, and the plant's safety equipment will have to be kept running. An alternative indoor storage facility planned by Taipower would take at least ten years to build. On May 15, 2019 the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) approved a 25-year decommissioning plan for the first reactor.

On Nov. 22, 2019 the MOEA announced that the Tao community on Lanyu would receive NT$ 2.55 billion in compensation after a government investigation found that they were unaware of plans to create the Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility there.

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CPC Corporation, Taiwan (CPC)

✉ CPC Corporation, Taiwan (CPC) 台灣中油股份有限公司
No. 3 Songren Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City 11010, Taiwan ROC [11010 台北市信義區松仁路 3 號] ———————————— 🌏 CPC – Web link

CPC (Taiwan zhongyou gufen youxian gongsi 台灣中油股份有限公司, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on June 1, 1946 in Shanghai by the ROC government and is a state-owned petroleum, natural gas, and gasoline company. Before Feb. 9, 2007 its name was Chinese Petroleum Corporation (Zhongguo shiyou 中國石油). Another senior position in CPC is president (zong jingli 總經理).

CPC chairpersons

CPC presidents

Please note that Hu Hsin-nan was also known as Jerome Hu Sinnan.

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Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC)

✉ Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC) 台灣自來水公司
No. 2-1 Shuangshi Road Sec. 2, North District, Taichung City 40455, Taiwan ROC [40455 台中市北區雙十路 2 段 2-1 號] ———————————— 🌏 TWC – Web link

TWC (Taiwan zilaishui gongsi 台灣自來水公司, abbrev. Taishui 台水, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was formally established on Jan. 1, 1974 as a state-owned water utility providing water supply to Taiwan and the offshore islands of the ROC. Another senior position in TWC is president (zong jingli 總經理).

TWC chairpersons

TWC presidents

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Chunghwa Post

✉ Chunghwa Post 中華郵政
No. 55 Jinshan South Road Sec. 2, Daan District, Taipei City 10603, Taiwan ROC [10603 台北市大安區金山南路 2 段 55 號（金山大樓）] / No. 216 Aiguo East Road, Daan District, Taipei City 10603, Taiwan ROC [10603 台北市大安區愛國東路 216 號（愛國大樓）] ———————————— 🌏 Chunghwa Post – Web link

Before its reorganization as government-owned corporation on Jan. 1, 2003, Chunghwa Post (Zhonghua youzheng 中華郵政, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was operated under the name Directorate-General of Post, MOTC (jiaotongbu youzheng zongju 交通部郵政總局, 🏁—juzhang 局長). It was renamed "Taiwan Post" (Taiwan youzheng 台灣郵政) on Feb. 9, 2007. The original name was restored on Aug. 4, 2008. Another senior position in Chunghwa Post is president (zong jingli 總經理).

Chunghwa Post chairpersons

Chunghwa Post presidents

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Two-pronged history

Historically, today’s Chunghwa Post can be traced back both to China and Taiwan in the 19^th century. In Qing China, the Imperial Chinese Post (da Qing youzheng guanju 大清郵政官局) was founded on March 20, 1896 with British diplomat Sir Robert Hart (1835-1911)—who had been the inspector-general of Qing China's Imperial Maritime Custom Service (da Qing huangjia haiguan zong shuiwusi 大清皇家海關總税務司, abbrev. IMCS) since 1863—as supervisor (zong youzhengsi 總郵政司). Meanwhile, Taiwan postal service regulations (Taiwan youzheng tiaokuan 臺灣郵政條款) were promulgated by Qing’s Taiwan provincial governor Liu Mingchuan 劉銘傳 on Feb. 21, 1888, and the Taiwan General Post Office (Taiwan youzheng zongju 臺灣郵政總局, abbrev. GPO) opened in Taipeh on March 22 that year. The Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan in the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, and the Japanese colonial rulers first set up a Field Command postal service (yezhan youbianju 野戰郵便局 / yasen yūbin kyoku 野戦郵便局) which in 1896 was reorganized as regular postal service.

