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| Capital | Taipei | ||||||
| Largest city | Kaohsiung | ||||||
| Other cities | Taichung, T'aian, Hsinchu, Taipei | ||||||
| Language official |
Standard Mandarin, Hokkien | ||||||
| others | Austronesian, Japanese | ||||||
| Religion | Buddhism, Taoism, Protestant Christianity, Roman Catholism | ||||||
| Government | Democratic Union | ||||||
| President of State | |||||||
| The Leading Minister | |||||||
| Population | 27,400,219 | ||||||
| Established | December 27th 1983 | ||||||
| Currency | New Taiwan Dollar | ||||||
The Taiwanese Republic of China is a nation in East Asia, the successor state to the Republic of China. It controls the island of Taiwan, other minor islands, and much of the Fujian province on the mainland.
History
Pre-Doomsday
For centuries, Taiwan was ruled by mainland China until 1895, when it was ceded to Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War. It remained a Japanese colony until 1945, when it was returned to Chinese jurisdiction. After the Chinese Civil War of 1948, the defeated Nationalists evacuated to Taiwan to make a last stand. The invasion never came, and from that time until Doomsday, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China faced each other along to Taiwan Strait. Change was coming to Taiwan in the years before Doomsday. Dictator Chiang Kai-Shek died in 1975, and Taiwan was beginning a process of political liberalization, though the process was going too slowly for most.
Doomsday
On Doomsday, the People's Republic of China, fearing that the rival Republic of China based in Taiwan would claim their territory after Doomsday-launched a single nuclear missile at the city of Taipei. The inner circle of the Kuomintang was annihilated by the strike. However, the outskirts and the rest of the island escaped unscathed, giving Taiwan a legitimate chance of recovery.
Second Chinese Civil War
At first the entire island attempted to form a united provisional government but that soon failed due to multiple obstacles. However, what is known in OTL as the Pan-Green Coalition took advantage of the technical "collapse" of government and founded a "Republic of Taiwan", nicknamed the "Rebel Taiwan Republic" in the city of Tainan, which was created as some native Taiwanites wished full independence from any other country. At first they managed to control most of the south of the island but much of the northern counties under Kuomintang control attempted to hold together a weak provisional republic known as the "Union National Republic" in Taichung. While both nations stood at peace at a demilitarized zone that was "never truly created", which went along the Taichung County Line to the south, an accidental shot was fired by a Taiwan militant. A border war erupted since KMT forces thought the Rebels were trying to take Taichung. KMT forces quickly overwhelmed the Rebels, and then proceeded on a hasty offensive to reclaim the rest of the island.
By December 12, 1983, KMT forces surrounded Tainan County, and thinking that the Rebels would surrender, marched into the city thinking there would be no action. However, the Rebel forces, thinking that they were going to massacre the leadership, began to open fire on the KMT forces, and although only a very small number of Rebels survived, the KMT forces were heavily damaged as well.
Finally, by December 27th, 1983, a new government was formed after the siege of Tainan. The "Taiwanese Republic of China" was proclaimed, the "Republic of China" part indicating its status as the successor of the old ROC, and the "Taiwanese" part emphasizing the island's new role as the center of the Chinese people.
The brief civil war had cost 170,000 lives, most of which were rebels. Since most of the ROC's army were descendants of those who retreated to Taiwan after the first Civil War, they remained loyal to Union Republic forces and were able to easily overwhelm the hastily-constructed rebel forces. The briefly-formed Taiwan Independence Party was practically extinct, as were most of the natives who wished for independence.
Post-Doomsday
In 1985, the remaining population of Taipei County and Taipei City were evacuated and these areas were placed under "indefinite quarantine".
