Better than that...Here's a petition from Avaaz to sign...No money, just your signature etc, to STOP this WAR !!!

secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/stop_the_war_loc/

What a mess...

It becomes easy to see how poor media coverage alters the truth, & the way it's perceived.

Don't forget, that imo, this remains nothing but a "push" from the disgraceful Nuke industry, to keep itself alive, through propaganda, & fear of its use...Putin is likely being paid a huge amount for his trouble, whilst cleaning-out the Neo-Nazi's at the same time...

RIP innocent victims.

Right now it's not so much the economic system of communism we have a problem with, it's the governing system of authoritarian dictatorships we have a problem with.

When was the last time an election in China or Russia was actually legitimate and represented the will of their people?

I'm not aware of a single communist country that doesn't have some kind of dictatorship... to me they are one and the same... change my mind! lol 

Apparently this situation is going to spiral out of control, and in many ways we're lucky to have a President who isn't making knee-jerk reactions... 

I still feel that even if the USA does not get directly involved, this is WWIII since the outcome will re-draw the map. I think depending on how easily Russia gets around the sanctions will determine if China will start feeling froggy towards Taiwan. I don't think China cares what anyone thinks about them, however I am pretty sure the cheap asses don't want start taking Rubles anytime soon either. But they want Taiwan and they didn't have any problems taking back Hong Kong recently... 

Putin is waging an old school ground invasion, the scale many have not seen since Desert Storm. His actions seem more like a long-game than a quick blitz... like they are fortifying their positions! Is it to advance further, or is just to occupy. 

It's for sure the roaring twenties! Let's just hope it doesn't get out of hand and become known as the "Glowing twenties" 

SELLC said...
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"They (China) didn't have any problems taking back Hong Kong recently"...
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China leased out Hong Kong to the British in 1899, for 100-years only...It's their island, the lease expired & wasn't extended...They had EVERY RIGHT to take-it-back...

The Military Industrial Complex "needs" long, drawn-out, wars to sustain its existence. It's always been this way since WW-II...

I doubt this will turn into WW-III, since the Ukraine is pretty much worked-over via the Chernobyl nuclear accident, from 1986...In fact, it was this accident & its ongoing radioactive catastrophy that ended the USSR as we know it, & so became Russia once again.

You should also take note, that the US-of-A Dept.of Defense planning forecast of 1992 suggested that now it needs further funding to qt."Secure World Dominance" & another "Pearl Harbor" event to continue in this way...!0-years later, these people flew aeroplanes into the World Trade Center...

-- Edited by Rastus on Wednesday 2nd of March 2022 07:11:03 PM

Taiwan is Chinese territory, & always has been as far as I know...The same goes to Hong Kong, that was only leased out to the Brits...

Imagine that you decided to lease-out your Corvette for the week-end, for an unbelievable amount of money paid in cash, & then the dude decided that he doesn't want to give-it back..What would you do ?...

Here's the deal with Taiwan, & it's a complicated one...

Taiwan

I INTRODUCTION

Taiwan or Formosa, island in East Asia, and, since the Communist victory in 1949 on the Chinese mainland, the seat of the Chinese Nationalist government (not recognized by the People's Republic of China). It is separated from the Chinese mainland by the Taiwan (Formosa) Strait and is bordered on the north by the East China Sea, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, and on the south by the South China Sea. Taiwan also encompasses a number of island groups: the P'enghu Islands or Pescadores, the small Quemoy Islands off the mainland city of Amoy (Xiamen), and the Matsu group off Fuzhou (Foochow). The People's Republic of China claims Taiwan as one of the provinces of its republic. The area of Taiwan is about 36,000 sq km (13,900 sq mi). The capital and largest city of Taiwan is Taipei.

II LAND AND RESOURCES

Throughout almost the entire length (about 360 km/225 mi) of the island of Taiwan extends a lofty, forested mountain range, reaching a maximum elevation of 3,997 m (13,113 ft) above sea level atop Yü Shan. East of this central chain the land is hilly, terminating in cliffs that rise precipitously from the ocean to heights of up to about 760 m (2,500 ft). To the west, a broad, fertile plain slopes gently down to the shallow Taiwan Strait. With the exception of this plain, the average elevation of Taiwan is some 1,220 m (4,000 ft).