The Qing’s Ministry of Posts and Communications (youchuanbu 郵傳部) which had been set up in 1906 established the Directorate General of Posts (youzheng zongju 郵政總局) in 1911. The ROC was founded on Jan. 1, 1912, and the same day the Imperial Chinese Post (da Qing youzheng 大清郵政) was renamed Chunghwa Post (Zhonghua youzheng 中華郵政); the original ministry was reorganized as Ministry of Transportation and Communications (jiaotongbu 交通部) on Jan. 3, 1912. On Oct. 30, 1936 the Postal Act (youzheng guize 郵政規則) was promulgated.

The ROC took control of Taiwan in 1945. On May 5, 1946 the Administrative Bureau of Posts and Telecommunication (Taiwan youdian guanliju 臺灣郵電管理局) was established in Taiwan, yet on April 1, 1949 the bureau was authorized to be divided into two—the Administrative Bureau of Posts (Taiwan youzheng guanliju 臺灣郵政管理局) and Administrative Bureau of Telecommunications (Taiwan dianxin guanliju 臺灣電信管理局). The same year the Directorate General of Posts of the ROC central government (and Chunghwa Post) relocated to Taiwan.

For detailed information about the ROC's postal codes click here.

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China Airlines (CAL)

✉ China Airlines (CAL) 中華航空公司
No. 131 Nanjing East Road Sec. 3, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 10410, Taiwan ROC [10410 台北市中山區南京東路 3 段 131 號] ———————————— 🌏 CAL – Web link

CAL (Zhonghua hangkong gongsi 中華航空公司, abbrev. huahang 華航), established on Dec. 16, 1959, is the flag carrier of the ROC and the largest airline in Taiwan. Although CAL was privatized in 1991 and officially listed on the TWSE on Feb. 26, 1993, it is still indirectly state-owned, with the China Aviation Development Foundation (Zhonghua hangkong shiye fazhan jijinhui 中華航空事業發展基金會, abbrev. CADF) being the majority shareholder. The highest position in CAL is chairman (dongshizhang 董事長), the next most senior position is president (zong jingli 總經理).

CAL chairpersons

CAL presidents

A noteworthy CAL subsidiary is China Pacific Catering Services (huashan kongchu gufen youxian gongsi 華膳空厨股份有限公司). Furthermore, in September 1999 the China Airlines Consortium (huahang qiye lianmeng 華航企業聯盟) comprising CAL and other companies won the bid from the ROC government for operating aviation cargo transportation in Taiwan. In December that year Taiwan Air Cargo Terminal Ltd. (huachu gufen youxian gongsi 華儲股份有限公司, abbrev. TACT) was set up which on Jan. 16, 2000 took over the cargo terminals both in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TTIA) and Kaohsiung International Airport as sole operator in Taiwan.

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China Aviation Development Foundation (CADF)

✉ China Aviation Development Foundation (CADF) 財團法人中華航空事業發展基金會
2 F., No. 131 Nanjing East Road Sec. 3, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 10410, Taiwan ROC [10410 台北市中山區南京東路 3 段 131 號 2 樓] ———————————— 🌏 CADF – Web link

The CADF (caituan faren Zhonghua hangkong shiye fazhan jijinhui 財團法人中華航空事業發展基金會, abbrev. hangfahui 航發會, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on July 7, 1988 as a non-profit government entity. Its operating income is used to assist in the development of Taiwan's civil aviation industry. The CADF funds were donated by 27 shareholders of China Airlines in February 1988, and CADF is CAL's largest shareholder today.

CADF chairpersons

The post of CADF chairperson is usually reserved for a high-ranking ROC government official. Wang Ching-hsu was concurrently NSB director general, Hsu Li-teh ROC vice premier, Chang Chun-yen president of the National Chiao Tung University (NCTU); the CADF chairpersons from Tsay Jaw-yang to Mao Chi-kuo were MOTC ministers, since Yeh Kuang-shih the CADF chairperson is a MOTC vice minister.

