A Brief Introduction

With over 4,000 of recorded history, the Chinese have been an important political and cultural entity in the world system. Such a long past is filled with scientific accomplishment, artistic development, and, unavoidably, deep conflict.
Today, the Chinese have spread throughout the world, gaining some degree of notoriety in the scientific and artistic fields. Yet one ghost of the past remains to haunt them: conflict. The world has watched as the Japanese invaded and took the Manchurian province. Mao and his communist successors carried on policies separate from the dominating communist power, the Soviet Union. Communist policy found the Chinese at odds with the United States and other democracies.
One form of conflict is outstanding in modern times, however, and that is the conflict within the Chinese culture. Such conflict is no stranger to the Chinese; dynastic rulers fought each other to gain control of regions of a mighty nation in the past. In some respects, today's conflicts are no different.
Taiwan, People's Republic of China, has long been involved in Chinese history. For hundreds of years, the Han Chinese, or mainland Chinese, have had knowledge and influence within the island known as Formosa. That influence permeates the history between the two. Today, Taiwan fights to make itself known as a player in the international system, while China fights in its own way to reabsorb Taiwan as a province.
The basis for this dispute is built upon many foundations, from the individuals in history to the idiosyncracies of societies, to the world system as a whole.

A summary is provided below to give the reader a quick look at each country.

StatisticTAIWANCHINA
Population 21,298,930 (1994 est.) 1.3 billion (about 1/5 of all people)
Land area 33,260 sq km 9,572,900 sq km (about 1/14 of all land)
Political System Democracy, with president, prime minister, and legislature
  • Communist system; Executive: chief of state, heads of government, cabinet
  • Legistlative: National People's Congress
  • Judicial: Supreme People's Court
GDP ($US)$224 billion purchasing power$3 trillion (extrapolation - may be as much as 25% off)
Population eligible to serve in military 4.8 million 194 million
Defense Budget ($US)$12.1 billion (5% of GNP) $7.5 billion (NA% of GNP)
State of economy
  • Budgeted revenue of $(US) 30 billion
  • Trade with US, Japan, Hong Kong, and European Community
  • Marxist-Leninist economic system
  • Budgeted deficit of $13.7 billion
  • Trade with US, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, South Korea
Ethnic Division of PopulationTaiwanese - 84%
Mainland Chinese - 14%
Aborigine - 2%		 Too numerous to describe. Han Chinese hold 91.9% of population. More a linguistic division than ethnic.
Interesting notesHas the best developed telecommunications in Asia outside of Japan. Able to march 100 Chinese per minute into the ocean and never run out of people.