A Rivers and Lakes

All Taiwans rivers originate in the mountains and have short, rapid courses. The longest rivers are the Choshui, Kaoping, Tsengwen, and Tanshui, which is the only one that is navigable.

B Climate

The warm, humid Taiwan summer extends from May until September; temperatures average about 28° C (82° F). The mild winter season lasts from December until February; January temperatures average about 18° C (64° F). Typhoons occur between June and October. Average annual precipitation is about 2,540 mm (100 in).

C Natural Resources

The most important natural resource of Taiwan is the land, some 25 per cent of which is arable. The island also has limited mineral resources, including coal, gold, silver, copper, marble, petroleum, and natural gas.

D Plants and Animals

Taiwan has about 3,800 plant species. Between sea level and about 1,980 m (6,500 ft), tropical and subtropical forests abound. Deciduous and coniferous trees grow in the region between about 1,980 and 3,050 m (6,500 and 10,000 ft); above this level only coniferous forests are found.

The abundant animal life of Taiwan comprises about 60 species of mammals, including squirrel, deer, wild boar, and the Formosan black bear. The island also has numerous kinds of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.

III POPULATION

The population of Taiwan comprises three main groups: the Taiwanese (about 84 per cent), who are descendants of the Chinese who emigrated from Fujian and Guangdong provinces during the 18th and 19th centuries; the Chinese (about 14 per cent) who moved to the island after World War II; and the indigenous people of the island (2 per cent), who are perhaps related to the people of the Philippines or Indonesia. Traditionally the society has been agrarian, but by the early 1990s only about 13 per cent of the labour force worked in agriculture.

A Population Characteristics

Taiwan has a population of 22,548,009 (2002 estimate), giving the island an average population density of about 626 people per sq km (1,622 per sq mi). The majority of the population lives in the coastal plain in the western part of the island. More than 70 per cent of the population lives in the cities and towns. Life expectancy (2002 estimate) is 74 years for men and 79.7 years for women.

B Political Divisions

Taiwan is divided into 16 counties (hsien), 5 municipalities, and 2 special municipalities (Taipei, the capital, and Kaohsiung). Each county is subdivided into townships (chen), rural districts or groups of villages (hsiang), and precincts.

C Principal Cities

Taipei has a population of 2,639,939 (1999 estimate). Kaohsiung (1,462,302, 1999 estimate), the second-largest city, is a leading port and industrial centre on the south-western coast; Taichung (917,788, 1999 estimate) is an industrial and cultural centre in the west; and Tainan (721,832, 1999 estimate) is an important commercial and cultural centre in the south-west.

D Religion

Most of the population of Taiwan practises various combinations of traditional Chinese religion (religious Daoism) and Buddhism, with additional observance of the philosophy of Confucianism. About 5 per cent of the people are Christians, mostly Roman Catholics, and fewer than 1 per cent are Muslims.

E Language

The official language of Taiwan is the Mandarin dialect of the Chinese language. Other Chinese dialects are also used, and the indigenous people speak dialects that are in the Malay-Polynesian language group. The official romanization system used in Taiwan for Chinese words follows the Wade-Giles system rather than the Pinyin system used on the mainland.

F Education

The Taiwan educational system, based on the constitution of 1946, seeks to implement the teachings of Sun Yat-sen, founder of Taiwan. More than 94 per cent of the adult population is literate (1995 official estimate). Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 15. In 1995-1996 about 1.97 million pupils were enrolled in primary schools, and about 1.9 million students attended secondary and vocational schools. In addition, Taiwan had more than 130 institutions of higher education, including some 60 universities and colleges, attended by a total of about 751,340 students. Major schools included National Taiwan University (1928) and Soochow University (1900), in Taipei; National Cheng Kung University (1931), in Tainan; National Chunghsing University (1961), in Taichung; and National Central University (1968), in Chungli. In 1995 Taiwan spent 3.6 per cent of the national budget on education.