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Taoyuan International Airport Corporation (TIAC)

✉ Taoyuan International Airport Corporation (TIAC) 桃園國際機場股份有限公司
No. 9 Hangzhan South Road, Dayuan Township, Taoyuan County 33758, Taiwan ROC [33758 桃園縣大園鄉航站南路 9 號] ———————————— 🌏 TIAC – Web link

The TIAC (Taoyuan guoji jichang gufen youxian gongsi 桃園國際機場股份有限公司, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on Nov. 1, 2010 and is a state-owned enterprise responsible for the management of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (Taiwan Taoyuan guoji jichang 台灣桃園國際機場, abbrev. TTIA). Before the TIAC was incorporated, the airport administration was a government agency under the MOTC. Another senior position in TIAC is president (zong jingli 總經理 or zongzuo 總座), sometimes also referred to as "CEO" in English.

TIAC chairpersons

TIAC presidents

The TTIA is the major gate through which travelers coming from overseas enter Taiwan. The airport facilities were inaugurated on Feb. 26, 1979 and named Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (guoji Zhongzheng jichang 國際中正機場), Terminal II (dier hangxia 第二航廈) was opened on July 29, 2000. Construction for a third terminal began on May 26, 2017 and is scheduled to be completed by 2020. TTIA's current name was adopted on Sept. 6, 2006. Before the opening of the TTIA, the main entry point for foreigners visiting Taiwan was Taipei Songshan Airport (Taibei songshan jichang 台北松山機場) which was completed on March 30, 1936. Since 1979 Taipei Songshan Airport has mostly been used for domestic flights and—more recently—for cross-strait flights. The TTIA is currently being developed into the "Taoyuan Aerotropolis" (Taoyuan hangkongcheng 桃園航空城) as part of the i-Taiwan 12 Projects (ai Tai shier jianshe 愛臺十二建設).

The largest ground handling provider at TTIA is Taoyuan International Airport Services (Taoyuan guoji jichang diqin fuwu gongsi 桃園國際機場地勤服務公司, abbrev. Taoyuan hangqin 桃園航勤 in Chinese and TIAS in English), est. Nov. 8, 1978.

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Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd. (TIPC)

✉ Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd. (TIPC) 臺灣港務股份有限公司
No. 2-2 Jianguo 3rd Road, Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City 80748, Taiwan ROC [80748 高雄市三民區建國三路 2-2 號] ———————————— 🌏 TIPC – Web link

The TIPC (Taiwan gangwu gufen youxian gongsi 臺灣港務股份有限公司, abbrev. gangwu gongsi 港務公司, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on March 1, 2012 as a state-run enterprise and was vested with the authority over Taiwan's former four harbour bureaus under the MOTC—Hualien Harbor Bureau (jiaotongbu Hualian gangwuju 交通部花蓮港務局), Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau (jiaotongbu Gaoxiong gangwuju 交通部高雄港務局), Keelung Harbor Bureau (jiaotongbu Jilong gangwuju 交通部基隆港務局), and Taichung Harbor Bureau (jiaotongbu Taizhong gangwuju 交通部臺中港務局). The company is tasked to handle comprehensive port operations, enhance operational efficiencies and responsiveness, raise the international profile of Taiwan's international commercial ports, and spur domestic regional economic growth. Another senior position in TIPC is president (zong jingli 總經理).

TIPC chairpersons

TIPC presidents

The following are the TIPC's four subsidiaries:

▶  Port of Hualien (Hualian gangwu fen gongsi 花蓮港務分公司)
▶  Port of Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong gangwu fen gongsi 高雄港務分公司), oversees the Budai District Office (Budai guanlichu 布袋管理處), Magong District Office (Magong guanlichu 馬公管理處), and Anping Port Branch Office (Anping gangying yunchu 安平港營運處)
▶  Port of Keelung (Jilong gangwu fen gongsi 基隆港務分公司), oversees the Taipei Port Branch Office (Taibei gangying yunchu 臺北港營運處) and Suao Port Branch Office (Suao gangying yunchu 蘇澳港營運處)
▶  Port of Taichung (Taizhong gangwu fen gongsi 臺中港務分公司)

Other noteworthy subordinate organizations under the TIPC include the Policy and Strategy Committee (jingying celüe weiyuanhui 經營策略委員會) and the Port Business Committee (yingyun weiyuanhui 營運委員會).

