By contrast, the east coast—aside from one major rift valley—provides little room for human settlement. The Pan-Green Coalition is mainly led by the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). None of Taiwan’s three main political parties—Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party, the opposition Kuomintang, and Taiwan People’s Party—support unification with Beijing. All are pro-democracy and anticommunist, all want to maintain ties with the United States, and none support immediate independence. The main distinction among the parties is over how best to preserve the cross-strait status quo, not whether to do so. The three parties agree on virtually all domestic issues, with the exceptions of nuclear energy and the death penalty.

Economic overview

Officially, China has been encouraging trade and economic ties with Taiwan, as well as cultural links. Like Ben, most people in Taiwan – 65% according to a survey released in May by the military-affiliated Institute for National Defense and Strategic Research (INDSR) – believe it is unlikely that China will attack in the next five years. Together with the government workers, they were taking part in mandatory civil defence and military drills held across Taiwan last month. However, those soils have largely been leeched of their nutrients by heavy rains and long-term irrigation. In the northern part of the island, the soils in arable areas are primarily acid alluvials and latosols; in the south, areas of arable land have neutral to weak-alkaline and planosol-like alluvial soils. Much of Taiwan’s soil is deficient in phosphorous and potash, and fertilizers are needed to produce good harvests, especially where the land is double cropped.

Trade and Exports

Taiwan’s political status is contentious, as China claims the island as part of its territory, leading to trade and diplomatic challenges. The ongoing trade war between the United States and China has also affected Taiwan’s trade relationships, as both countries are key trade partners for Taiwan. The East China Sea lies to its north, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south and the South China Sea to its southwest.

Besides tackling grey zone warfare and disinformation campaigns, one main focus was to prepare for urban warfare. The annual Han Kuang war games, which rehearse a military response to a Chinese attack, have been revamped to replace scripted exercises with more realistic simulations. «We do need these defence drills, I believe there is some threat from China,» says Ben, a finance professional who works in Taipei. «But the chances of a Chinese invasion are low. If they really wanted to attack us, they would have done so already.»

Irrigated land

Few doubt that China would try to use force to seize Taiwan militarily if it felt all other options to prevent permanent separation had been exhausted, but Beijing’s strong preference would be to take it over peacefully—with the island’s economy, technology, and human capital still intact. Taiwan is surrounded by water, with the Taiwan Strait separating it from mainland China, and the Pacific Ocean lying to the east. There are numerous rivers and lakes throughout the island, which are essential for both agriculture and the country’s water supply. The most significant river is the Zhuoshui River, which flows through the island’s central region and serves as an important source of water for irrigation and industry. Other key rivers include the Tamsui River in the north, which flows through the capital, Taipei, and the Love River in Kaohsiung, which is central to the city’s geography. Taiwan has a relatively large number of rivers for its size, but they are mostly short and small and are not navigable—the exception to the latter description being the Tan-shui (Danshui, or Tamsui) River, which flows northward from the mountains and passes near Taipei before emptying into the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan Facts and Culture

Taiwan is also home to several lakes, such as Sun Moon Lake, located in the central part of the island. Taiwan’s waterways, including the rivers and lakes, are crucial for transportation, particularly in rural areas, as well as for supporting the country’s agricultural and industrial needs. The tiny island, which saw deadly clashes between Chinese and Taiwanese forces in the late 1940s and 50s, is considered a frontline of any possible attack. But with the improvement of cross-strait relations and economic links, many on Kinmen view their proximity to China as a boon, not a bane. Most of the farmland and consequently most of the population are to be found on the western part of the island.

Taiwan Weather

There is no doubt that Chinese efforts at infiltration combined with military pressure—such as cyberattacks or a naval blockade under the guise of customs enforcement—would be a major challenge to Taiwan, but such measures could just as easily foment hostility toward Beijing as weaken Taiwanese resolve. Over the past several years, Taiwan’s political and military leadership has agreed to an asymmetric defensive strategy and aligned the Taiwanese military’s doctrine, force structure, and spending decisions around it. Largely gone are the days of overinvesting in expensive, high-end military capabilities to confront Chinese forces at the centerline of the Taiwan Strait. Now, Taiwan is concentrating resources on making the island the equivalent of a porcupine—prickly to touch and impossible to swallow.

The southern regions, including cities like Kaohsiung, experience a hot, humid tropical climate with warm temperatures throughout the year, while the northern regions, such as Taipei, have a subtropical climate, with milder winters and cooler temperatures during the summer. Taiwan is an island nation located in East Asia, situated off the southeastern coast of China. The island is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Taiwan Strait to the west, and the Bashi Channel to the south, which separates it from the Philippines.