G Culture

Many ancient Chinese customs and holidays are still observed in Taiwan. The family remains the important social unit, and filial piety is the custom. Ancient celebrations that are widely enjoyed today include the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Lantern Festival.

Taiwan has a number of notable libraries and museums. The two largest libraries, both in Taipei, are the National Central Library, with more than 1.7 million items, and the Taiwan Branch Library, with about 382,000 volumes. More than 15 public libraries are located throughout Taiwan.

The principal museums, situated in Taipei, include the Hwa Kang Museum, noted for its collections of folk and modern Chinese art; the National Palace Museum, which exhibits treasures brought from the mainland in probably the worlds greatest single collection of Chinese art; the National Museum of History; and the Taiwan Provincial Museum, which displays collections from local cultures.

IV ECONOMY

The government of Taiwan has pursued an aggressive programme of industrialization, and in the 1990s manufacturing was the leading sector of the economy. Economic policy has been implemented through a series of multi-year plans initiated in 1953 and designed to increase production and develop export industries. In 1991, Taiwan launched a six-year, US$300-billion public works construction programme, which was scaled back in 1993.

In 1995 the annual gross national product reached an estimated US$263,000 million (US$12,396 per capita) and the economy was growing at a rate of 6 per cent a year. Taiwan has formally two budgets, one central government budget and one provincial budget for Taiwan itself. In 1996 the national budget included revenues of US$57,600 million and expenditures of US$79,500 million.

A Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing

The chief agricultural enterprises of Taiwan are located on the fertile western plain. About 25 per cent of Taiwans land area is suitable for crops. Production of rice, the principal food crop, was about 1.7 million tonnes in 1995. A variety of other crops are grown, including sweet potatoes, cassava, asparagus, mushrooms, soya beans, peanuts, tea, bananas, pineapples, citrus fruit, and sugar cane. Livestock consisted of some 1 billion chickens (1996), 13 million ducks, 10.5 million pigs, 318,800 sheep and goats, and 163,000 cattle and buffalo (used primarily as draught animals).

Approximately 55 per cent of the land of Taiwan is forested, but the output of forest products is insufficient for local needs. The main timbers are oak, cedar, hemlock, bamboo, and rattan. Roundwood removals in 1995 were 52,900 cu m (1.87 million cu ft). Inshore and deep-sea fishing yield about 80 per cent of the total annual fish catch; the remainder comes from along the coast and from cultivated ponds. The total catch in 1995 was 1.3 million tonnes. Principal marine species landed include mackerel and tuna.

B Mining

Coal mines are worked near the northern coast of Taiwan. In 1999 about 90,718 tonnes of coal were mined. Modest quantities of marble, petroleum, natural gas, salt, copper, silver, gold, and talc are also produced.

C Manufacturing

In 1995 manufacturing accounted for over 27 per cent of Taiwans gross domestic product and employed just over 27 per cent of the workforce. Taiwan is particularly noted for producing electrical and electronic equipment. Industrial output in 1995 included 22.5 million tonnes of cement, 12.3 million tonnes of steel bars, 3.8 million radios, 1.4 million television receivers, and 6.6 million computers. Other major manufactures include chemicals, refined petroleum, textiles and clothing, plastic items, tobacco products, food and beverages, paper, and ships.

D Energy

Installed electricity-generating capacity in Taiwan in 1995 was 22.8 million kW. About 139.7 billion kWh of electricity were generated in 1999. Three nuclear power plants provide about 26 per cent of Taiwans electrical supply.

E Currency and Banking

The monetary unit of Taiwan is the New Taiwan dollar of 100 cents (34.96 Taiwan dollars equalled US$1; early 2002). The Central Bank of China is the bank of issue, while the Bank of Taiwan acts as state fiscal agent and the largest commercial bank. Taiwan is served by over 40 domestic commercial banks and by offices of some 40 foreign banks (1996).