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Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC)

✉ Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) 台灣高速鐵路股份有限公司
14 F., No. 66 Jingmao 2nd Road, Nangang District, Taipei City 11568, Taiwan ROC [11568 台北市南港區經貿二路 66 號 14 樓] ———————————— 🌏 THSRC – Web link

The THSRC (Taiwan gaosu tielu gufen youxian gongsi 台灣高速鐵路股份有限公司, abbrev. Taiwan gaotie gongsi 台灣高鐵公司, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on May 11, 1998. THSRC and the ROC MOTC signed agreements about Taiwan's high speed rail project on July 23, 1998 according to a build-operate-transfer (minjian xingjian yingyunhou zhuanyi moshi 民間興建營運後轉移模式, abbrev. BOT) scheme. In March 2000, the first contract of the civil works was awarded and began construction in August 2000. THSRC's bullet train service on the 345 km long high-speed rail line was launched on Jan. 5, 2007, operating eight stations—Taipei 台北, Banqiao 板橋, Taoyuan 桃園, Hsinchu 新竹, Taichung 台中, Chiayi 嘉義, Tainan 台南, and Kaohsiung 高雄 (Zuoying 左營). Three more stations were opened on Dec. 1, 2015: Miaoli 苗栗, Changhua 彰化, and Yunlin 雲林, followed by another new station in Nan'gang 南港 on July 1, 2016. On Sept. 27, 2019 the MOTC approved a 17.5–km extension route linking the current southern terminus in Kaohsiung's Zuoying to the TRA station of Liukuaicuo 六塊厝 in Pingtung County, the new route is scheduled to start operations in 2029.

THSRC chairpersons

THSRC CEOs

The position of Chief Executive Officer/CEO (zhixingzhang 執行長) in THSRC was created on Oct. 1, 2006.

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Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL)

✉ Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL) 台灣菸酒股份有限公司
1 F., No. 4 Nanchang Road Sec. 1, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10066, Taiwan ROC [10066 台北市中正區南昌路 1 段 4 號 1 樓] ———————————— 🌏 TTL – Web link

The TTL (Taiwan yanjiu gufen youxian gongsi 台灣菸酒股份有限公司, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on July 1, 2002 shortly after Taiwan had joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier that year. TTL’s position of president (zong jingli 總經理) is sometimes referred to in English as “general manager”, especially in older sources.

TTL chairpersons

TTL presidents since 2002

The beginnings of the state-owned enterprise can be traced back to the Japanese colonial period when on June 1, 1901 the Monopoly Bureau of the Taiwan Governor's Office (Taiwan zongdufu zhuanmaiju 台灣總督府專賣局) was created by the merger of the Taiwan Pharmaceutical Factory (Taiwan zhiyaosuo 台灣製藥所) with the Taiwan Salt Bureau (Taiwan yanwuju 台灣鹽務局) and the Taiwan Camphor Bureau (Taiwan zhangnaoju 台灣樟腦局). After the ROC took over Taiwan in 1945, that agency became the Taiwan Provincial Monopoly Bureau (Taiwan sheng zhuanmaiju 台灣省專賣局, 🏁—juzhang 局長) which in turn was reorganized as the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau (Taiwan sheng yanjiu gongmaiju 台灣省菸酒公賣局, 🏁—juzhang 局長) after the 2-28 Incident in 1947. At that time the ROC on Taiwan maintained a monopoly on five commodities—tobacco, liquor, camphor, matches and measuring instruments. By 1968, the two items that remained in the monopoly system were tobacco and liquor.