The 1990's
The new republic spent the remainder of the decade focusing on attaining self-sufficiency. New alternative energy sources were implemented. Protectionism became the norm. In contrast to the survival-oriented eighties, the nineties were marked by rising prosperity. Although the country's fortunes were rising: people remained uncertain about the state of the rest of the world. It was unknown whether any other parts of the world still had organized government. Apart from knowledge of Filipino merchant ships in the south, many Taiwanese believed that they were the last nation-state on Earth-and possibly the last surviving humans on Earth.
In 1993, however, official diplomatic ties were established. The Philippines, who had been preoccupied with events to the south, recognized Taiwanese control over the Spratly Islands.
In March 1998, radio signals were detected from the coast of Mainland China. The Taiwanese government traced the signals to the city of Fuzhou. The city had been hit by nuclear attack on Doomsday, and its remnants had attempted to survive as an independent city-state. Living standards were low, however, and the government was autocratic. A Fuzhou citizen had assembled an amateur radio system and sent out signals in hopes of finding other organized communities to help the city-state. As the Taiwanese approached, the Fuzhou authorities sensed a threat to their power and prepared to drive them off. When the Taiwanese navy approached, they were greeted with gunfire. The backwards dictatorial government, however, didn't stand a chance. The Taiwanese army overwhelmed all resistance, toppling the Fuzhou regime. The people were given a choice in a referendum: unite with Taiwan, become a semi-independent protectorate, or maintain full independence. The referendum was held in June, and the results announced in September. The people of Fuzhou voted 55% to become a Taiwanese protectorate.
The Reconstruction of Taipei
In 1995, it was presumed that radiation levels had returned to normal, since Taipei was only hit by one 50KT missile. After a government poll decided that Taipei should be rebuilt, re-construction of the heavily damaged, but not destroyed city began. By 1998, the "outer-circle" was once again inhabited. These people would have no radiation-related health problems, other then those with pre-existing radiation-related medical conditions. By 2000, the "Taiwan Peace Park" was completed, similar to the Hiroshima Peace Park built after WWII. Only deep within the Inner Circle, all buildings were left the way they were left by the bomb for people to remember the atrocities committed on Doomsday.
In 2009 the Peace Park's size was reduced by half as the population of Taipei was sharply increasing to around 277,000 people, and reconstruction has been going deeper and deeper into the city.
The New Millennium
In 2000, Taiwan began diplomatic connections with Hawaii. This gave Taiwan a gateway for contact with the ANZC. In 2001, contact was made with the USSR.
Throughout the 2000s Taiwan continued aiding towns and toppling communist or authoritarian city states along the coast of the former Fujian province, but stopped efforts in 2008 to consolidate its holdings along the coast, rebuild infrastructure, and establish defences so as not to overextend themselves holding chaotic and useless terrain. These holdings, along with Taiwan, have become a haven for thousands of Chinese refugees fleeing perpetual warfare in the mainland.
When the League of Nations was founded in 2008, Taiwan declined to participate. The Taiwanese were suspicious of international bodies in general, due to memories of the UN's betrayal in 1971.
In January 2008, the Taiwanese government officially moved the capital back to Taipei.
In June 2010, the Taiwanese government decided that they will once again go through the land-reclaiming offensive in mainland China. Starting August 2010, they began to move deeper into the Fujian Province, and either killed or imprisoned all of the warlords. As of November 5th, the entire province was finally put into de jure Taiwanese control as the Outer Fujian Territory, yet the population does not exceed a mere 50,000 people. However, a large amount of settlers from overcrowded Taiwan began settling here. The following year in mid-late 2011 the Taiwanese began pushing northwards along the coastline of China,
Government
The President of State
The President of State is the most powerful person in all of Taiwan. Controlling the armed forces and all other aspects of society. The current head of state is Ma Ying-jeou of the Socialist party. He is the 4th Head of State since Doomsday. Prior to Doomsday the President assumed the role of Head of State. The new role integrates the former roles of President and Premier.