F Commerce and Trade

Taiwan is one of the leading trading countries of Asia, and fourteenth largest trading nation worldwide. In 2000 the value of exports was US$148,370 million, and imports some US$140,010 million. Taiwans persistent trade surplus, a source of some friction with its trading partners, has led to one of the largest reserves of foreign exchange in the worldUS$92,793 million in 1996. The main exports are textiles and clothing, electrical and electronic equipment, plastic articles, dolls and toys, and processed food. Leading imports include crude petroleum, timber, iron and steel, machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, and foodstuffs. Taiwans principal trade partners are the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Canada, and Australia. Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001.

G Labour

In 1999 the total labour force in Taiwan included some 9.7 million people. About 10.5 per cent of the workers were employed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, over 38 per cent in industry, and around 17.5 per cent in commerce. Taiwan has about 2,750 trade unions with nearly 2.1 million members. The leading workers organization is the Chinese Federation of Labour.

H Transport

Taiwan has about 20,050 km (12,460 mi) of roads and some 2,440 km (1,516 mi) of railways. Most of the railways are owned by industry and are used for shipping goods. Overland passenger service is provided by the state network, plus public and private bus lines. In 1995 around 3.87 million passenger cars were registered, or 1 to every 4.5 people. Taiwans busiest seaports are Chilung (Keelung), Hualien, Kaohsiung, and Taichung. International airports serve Taipei and Kaohsiung. The main Taiwan airline, China Airlines, provides domestic and international service.

I Communications

Taiwan in 1995 had over 14.4 million radio receivers and over 7.3 million television sets. There are state radio and television stations and numerous private broadcasting companies, administered by the Ministry of Communications and the Government Information Office. Over 9 million telephones were in use in 1995. Taiwan is served by over 160 daily newspapers and many periodicals. Leading dailies include the Central Daily News, China Times, and United Daily News, all published in Taipei; Taiwan Shin Hsin Wen Daily News, published in Kaohsiung; and Taiwan Daily News, published in Taichung. The China Post is Taiwans leading English language daily newspaper.

V GOVERNMENT

Taiwan is governed under a constitution adopted in 1947 and subsequently amended. The president is the head and has been elected directly since 1996. The 316 members of the National Assembly are elected under a mixed system of direct election and proportional representation. Government is organized into five branches or yuan.

A Executive and Legislature

The chief executive official of Taiwan is a president, who since 1996 has been directly elected to a six-year term. The president, who is head of state, is assisted by the executive council, led by a prime minister. Taiwans electoral system makes the Taiwanese president the first directly elected Chinese head of state in 5,000 years of recorded Chinese history.

The main law-making body is the Legislative Council, or Legislative Yuan, which in 2002 had 225 occupied seats. Of these, 168 members are directly elected by popular vote, 41 are elected by proportional representation, 8 are elected from among Chinese citizens residing abroad, and the remaining 8 seats are filled by popular vote among the aboriginal populations. The National Assembly, which elects the president and votes on constitutional amendments, was formerly dominated by some 900 life members elected before 1949 to mainland constituencies; these seats were abolished in 1991, when the assembly was reconstituted to include 325 newly elected members and 78 incumbent members elected in 1986.

B Political Parties

Historically, the most important political party in Taiwan was the Kuomintang (KMT). Until 1989, the Kuomintang was the only legal political party in Taiwan. Since then, other parties, such as the Young China Party, the China Democratic Socialist Party, and the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), have been recognized. The Democratic Progressive Party was the main opposition party, but party leader Chen Shui-bian won the presidential election in 2000 and a year later the party won most seats in the general election. The New Party was formed in 1993 by disgruntled KMT members seeking an intransigent line on the mainlands status. It fared poorly in the 2001 election, overshadowed by the gains made by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), a newly formed pro-independence party. Prominent among a host of other minor parties is the Peoples First Party (PFP), an offshoot of the KMT.

C Judiciary

The highest judicial body of Taiwan is the Judicial Council. It oversees the Supreme Court, high courts, administrative court, district courts, and other tribunals. The Control Council has a semi-judicial function: it monitors the activities of Taiwans government officials and has the power of impeachment.

D Health and Welfare

The government of Taiwan promotes social welfare through several programmes. A health and retirement programme covers workers in private industry, and government employees are covered by a similar insurance scheme. In 1995, Taiwan had 27,495 doctors, or 1 per 774 people, and 101,430 hospital beds. In 2002 the infant mortality rate was 7 deaths per 1,000 live births. Taiwan spent 4.3 per cent of its national budget on health in 1995.