TTL's most famous product is Taiwan Beer (Taiwan pijiu 台灣啤酒, abbrev. taipi 台啤). A brewing facility owned by the Takasago Malted Beer Company (gaosha maijiu zhushi huishe 高砂麥酒株式會社) was set up in Taipei on Jan. 13, 1919, and in 1920 the Monopoly Bureau of the Taiwan Governor's Office began marketing Takasago Beer (gaosha maijiu 高砂麥酒). After WWII, the brewery was taken over by Taiwan's Monopoly Bureau as Taipei Beer Company (Taibei pijiu gongsi 台北啤酒公司), and in 1945 the name of the beverage was changed to Taiwan Beer. The production facility was renamed Taipei Second Brewery (Taibei dier jiuchang 台北第二酒廠) in 1947 and Chienkuo Brewery (jianguo pijiuchang 建國啤酒廠) in 1975, and it was finally rechristened Taipei Brewery (Taibei pijiu gongchang 台北啤酒工場) on July 1, 2008.

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Central News Agency (CNA)

✉ Central News Agency (CNA) 中央通訊社
No. 209 Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 10485, Taiwan ROC [10485 台北市中山區松江路 209 號（志清大樓）]—Please note that the building where CNA is located also houses the government Publications Bookstore 國家書店 in the first floor. ———————————— 🌏 CNA – Web link

CNA (zhongyang tongxunshe 中央通訊社, abbrev. zhongyangshe 中央社) was established on April 1, 1924 as a publicity organ of the KMT, underwent a thorough reorganization in 1931 and was placed under the control of the ROC central government in 1948. CNA was incorporated in April 1973 as a private-owned company and reorganized in January 1996 as a state-run corporation.

Supposedly an autonomous news gathering organization free of political interference, CNA is in part still funded by the ROC central government, and its top management is appointed by the ROC Executive Yuan. Besides the president (shezhang 社長), CNA's two other lead positions are chairman (dongshizhang 董事長) and editor-in-chief (zong bianji 總編輯).

CNA presidents

CNA chairpersons

The CNA offers diverse news coverage on many aspects of Taiwan and the ROC, and its website features online news in Chinese, English ("Focus Taiwan"), Spanish ("Enfoque en Taiwan"), and Japanese (フォーカス台湾). On March 22, 2021 it was announced that CNA’s Spanish-language news services would be suspended indefinitely as of March 31, 2021.

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Public Television Service (PTS)

✉ Public Television Service (PTS) 公共電視台
No. 50 Lane 75, Kangning Road Sec. 3, Neihu District, Taipei City 11485, Taiwan ROC [11485 台北市內湖區康寧路 3 段 75 巷 50 號] ———————————— 🌏 PTS – Web link

PTS (gonggong dianshitai 公共電視台, abbrev. gongshi 公視, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on July 1, 1998 as Taiwan's first independent public broadcasting institution, and it is run by the Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation (caituan faren gonggong dianshi wenhua shiye jijinhui 財團法人公共電視文化事業基金會). The next most senior position in PTS is president (zong jingli 總經理).

PTS chairpersons

PTS presidents

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Taiwan Financial Holdings Co., Ltd. (TFH)

✉  Taiwan Financial Holdings Co., Ltd. (TFH) 台灣金控
No. 120 Chongqing South Road Sec. 1, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10007, Taiwan ROC [10007 台北市中正區重慶南路 1 段 120 號] ———————————— 🌏 TFH – Web link

TFH (Taiwan jinrong konggu gufen youxian gongsi 臺灣金融控股股份有限公司, abbrev. Taiwan jinkong 台灣金控, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was founded on Dec. 6, 2007 and started business operations on Jan. 1, 2008 as a state-owned corporation. TFH is the parent holding company of the Bank of Taiwan (BOT), BankTaiwan Securities Co., Ltd. (Taiyin zhengquan 臺銀證券, abbrev. BTS) and BankTaiwan Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (Taiyin renshou 臺銀人壽, abbrev. BTLI); the BOT established BankTaiwan Insurance Brokers Co., Ltd. (Taiyin baojing 臺銀保經, abbrev. BTIB) as a subsidiary on Feb. 6, 2013. Another senior post in TFH is president (zong jingli 總經理).