Leading Minister
The Leading Minister takes the role of Vice Head of State and is the Head of States spokesperson to the various ministers. He is the second most powerful man in the country all though it is disputed whether or not the role as Leading Minister can give commands to the ministers of Taiwan. The current Leading Minister is Wu Den-yih. He is the first Leading Minister. Prior, to the role of leading minister was controlled by Vice Head of State and Secretary of Taiwan.
Economy
The Taiwanese economy is similar to before Doomsday, very strong and based on small, adaptable companies. Its main agricultural products are rice, fish, pork, sugar cane, tropical fruits and vegetables.
Prior to Doomsday, Taiwan had entered a period of economic growth known as the "Taiwan Miracle." Although Doomsday had temporarily stunted economic growth, the nation recovered and the economic boom picked up where it left off.
In 2002, it began to export green tea to the Oceanic region. As Taiwan is one of the few remaining known sources of tea, this has been a tremendous boom to its economy. Its popularity has increased due to claims (highly disputed) that green tea can cure radiation-related cancer.
Of particular importance to Taiwan are the resource-rich Spratly Islands. Disputed prior to Doomsday, Taiwanese control over the islands was solidified after Doomsday, although there is debate with the Philippines over territorial extent here. The archipelago's oil reserves have proven vital to Taiwan's transportation industry, though fears of exhausting reserves has led to research into alternative fuels.
Taiwanese China is one of the two surviving "former Asian Tigers", the other one being Singapore. This was the nickname given to the small, but very prosperous countries of Asia.
Sport
A Taiwan-Chinese baseball player
Baseball is the national sport of Taiwan, a legacy of decades of Japanese rule. A six team professional league is based in Taiwan. There is also a Little League competition throughout the country. Other popular team sports are association football, basketball, field hockey and handball.
Various martial arts, such as taekwando, karate, and kung fu are popular both as spectator and participatory sports.
International Relations
The Taiwanese government maintains a policy of neutrality in international affairs. It has stayed out of the League of Nations, claiming the organization is simply being used to advance the ANZC's own foreign policy agenda, and has criticized the growing competition between the ANZC and the South American Confederation. It is, however, an observer state. It simply keeps this status to be in check of world politics and to keep an isolationist label from being stamped on it. The Taiwanese show no interest in being full members.
Relations in China
Unlike before Doomsday, the TRC is now the official recognized government of all of China. Many self-proclaimed "successors" to the People's Republic are merely small fiefdoms of former PRC government officials who would love to rebuild their former communist empire. Several of these successors were crushed following the Taiwanese offensive on mainland China.
Through Korea and Japan they learned about "Imperial China" in central Manchuria, and to them the Koreans falsely reported they are a ruthless expansionist state, but when Taiwanese ambassadors went to the small nation, they learned it was actually a very organized and diplomatic state, much like ancient China. They also learned that the Qing Imperial bloodline has managed to retake the throne, which is unique because now all three of the types of Chinese government that have ever existed are existing at the same time! The Imperials, the Communists, and the Republicans are all out to reclaim China, and this "land race" will be a very odd one.
They have also establish diplomatic relations with Jiangsu. They actually do not care about the fact this is a "communist kingdom", but they plan to use the nation as a gateway to destroy the PRC. Other than that they are happy another spot in mainland China survived.
It is currently establishing diplomatic relations with Tibet. According to Taiwanese China, if the TRC ever do reclaim all of China, the autonomous regions will be spared annexation, which means Tibet will remain independent.
Taiwan is locked in a vicious dispute over the rest of mainland China with Socialist Siberia as both view themselves as the successor to the People's Republic of China. While Taiwan now controls much of Fujian Province, Siberia controls much of Manchuria and Xinjiang. It is likely that in the future, when the countries' borders meet, the dispute will turn armed.
On the Republic side of the dispute is Imperial China, Jiangsu, and obviously Taiwanese China, on the Socialist expansion side is Socialist Siberia and allies, and the peacekeeper is the People's Republic of China. Both sides wish to eliminate the peacekeeper as soon as possible to secure their base and influence.
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