E Defence

Males are liable for two years of service in the armed forces of Taiwan. The defence budget, partly secret, comprises roughly 25 per cent of the total national budget. In 2001 the military had a strength of about 370,000 personnel, including 240,000 in the army, 68,000 in the air force, and 68,000 in the navy. These forces are equipped with modern weapons, aircraft, and ships. Reserve forces in 1997 stood at 1.66 million.

F International Organizations

Taiwan ceased to be a member of the UN in 1971, when the Peoples Republic of China took its seat. Taiwan is, however, a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the World Trade Organization.

VI HISTORY

Chinese annals record an expedition undertaken by China against the island of Taiwan as early as ad 603. Bands of Japanese are said to have conquered portions of the island in the 12th century, and from the 15th century onward Japan regarded the eastern half of Taiwan as its possession. The Portuguese, in 1590, were the first Europeans to visit the island, which they called Formosa (beautiful one). Subsequently, the Spanish attempted to found permanent settlements, but were thwarted by the Dutch, who succeeded in taking possession of the Pescadores in 1621. Three years later the Dutch had established themselves on the south-eastern coast of Taiwan, where they maintained a settlement for 37 years.

A Chinese Settlement

With the defeat by the Manchus of the Ming dynasty in China, the Ming, led by the notorious half-Japanese pirate-general Koxinga, or Zheng Chenggong, drove the Dutch from Taiwan and occupied a considerable portion of the island. By the end of the 17th century, however, the Ming dissidents on Taiwan had capitulated to the Manchus, and the island became part of the Chinese empire. Thereafter, immigration to Taiwan from the mainland of China increased greatly. By the Treaty of Tianjin in 1858, which concluded the victorious Franco-British second Opium War against China, two ports on the eastern coast of TaiwanTanshui and Tainanwere opened as treaty ports to foreign ships, and within the next two years Roman Catholic and Protestant missions were established on the island.

During the war between France and China in 1884 and 1885, the French imposed a partial blockade against Taiwan and occupied Chilung for several months. The Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 terminated the Sino-Japanese War over Korea and required that China cede Taiwan and the Pescadores to Japan. The Chinese inhabitants of Taiwan, however, refused to submit. A subsequent rebellion was put down by the Japanese, and for the following half-century a stringent occupation that included a cultural Japanization was enforced. Though oppressive, Japanese occupation policy was geared to expanding the islands economy. Early in World War II, the Japanese further tightened their control of Taiwan by making the island an integral part of the empire.

B Nationalist Refuge

With the defeat of Japan in 1945, the territory of Taiwan, including the Pescadores, was returned to China, but governmental malfeasance and monopolistic trends engendered widespread resentment against the Chinese authorities. The unrest resulted in an uprising by the native Taiwanese in February 1947, but it was quickly suppressed with an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 casualties, and two months later Taiwan was proclaimed a province of China.

On December 8, 1949, following occupation of most of the Chinese mainland by Communist armies, the Nationalist government of China, led by General Chiang Kai-shek, established its headquarters at Taipei. Communist plans to invade Taiwan were subsequently frustrated by the United States, which in 1950 sent naval forces to defend the island after the outbreak of the Korean War caused a stiffening of US policy. In April 1951 the United States further announced that US military personnel would be sent to Taiwan to assist in the training of Nationalist forces. For the remainder of the 1950s, despite sporadic hostilities between Taiwan and the mainland, the United States Seventh Fleet in effect shielded the Nationalist government from invasion by the Communist regime in Beijing. Chiang Kai-shek was re-elected president in March 1954. Later that year, the Nationalist and US governments signed a mutual-defence treaty by which the United States agreed conditionally to take punitive action against the Chinese mainland if the Communist regime attacked Taiwan or the Pescadores. A Communist attempt to force the surrender of Quemoy in 1958 was foiled by American intervention.