TFH chairpersons

TFH presidents

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Bank of Taiwan (BOT)

✉ Bank of Taiwan (BOT) 臺灣銀行
No. 120 Chongqing South Road Sec. 1, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10007, Taiwan ROC [10007 台北市中正區重慶南路 1 段 120 號] ———————————— 🌏 BOT – Web link

The BOT (Taiwan yinhang 臺灣銀行, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was founded in June 1899 as Taiwan's central bank by the Japanese colonial government of Taiwan. Following Japan's surrender at the end of WWII the ROC government formally took over the BOT on May 20, 1946. After the ROC government relocated to Taipei in 1949, the BOT fulfilled the role of a central bank until the ROC's central bank was re-established on July 1, 1961. Before July 1, 2000, the BOT also issued the ROC currency, the New Taiwan Dollar (xin taibi 新台幣, abbrev. NT$). On Dec. 8, 1978 the Legislative Yuan passed the revised Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (guanli waihui tiaoli 管理外匯條例) under which the NT$ was no longer pegged to the US$.

In the course of a government financial reform the BOT merged with the Central Trust of China (zhongyang xintuoju 中央信託局) on July 1, 2007 and became part of the Taiwan Financial Holding Co. Ltd. (TFH) on Jan. 1, 2008.

BOT chairpersons since 1946

BOT presidents since 1946

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Taiwania Capital Management Corporation

✉ Taiwania Capital Management Corporation 台杉投資管理顧問股份有限公司
18 F., No. 333 Keelung Road Sec. 1, Xinyi District, Taipei City 11012, Taiwan ROC [11012 台北市信義區基隆路 1 段 333 號 18 樓（國際貿易大樓）] ———————————— 🌏 Taiwania Capital Management Corporation – Web link

The Taiwania Capital Management Corporation (taishan touzi guanli guwen gufen youxian gongsi 台杉投資管理顧問股份有限公司, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was set up on Aug. 18, 2017 by the Cabinet as a national investment company to speed up the pace of local investment in areas such as railway construction, renewable energy, water resources development and digital technology. Another senior position in the company is president (zong jingli 總經理). The company gained official approval on Aug. 25, 2017, and its the largest shareholder is the National Development Fund (guojia fazhan jijin 國家發展基金/NDF).

Taiwania Capital Management Corporation chairman

Taiwania Capital Management Corporation president

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Taiwan Asset Management Corporation (TAMCO)

✉ Taiwan Asset Management Corporation (TAMCO) 台灣金聯資產管理股份有限公司
12 F., No. 85 Nanjing East Road Sec. 2, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 10407, Taiwan ROC [10407 台北市中山區南京東路 2 段 85 號 12 樓] ———————————— 🌏 TAMCO – Web link

TAMCO (Taiwan jinlian zichan guanli gufen youxian gongsi 台灣金聯資產管理股份有限公司, abbrev. Taiwan jinlian 台灣金聯, 🏁—dongshizhang 董事長) was established on May 22, 2001 by the ROC MOF and the Bankers Association of the ROC (Zhonghua minguo yinhang gonghui 中華民國銀行公會) as a state-funded bad loan operator. Another senior position in TAMCO is president (zong jingli 總經理).