The eastern coast and southern regions are often the hardest hit, but the entire island can experience the effects of these storms, which can disrupt daily life and cause extensive damage. The political opposition, dominated by the Kuomintang (KMT) chicken road download party, accuses the DPP government of using the prospect of a Chinese invasion to fearmonger so it can gain political support. Beijing has accused Lai’s government of deliberately antagonising them, particularly with the defence drive. Last month, China’s defence ministry called the Han Kuang exercises «nothing but a bluffing and self-deceiving trick played by the DPP authorities to hijack Taiwan compatriots onboard its ‘Taiwan Independence’ war chariot». Prior to the 1600s, Taiwan was self-governing, although there was no central ruling authority. It was a colony of the Netherlands for about 40 years in the early to mid-17th century and was subsequently independent again for about two decades.

The plains are characterized by rolling hills and lowlands, where the majority of the island’s agriculture, including rice, sugarcane, and vegetables, takes place. The eastern side of the island is dominated by coastal areas and the Pacific Ocean, where dramatic cliffs meet the ocean. Taiwan, island in the western Pacific Ocean that lies roughly 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of southeastern China. It is approximately 245 miles (395 km) long (north-south) and 90 miles (145 km) across at its widest point.

TSMC’s dominance of the global chip market creates a position of strength for Taiwan that other countries can only envy. When word got out that the Trump administration was thinking of demanding part ownership of technology companies that take U.S. subsidies (as it did for Intel), TSMC made clear it would rather forgo the subsidies than dilute its ownership—and Trump backed down. When the time comes to finalize a U.S.-Taiwanese trade and tariff deal, TSMC’s investments in the United States will provide leverage to Taiwan. It also means leading companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company can make investments in the United States that the Trump administration wants without compromising its competitive position. Even with major investments in plants in Germany, Japan, and the United States, TSMC’s facilities in Taiwan still produce between 80 and 90 percent of the company’s total chip output. There simply is no alternative anywhere in the world to the leading-edge chips that Taiwan’s top companies produce.

Terrain and Landscape

The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin, but Taiwanese Hokkien and indigenous languages are spoken widely, especially in rural areas. The country’s multilingualism is an important part of its identity, with efforts to preserve and promote regional and indigenous languages alongside Mandarin. The population is highly urbanized, with around 70% of the population living in urban areas. The capital city, Taipei, along with other cities like Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Tainan, are economic and cultural centers, drawing people from rural areas seeking work and better living conditions. During the winter months, from November to February, the climate becomes cooler, especially in the northern and central regions. While the lowland areas in the south enjoy mild temperatures, the northern parts of Taiwan can experience temperatures as low as 10°C (50°F), and mountain areas may receive snowfall, particularly at higher elevations.

• These mountains, which include the island’s highest peak, Yushan (Jade Mountain), reaching an elevation of 3,952 meters (12,966 feet), account for roughly two-thirds of Taiwan’s land area.
• There also appears to be a cross-partisan consensus that now is not a time to test global tolerance for Taiwan’s independence but rather a moment to show Taiwan as a contributor to regional stability.
• The political opposition, dominated by the Kuomintang (KMT) party, accuses the DPP government of using the prospect of a Chinese invasion to fearmonger so it can gain political support.
• Taiwan’s waterways, including the rivers and lakes, are crucial for transportation, particularly in rural areas, as well as for supporting the country’s agricultural and industrial needs.
• Taiwan, island in the western Pacific Ocean that lies roughly 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of southeastern China.
• Given the stakes for Taiwan, which are nothing short of existential, complacency is not an option.

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• The summer months, particularly from May to October, are marked by heavy rainfall and high temperatures.
• The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1912 under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen, assumed control following the surrender of Japan in World War II.
• Railways in Taiwan are primarily used for passenger services, with Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) operating a circular route around the island and Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) running high speed services on the west coast.
• This will require compromise among leaders who prioritize raising compensation for career soldiers and extending the service of conscripts and those who favor fielding new military capabilities.
• Taiwan exports a wide range of products, with electronics and machinery being the largest categories.

Taiwan’s defense innovations are also being turbocharged by lessons drawn from Ukraine’s resistance to Russia. This includes launching a whole-of-society resilience campaign, simulating realistic scenarios of Chinese military attacks in defense training, expanding public participation in civil defense, and simulating responses to cyberattacks and gray-zone threats. In 2022, Taiwan formed the All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency to better integrate reserve forces for defense. Taiwan’s defense leaders also are training and empowering field commanders to take initiative rather than wait for centralized directives. While Taiwan’s economy has been highly successful, it faces several challenges, particularly its dependence on global supply chains and geopolitical tensions with China.