C Time of Prosperity

During this time the United States also extended massive economic and military aid to the Taiwan regime, enabling it to build up the islands economy despite its great expenditures on military preparedness. By the mid-1960s, when such aid was terminated, more than US$4 billion had flowed into Taiwans economy. In that time industrial production was estimated to have risen by 300 per cent; in addition, exports had tripled and imports had doubled. Of greater significance, however, was that the island had become a showcase of modern economic health, with a growth rate far exceeding that of most other Asian nations.

Throughout the 1960s few changes were effected in Taiwans international status or its internal government. The mainlanders who had taken refuge in 1949 remained the dominant group politically and economically. The National Assembly elected Chiang Kai-shek to his third and fourth six-year terms as president in 1960 and 1966, and a bill broadening his powers was passed in the latter year. The regime still enjoyed wide diplomatic recognition throughout the world, and its foreign trade was booming. More and more nations, however, were shifting their formal relations to the Peoples Republic on the mainland. Thus, for example, diplomatic relations with France were broken off in 1964, when France recognized the Peoples Republic. Neither of the Chinese governments would have formal relations with any nation recognizing the other. On occasion, trade relations were also strained by a partners overtures to the mainland regime.

D Shifting Relations

A radical change in this situation occurred in the early 1970s. The decision by the US government to seek contacts with the Peoples Republic led to the expulsion of Taiwan from Chinas seat in the UN and the seating of the rival regime in 1971. This was followed by a visit of US President Richard Nixon to Beijing in 1972 and the subsequent opening of a US liaison office in the Peoples Republic. In the wake of these developments many other nations withdrew their diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. At the beginning of 1979 the United States formalized its relations with the Peoples Republic, thereby ending its ties to Taiwan, although the nations trade and informal communications continued under the Taiwan Relations Act. A year later, in January 1980, the defence treaty of 1954 lapsed, but the United States remained a forthright vendor of defensive arms to Taiwan. By 1981 relatively few nations still maintained formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the territorys international trade suffered little damage.

Chiang Kai-shek was elected to his fifth presidential term in 1972. Three years later, embittered by US abandonment, he died and was succeeded by Vice-President Yen Chia-kan. Chiangs eldest son, Chiang Ching-kuo, who had been premier of Taiwan since 1972, continued in that office and assumed leadership of the Kuomintang. He was elected to the presidency in 1978 and re-elected in 1984.

In the late 1970s and the 1980s Taiwans economy continued to expand; trade contacts with Western Europe were increased, and the Taiwanese government rejected the offers of reconciliation that came from Beijing. Martial law, in effect since 1949, was finally lifted in July 1987 as part of a package of reforms including the toleration of domestic political opposition and the reinstitution of travel links with the mainland. Chiang Ching-kuo died in January 1988 and was succeeded by Vice-President Lee Teng-hui, who became the first native of Taiwan to assume the presidency.

The 1989 general election, won by the Kuomintang, was the first in which opposition parties were allowed to participate freely. Lee was elected to a full six-year term in March 1990. In 1991 a plan was formulated to restructure the government, and a long-term, three-phase plan for reunification with mainland China was introduced. In April 1991 President Lee announced the end of the Communist rebellion on the mainland, a de facto recognition of Beijings mainland sovereignty. Constitutional reforms led to free elections in 1992 in which the DPP gained significant representation, though the KMT kept its hold on power. In April 1993, representatives from both sides met in the Republic of Singapore, where they began discussing issues relevant to the relationship between the two countries, and where they set up a schedule for subsequent meetings between the two governments. The Singapore meeting was the first high-level contact between the Peoples Republic of China and Taiwan since 1949. This paralleled heavy Taiwanese investment in the mainland, up to 20 per cent of total outside investment.

The DPP and others continued to campaign for Taiwans constitutional independence from mainland China, despite Beijings threats of military action if this were done and a heavy DPP defeat in a 1991 National Assembly election fought on the issue. The KMT itself lost strength and cohesion through defection of both hardline traditionalists and pro-independence activists. In March 1995 the Legislative Council passed a law to compensate the families of victims of the 1947 crackdown. Taiwan scored an important foreign policy victory in June 1995 when President Lee Teng-hui became the first Taiwanese president to visit the United States (unofficially), despite strong protests from mainland China.