TAMCO chairpersons

TAMCO presidents

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◆ The ROC military 🪖

• Introduction
• ROC defense budget
• The General Staff
• National Security Bureau (NSB)
• The three services—commanders and units
• Personnel of the ROC military
• Military education
• ROC Military Academy (ROCMA)
• National Defense University (NDU)
• Equipment of the ROC military
• National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST)
• Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC)
• Taiwan Defense Industry Development Association (TW-DIDA)

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Introduction

• History
• Leadership outline
• Main tasks
• Incessant threat—the PRC

History

The ROC military can be traced back to times when China was divided in the 1916–1928 Warlord Period; an era when political power grew out of the barrel of a gun, so to speak. In the early 1920s there were two groups who claimed to be the legitimate ROC government, one based in Beijing and the other based in Guangzhou. The group in Guangzhou, led by Sun Yat-sen, lacked the military might to defeat the warlords. Following exchanges with Comintern, Sun's KMT formed an alliance with the CCP in June 1923, and the cooperation with Comintern and CCP led to the opening of the Whampoa Academy (ROCMA) in May 1924. About half a year after the establishment of ROCMA, CCP heavyweight Zhou Enlai 周恩來 (1898-1976) was appointed director (zhuren 主任) of the academy's political department (zhengzhibu 政治部). Although the KMT–CCP alliance started weakening with the Zhongshan Warship Incident (Zhongshan jian shijian 中山艦事件) of March 20, 1926 and eventually broke apart in April 1927, ROCMA's work lay the foundation for the creation of modern armed forces which brought the Warlord Period to an end and restored national unity of the ROC after the successful completion of the Northern Expedition (beifa zhanzheng 北伐戰爭) between June 1926 and July 1928.

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Leadership outline

The national defense organization is based on a unified command of the armed forces. The ROC president is the armed forces' supreme commander, as laid out in the ROC constitution. The MND minister is the cabinet member responsible for formulating national defense policies and plans. After the plans have been approved by the president, the MND minister acquires manpower, budget and support from the various ministries and departments of the Executive Yuan required for carrying out the plans by the chief of general staff, under the minister's supervision. The annual defense budget is subject of approval by the ROC Legislative Yuan.

— — — Flag of the ROC Ministry of National Defense (MND) — — —

It should be pointed out that in addition to the strict principle of civilian control over the military (wenren lingjun 文人領軍), another important aspect of the ROC armed forces is political neutrality. In order to ensure that the armed forces remain politically neutral, the MND in recent years has taken diverse measures. In September 2002, it was decreed that active-duty servicemen and cadets are not allowed to participate in activities organized by political parties or organizations on or off duty. Since December 2005, all levels of military personnel are forbidden from taking part in political activities without first obtaining permission.

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Main tasks

Since the founding of ROCMA, the ROC military has been used in combat operations against external and internal enemies alike, most notably the Warlords (1926–1928), Japanese invaders (1931/1937–1945) and Communist insurgents (1945–1949/present). Today, a strong and modern military in Taiwan/the ROC is an indispensable necessity for the following purposes:

• ensuring the safety of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, protecting the territory of the ROC, its democratic system and the freedom of its citizens, with a special focus on warding off an attack from the PRC military;
• fending off potential cyber-warfare attacks;
• upholding homeland security and responding to terrorism;
• providing rapid-response rescue and relief in times of major natural disasters like earthquakes, typhoons and flooding etc.

Please note that certain tasks pertaining to the ROC territorial waters like cracking down against illegal smuggling activities and standing by to enforce the rights of Taiwanese fishermen operating legally in international waters are not carried out by the ROC Navy but fall in the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard Administration (CGA). Responding to the increased threat to Taiwan posed by the PRC, some CGA vessels are currently being equipped with anti-ship missile launchers in order to integrate naval forces, coast guard ships and sea cruisers under a "peace-to-war conversion" plan that makes the most of the ROC's maritime resources.