E Presidential Democracy

In March 1996 President Lee Teng-hui was re-elected in Taiwans first-ever direct presidential poll. Mainland China attempted to undercut electoral support for him with what was widely regarded internationally as a concerted campaign of rhetoric and intimidation, including the firing of missiles in test zones off Taiwan. However, this intimidation appeared only to strengthen support for Lee, who ended polling over 30 per cent ahead of his nearest rival candidate. The US demonstrated its support for Taiwan during the elections by sending a naval task force to patrol the Taiwan Strait. Lee Teng-huis victory was attended by strongly patriotic demonstrations, and hailed as a triumph for Taiwanese democratization.

Following the elections, Taiwan moved to restore good relations with the mainland. Lees inaugural speech, delivered in May 1996, was conciliatory, but also offered no concessions on substantive issues such as direct air links with China and his drive for greater international recognition for Taiwan. In a diplomatic blow, South Africa decided in November 1996 to sever official links with Taiwan, leaving only a few minor countries still formally recognizing Taiwan. In December, government and opposition agreed a plan to dismantle Taiwans provincial government structure, removing administrative duplication and improving efficiency. The Taiwan provincial governor James Soong offered to resign in late December 1996 as a protest against reform plans aimed at dismantling the provincial government: this threatened both government unity and President Lees constitutional reforms. The mainland Chinese government protested strongly at an official visit to Taiwan in March 1997 by the Dalai Lama of Tibet. However, thawing relations brought the first official ocean crossings between China and Taiwan for almost 50 years in April. In July the governments reform package was approved by the National Assembly. In October 1997 Taiwan brought in policies to limit the effects of financial turmoil in Pacific Rim economies; these efforts were broadly successful, and Taiwan did not suffer the dramatic falls in currency and stock values experienced by Indonesia, Thailand, and other Asian tiger economies. In November 1997 the opposition DPP scored unexpected victories in local elections, by stressing clean government over its traditional policy of formal independence from China, raising for the first time the possibility of a non-KMT Taiwanese government. Results in January 1998s local elections restored the KMTs fortunes, however. The KMT's recovery continued in legislative and municipal elections in December 1998, which gave it a strong legislative majority.

In September 1999, a massive earthquake hit Taiwan, killing nearly 2,300 people, injuring about 8,700 others, and leaving more than 100,000 homeless. The earthquake measured 7.6 on the Richter scale making it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Taiwan. T'aichung and Nantou counties in central Taiwan, near the earthquake's epicentre, suffered the worst damage.

E1 Opposition Rule

Chen Shui-bian, leader of the DPP, won presidential elections held in March 2000, marking the first time presidential power has been given to an opposition candidate. The vote was widely seen as a rejection of threats given by Chinese leaders prior to the election, who warned that Taiwan would face military action if voters elected Chen. After the vote, Chen announced he wanted to build a constructive dialogue with China, but rejected China's "one country, two systems" formula for reunification, insisting on Taiwan's independent sovereignty. China appeared to soften its position towards Taiwan following the election, but stressed that it would never allow independence from China. Soon after the election, the Taiwanese parliament announced the end of a 50-year ban on direct trade and transport links with China, opening up routes between a handful of offshore islands and mainland China. The first official voyages were made in early 2001, with Chinese and Taiwanese making trips in both directions. Chen described the move as a goodwill gesture.

At the December 1 general election the KMT lost seats to the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party led by the president. The DPP secured 87 seats as against the 68 seats gained by the KMT. Other groupings won the 70 other seats available, including 13 seats to the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), a newly formed party that favours independence and was thought would join a ruling coalition with the DPP. China voiced its concern over the result of the election and repeated its stance on refusing to allow Taiwan to secede. Yu Shyi-kun of the Democratic Progressive Party was appointed as prime minister in January 2002.

Oh, I thought we were also discussing Taiwan & *Hong Kong...Where Hong Kong was your Corvette, & the dude didn't want to give-it-back...Or more correctly, the Corvette didn't want to go back home lol !

-- Edited by Rastus on Sunday 13th of March 2022 06:14:40 PM