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Incessant threat—the PRC

Although Taiwan's relations with neighbouring countries are at times marred by tensions and conflicts, e. g. confrontations in connection with fishery rights in disputed waters like with Japan in the East China Sea or with the Philippines in the South China Sea, the main threat for Taiwan is an attack from the PRC. Until the 1970s the threat was mutual—the ROC strived for 'recovery of the mainland' (guangfu dalu 光復大陸), the PRC for 'liberating Taiwan' (jiefang Taiwan 解放台灣). But while the ROC eventually ruled out the use of force as a legitimate way for settling disputes between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait by the 1990s, the PRC has not reciprocated and refuses to renounce the threat of using force to unite Taiwan with the mainland (wutong 武統). For this reason, there is a broad consensus among the population of the Taiwan area that the country needs to uphold a strong, modern military as a credible, effective deterrent against a potential attack from the PRC. Contrasting Beijing's aggressive attitude, Taipei's military preparations are purely defensive to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and beyond as a PRC attack against Taiwan would upset peace in the Asia-Pacific region.

★ An indicator for the level of threat the PRC poses not only for Taiwan but for all countries in the Asia-Pacific region (especially those claiming territory in the South China Sea), Japan and the US is the budget the PRC allocates for the ongoing rapid expansion and modernization of its military. Since the start of the millennium, annual increases of the PRC’s military expenses as decided by the PRC National People’s Congress (quanguo renmin daibiao dahui 全國人民代表大會, abbrev. quanguo renda 全國人大 in Chinese and NPC in English) keep making global headlines. The table directly below shows the annual hikes of military spending as announced by PRC state media.

Detailed figures for each year prior to 1997 are not available, but an article published in 2013 in The China Quarterly offers the following data concerning the PRC defense budget growth rate:

• 1980-1989 (annual average): 1.6 % at current prices, -3.2 % at constant prices (base year = 1980)
• 1990-1999 (annual average): 15.7 % at current prices, 7.8 % at constant prices (base year = 1980)
• 2000-2009 (annual average): 16.5 % at current prices, 12.5 % at constant prices (base year = 1980)

More relevant contents pertaining to cross-Strait relations can be found on the following pages of this website.

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ROC defense budget

The table below shows the national defense portion under net government expenditures of all levels on the website "National Statistics" of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS). Figures for 2021 and 2022 from the Statistical Yearbook of the ROC 2022, Table 90 (p. 155).

Net expenditures at all levels (unit: million NT$); percentages calculated by the chief researcher; "FY" stands for fiscal year.

☛ For comparison the table below shows the national defense portion under net government expenditures of all levels by administrative affair (amount in NT$ million, and percentage of total government expenses) as it was presented in the Taiwan Statistical Data Book 2019 published by the National Development Council (NDC).

The next table lists the defense budget proportion of total central government budget for each fiscal year (FY) as shown in the ROC/Taiwan Yearbooks 1995-2011. The right column marked with "%" represents the respective percentage share.

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The General Staff

• Chiefs of General Staff (CGS)
• ROC Military Police Command
• ROC Armed Forces Reserve Command (AFRC)

The General Staff (guofangbu canmou benbu 國防部參謀本部, 🏁—canmou zongzhang 參謀總長) of the ROC's armed forces is a unit under the ROC MND. The following are subordinate organizations under the General Staff:

▶  Communications Development Office (dianxun fazhanshi 電訊發展室)
▶  Military Intelligence Bureau (junshi qingbaoju 軍事情報局, abbrev. MIB)
▶  Information, Communication and Electronic Warfare Command (zitong dianjun zhihuibu 資通電軍指揮部), which was expanded on June 29, 2017 from the original Information and Electronic Warfare Command (zidian zuozhan zhihuibu 資電作戰指揮部) and renamed

There are also two allocated organizations (bianpei jigou 編配機構) under the General Staff—the Military Police Command and the Reserve Command (details see below). Furthermore, there was an Air Defense Missile Command (fangkong feidan zhihuibu 防空飛彈指揮部) in the past which was merged with the ROC Air Force on March 1, 2017.

The flag of the ROC MND General Chief of Staff, the emblem of the ROC Military Police (ROCMP) and the emblem of the ROC Armed Forces Reserve Command (AFRC) are shown directly below.

General Chief of Staff	ROCMP	ROC AFRC

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Chiefs of General Staff (CGS)